Unintended Consequences

Being opposed to Measure P does not mean you are not a good steward of the earth. Many environmentalist are not in favor of the poorly drafted Measure P.

Here are the issues from the real world: California used to produced over 1 million barrels of oil a day. Today California produces 560,000 barrels a day. I guess the supporter of Measure P think if we can reduce that production to zero, we can save the planet for ourselves and future generations. Maybe losing a few thousand jobs is a small price to pay for clean air. Maybe by stopping oil production we will force people to use solar, wind, and other renewables. Unfortunately, there is one nagging fact that has to be considered. Californians currently consume 950,000 barrels of oil a day. Will supporters of Measure P help pass legislation to reduce state consumption to 560,000? Maybe we can chose to drive our cars on either odd or even days.

Where will we get the oil to run the state? In 2008 the Bakken formation in North Dakota and the Eagleford and Permian formations in Texas produced less than 1 million barrels a day. In 2014, due to fracking and other modern techniques, they are producing over 4 million barrels a day. Fortunately for us Californians, the new refineries being built in other states will have excess capacity. We will be able to buy our gasoline at a slightly marked up price from refineries in other states. More oil trains and more pipelines — just what we want.

Measure P may have sounded great, but the unintended consequences will be very damaging to our county and state. The oil and gas producing states are cheering for Measure P. Can we blame California corporations for moving to states that have a secure energy source?