Carbon Free Girl - A Race Car Driver's Journey to Be Carbon Neutral

shame on big oil

August 21, 2008

Did you know that even if we could tap into all of the energy stored in the Earth's reserves - coal, oil, and natural gas - it would equal the energy in just 20 days of sunshine?

Join me in the fight to protect our nation's precious places from oil drilling and encourage the development of real energy solutions for the future. Declare your independence from oil at ShameOnBigOil.org and visit Alaska Wilderness League for more information.

Listen to my radio ad for Shame on Big Oil

I have embedded below a video clip from the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming's hearing "Drilling for Answers on Oil and Gas Prices, Profits, and Alternatives." Click below to watch J. Stephen Simon, the Director and Vice President of Exxon Mobil, get his a#! handed to him by Representative Edward Markey on their record profits and their pathetic financial commitments to renewable energy:

So which one of the top five oil companies are spending the least and the most on alternative energy? Exxon rates the lowest with only 1% of their profits going towards alternatives. BP scored the highest, but even they only spent 2.9% of their profits on alternative energy research. With a combined profit of more than $1.5 trillion, it is a ridiculous effort to greenwash at best.

Here are the facts you need to know about offshore drilling, compliments of GreenPeace USA:

Offshore oil drilling won't impact gas prices today, and it won't have a significant impact on gas prices in the future.

This is nothing more than a money grab by the oil companies - who are already making record-breaking profits.

We burn 25% of the world's oil here in the U.S., but we have only 3% of the world's oil reserves. Even if all offshore oil magically came to market today, the vast majority of our oil would continue to be imported, and we wouldn't see price relief at the pump.

The current moratorium was put in place decades ago to protect us from the danger of oil spills along our coastlines and beaches.

Burning fossil fuels like oil causes global warming, which causes stronger hurricanes, which will threaten the very offshore drilling rigs being proposed, which will contribute to even more global warming.

To avoid the worst impacts of global warming, we need to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy within the next 10 years. The billions of dollars that would be spent on offshore oil drilling just postpones the inevitable transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Oil exploration requires massive seismic testing - which threatens whales and dolphins.

Oil prices are set on the global oil market, so American oil is no cheaper than Saudi oil. We won't get a discount for oil drilled in the U.S.

We can't solve the world's energy problems with the same drilling that created them.

Renewable energy is available now, so it's time to walk away from fossil fuels and toward a clean energy future. It's time for the United States to be leader in the energy revolution. Tell your leaders you want them to invest in clean renewable energy and stop our addiction to fossil fuels!

Peace,

Leilani

PS. As a driver, I would like to quickly address what the different racing series are doing with renewable fuels:

- The IndyCar Series is running on 100% ethanol and while it is corn based now, that means their motors are ready to take cellulosic ethanol as well.

- The American Le Mans Series has formed the “Green Racing Challenge” sanctioned by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Society of Automotive Engineers. They currently have Corvettes running on cellulosic ethanol and Audis running on clean biodiesel.

- A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has unveiled a series of initiatives to help reduce its environmental footprint. Measures include switching to biofuel (30% ethanol mix), waste reduction measures, carbon-offsetting unavoidable emissions and promoting environmental awareness to a global audience spanning 150 countries.

- The world is still waiting to see Formula One and NASCAR start using biofuels. We need to hear more of a commitment than "we are talking about it" -- talking is not going to cut it. Remember what Yoda said: "Do or do not, there is no try."