112. FERTILIZER LOBBY JUMPS ON DRILLING BANDWAGON

As we've seen earlier (#97), Matt Simmons has had a hard-on for years to drill ANWR, the OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) and Lease #181 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

The fertilizer lobby is now jumping on the same bandwagon:

"U.S. farmers provide a safe and abundant food supply for the entire world. Agriculture is the basis for the reliable food, fiber, feed and now energy for the United States and many others around the world. Like any other industry we need a reliable supply of inputs including fertilizer and fuel," said Leon Corzine, NCGA president. "Farmers are being impacted now with the high prices of fertilizer, natural gas and diesel at a time when our energy needs are at their highest. As an energy dependent nation, it is more important than ever that we diversify our nation's supplies of natural gas by using domestic resources and bringing stabilization to our supply". The Alliance members are urging Congress to reform public policies that create demand for certain energy resources, like natural gas, while restricting access to supply sources. According to the Minerals Management Service, there is an estimated 406 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Outer Continental Shelf. This potential supply is clearly needed, yet it is off limits due to federal policies that leave 85 percent of all federally controlled offshore areas subject to a federal moratoria on development. The moratoria that were put into effect 24 years ago must be reexamined to reflect the new reality of short supply and greater demand. Advanced drilling technologies have proven that these energy resources can be produced in an environmentally responsible manner.
The agricultural community believes that it is strategically critical for Congress to remove these production barriers now to provide new sources of natural gas and oil supplies. A high priority should be placed on opening up to exploration Lease Area 181 in the Gulf of Mexico which is known to have an abundant supply of energy resources with access to existing pipeline infrastructure. This action would facilitate speedy delivery of much needed natural gas to the marketplace. This area alone could insure that agriculture has access to natural gas to continue manufacturing fertilizer, grow our crops and feed our citizens. Source(pdf)

The fertilizer lobby is a crew of short-sighted fools who are only worried about their own pocketbook, and not the future well-being of the country or the world. Somebody high profile, in the congress or the media, needs to ask these fucking idiots one question:
What's the plan for when ANWR, Lease Area 181 and the OCS dry up?