Oil release a bad idea
Wasting resources is not good politics
By Carl Staab

	You have probably heard recently about the Clinton administration’s move to release a small part of the nation’s strategic oil reserve in order to lower energy costs this winter.  I’m not yet sure who I favor in this election, but this thoughtless political move does nothing to help my view of the Gore ticket.
	This release will be ineffective.  The United States consumes 19 million barrels of oil daily, so the 30-million-barrel sale will be under two percent of the approximately 1700 million barrels of oil that will be consumed this winter.  It’s just a drop in the bucket, really; this move won’t increase supply enough to significantly lower prices.  In addition, what if OPEC chooses to reduce their consumption by the same amount?  If that happens, we’re back to square one.
	This action is also shortsighted.  The nation’s oil reserve of 571 million barrels was created to serve as an emergency supply in times of war or supply cutoff.  It can supply the United States’ ordinary energy needs for one month.  We are throwing away some of that thin buffer.  30 million barrels is only a small part of the reserve, but it’s called a reserve for a reason.  We are not under emergency conditions, and this waste could come back to haunt us.
	Finally, releasing this fuel looks so much like a political move that it doesn’t matter whether it actually is.  The Clinton administration is using valuable resources to get an insignificant short-term benefit to oil prices; the only good thing about it is that the headlines look pretty.  Moreover, the timing is off.  Why do it now, during a crucial election race, instead of last winter, or earlier this year when gasoline cost us two dollars per gallon?
This may not be a total campaign ploy, but it certainly could be, and that will hurt Gore’s approval in the long run.  In truth, I’m disappointed in the Democrats; I wouldn’t have expected either major party to attempt something this dim-witted.