Obama's speech explaining his decision to open up offshore drilling, which is now underway, strongly emphasizes that the move is only a small component of a larger strategy that will, in the long run, transition our economy to energy independence.
It remains to be seen whether this argument — which amounts to a request that people trust that Obama will achieve his larger goals in the long run — will satisfy environmentalists. From the prepared remarks:
The bottom line is this: given our energy needs, in order to sustain economic growth, produce jobs, and keep our businesses competitive, we're going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of new sources of renewable, homegrown energy.
There will be those who strongly disagree with this decision, including those who say we should not open any new areas to drilling. But what I want to emphasize is that this announcement is part of a broader strategy that will move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil to one that relies more on homegrown fuels and clean energy. And the only way this transition will succeed is if it strengthens our economy in the short term and long term. To fail to recognize this reality would be a mistake.
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