Former Speaker of the U.S. House Newt Gingrich is spearheading a bi-partisan petition to “Drill here. Drill now. Pay less."
GingrichU.S. Gov't
The campaign will promote domestic drilling that Gingrich says will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. His group has gathered more than 1 million signatures and hopes to get 2 million more before this year's major party conventions in Denver and Minneapolis.
With gas prices across the nation recently hitting the $4 per gallon mark, Democrat lawmakers are being forced to reconsider their previous opposition to domestic energy exploration. Colorado’s own Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter is hesitant to allow the development of Colorado’s rich oil-shale deposits, even though it could mean lower prices at the pump and an economic boom for the state down the road. Additionally, environmentalists, celebrities and Democrats are in an uproar over Republican Presidential candidate John McCain’s proposal to lift the bans on exploring for oil off the coasts of California, Florida and the Eastern Seaboard. Never mind that our nation imports one-third of its crude from hostile countries.
The rising cost of fuel has left many Americans struggling. While alternative sources of energy need to be explored and consumers should not expect immediate price drops as a result of domestic exploration, responsible domestic drilling in the short-term could save the American economy from economic devastation.
Sign on to Gingrich's petition here.