Blog

Beluga Whale: Keeping Us From Energy Independence Since 2008


October 1, 2008 saw the expiration of the moratorium on offshore drilling.  It was lovingly dubbed “Energy Independence Day.”  As noted in an early post, accessing domestic offshore oil takes a long time (at least 6 years).  Permits, inquiries, studies, comment periods, and lots of red tape prevent oil producers from accessing oil.  It turns out that getting 6 years worth of paperwork done is the easy part.  Suffering the litigation put forth by wealthy environmentalist groups is the hard part.  On that note, I’d like to introduce the beluga whale.

Today, the federal government declared the beluga whale endangered.  This means that any offshore drilling in the Cook Inlet area of Alaska is nearly impossible now.  Yet again, a small group of radicals prevents America from accessing its own natural resources.  The Center for Biological Diversity, a member of CRC’s Gang Green, is the ultra-liberal environmental group that spearheaded the efforts to have the beluga whale listed on the endangered species list.  This is very likely the beginning of a long string of roadblocks to energy independence that result from litigation from radical environmentalist groups.

I wonder if Vegas runs odds on which animal goes next?

Support Capital Research Center's award-winning journalism

Donate today to assist in promoting the principles of individual liberty in America.

Read Next