1Declaration: Free Markets, Free People, Free Minds

I have heard numerous times in the past several days that if the US were to start drilling now that the gas would come down only 1.8 cents per gallon. These politicians usually Democrats are then quick to bring up that we have only 2% of the worlds known reserves. Well they are only partially right. We have only 2% of the worlds reserves that are currently tapped or can be tapped.

The rest of the truth is that in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming we have oil shale that is fully extractable and economically viable to do so. In this oil shale we have contained by conservative estimates 3 times the oil that Saudi Arabia has 21% of the world's known oil reserves and will last for another 80 years at the current rate. Somehow this math does not add up. So what's the deal? Simple, Democrats are not about bringing down prices now with practical means that can be developed. Democrats are trying to change our lives.

Development of the oil shale has come profitable at $95 a barrel but new techniques that Shell has successfully developed and tested allows for oil shale extraction around $25 a barrel. Simply stated: We have no excuse not to open up drilling around the United States as part of a complete energy plan to bring down oil prices right now and work toward energy independence.

We can't drill now though because it remains illegal to do so.

Yet, buried in a Department of Interior appropriations bill passed in December 2007 was an amendment that prevented establishing regulations for leasing land to drill for oil shale. The House passed that amendment, proposed by Rep. Mark Udall of Colorado, on June 27, 2007, by a vote of 219-215.

On May 15, 2008 in a 15-14 vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee rejected an amendment by Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) to allow oil shale drilling and overturn the Udall moratorium.