Sunday, April 17, 2005

Pointless gesture

All evidence points to OPEC pumping flat out. It would be nice if the organization could control the price of oil, but under the circumstances, it can't. As long as India and China are sucking up every last drop of available oil to grow their economies, there will be little oil to spare. So the passage of a bill in the U. S. Senate which makes it possible to sue international oil and natural gas cartels in U. S. courts is a pointless gesture.

But, hold on! It must be benefitting someone. Indeed, it is: politicians who want to look like they are doing something about energy when, in fact, they refuse to face up to the realities of oil depletion and the hard choices we face ahead. But then, in Washington these days, saying that you are doing something (even when you aren't) has been known to convince a good part of the country that you are.

(Comments are open to all. See the list of environmental blogs on my sidebar.)

No comments: