Energy Independence?

During the last decade, the cry went out for more offshore oil drilling and refineries as part of the need for a self-sufficient U.S. energy policy. These voices - including those of the oil industry - seemed to drown out the ones who called on us to remember the environmental disaster caused by the Exxon Valdez in Alaska. Now history repeats itself and it could be even worse, with the impact of the oil platform explosion off Louisiana not fully revealed for days. Apparently some relatively simple precautions by BP and its contractors could have prevented this catastrophe. The wild weather down South hasn't cooperated, either. When California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger saw the images of wildlife covered in oil and thousands of people's livelihoods threatened, he changed his mind about offshore drilling near his state. As we just begin to know the ramifications of this spill, perhaps we should all use this awful lesson to refocus our search for energy. There are no quick fixes, especially through our heavy reliance on oil - foreign or domestic.