The Defense of Rationalism

Dear Senator Sessions and Staff,

As full or part time residents of Washington, DC I’m sure you are aware that oil and gasoline prices are getting well out of hand. Their effects on diesel prices are especially troubling due to their seemingly inescapable effect on the prices of groceries and other necessary items. It seems that the only folks prospering from the dramatic increases of late are the major American oil companies who are obviously interested in maintaining the status quo. As far as I know, the costs associated with drilling a barrel of oil have not risen nearly as fast as the price of a barrel of oil. While the House of Saud — a notorious hotbed of human rights violation and support for Islamic terrorism — and the remnants of Standard Oil experience record profits, middle and low income Americans are experiencing a pinch not felt since the 1970s as a direct result of skyrocketing oil and gasoline prices. While I generally have faith in the market, this seems to be a clear instance where the market has failed. Where profits are increasing, the market mandates a maintenance of the status quo. In the tradition of John Maynard Keynes, this is a clear (and rare) instance that demands immediate government intervention in the economy.

Yet it seems our own government has not demonstrated an interest in addressing what appears to be a burgeoning crisis. Tax holidays and a reduction in contributions to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (a move I’m not so sure I agree with) have been promulgated by Democrats but Republicans seem to have been silent on the issue. As a former intern in your Washington office, I know you had an LA devoted to energy issues; what ideas have you and your staff come up with to address this issue? Your fights against illegal immigration and child pornography have been admirable but I and most of your constituents need you to address this pressing economic issue.

It seems that the heart of the issue involves a stagnating supply (as well as controlled production by OPEC nations) and ever increasing demand. We need to find a viable and widely available alternative to fossil fuels. Hydrogen fuel cells are among those most viable options though there are issues associated with infrastructure development and the process of extracting hydrogen from water. It seems that the government should sponsor major research and development programs to rapidly produce and deploy hydrogen fuel cells as a viable, cost-effective, and renewable alternative to fossil fuels and reliance on the House of Saud and Hugo Chavez. In the meantime, it seems that we ought to open the flood gates of oil in order to reduce prices in the interregnum. ANWR should be opened alongside offshore fields in the Gulf of Mexico and other areas.

Senator Sessions, this issue affects every single one of your constituents. I’m sure I speak for nearly all of them when I say we need you to spearhead efforts to get this burgeoning crisis under control.

Thanks for your time,

Joshua Reif

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Gas prices are setting new records on an almost daily basis; the price for a barrel of crude oil has trounced anything the world has ever seen as it continues to climb; and the world’s supply of accessible oil reserves is decreasing while demand continues to skyrocket. Nearly all Americans are feeling the “pinch at the pump,” a new cliché that seems to indicate that the central crisis associated with rising prices is a diminished capacity to go where we want when we want in our own cars. While this is certainly a looming crisis by itself (given the nature of the American transportation system) it is only the tip of the iceberg.

Rising oil and gas prices affect prices across the board: as diesel prices – which are hovering near $4.00 per gallon – rise faster than unleaded gasoline, all goods transported by truck are subject to rising prices as well. So, as diesel continues to climb, the price of milk, which is commonly transported by truck, will climb alongside it. This goes for anything else transported by truck: eggs, bread, and other staple grocery items. Not to be alarmist, but the potentially looming crisis is extensive and would leave only the wealthiest unscathed.

Seen in this light, the oil crisis is a matter of justice. The longer we sit on our hands and refuse to address the problem, the more likely a major crisis will develop. Currently, American energy policy is an inconsistent and poorly defined mass of regulations that are ill-suited to confront the looming crisis. While I generally have faith in the market, this seems a clear instance where the market has failed. As prices rise and oil companies’ profits grow higher than ever before, there is no market incentive to capitalize on alternative fuels, many of which are far along in their development processes. Immediate government intervention is necessary to facilitate a smooth and quick transition to a system of alternative fuels such as hydrogen fuel cells.

Christians should be concerned about the direction of American energy policy for a number of reasons. First, rising prices hurt those whom it is the church’s responsibility to protect: the poor, the weak, and the needy. While the House of Saud and the remnants of Standard Oil expand their coffers, the poor among us are put in an increasingly desperate situation. The biblical mandate for justice compels us to address an increasingly dire situation. Second, a healthy concern for God’s creation ought to spur us to alternative fuel sources. While “global warming” and “climate change” are heated topics that lack consensus, it remains true that carbon emissions from fossil fuels damage the immediate environment. Among the compelling reasons to adopt a broad alternative fuel source – like hydrogen fuel cells – are their potential to drastically reduce harmful emissions. For these reasons, among others, Christians ought to be concerned and voice their opinions about alternative fuel sources.

As the price of crude oil continues to rise, the alternative fuel debate becomes an increasingly black-and-white issue. Developing a broad system of alternative fuel use ought to become a top priority for our country and our government. Christians, out of a sense of compassion and stewardship, must become involved in the debate and spur on change.