Going Going Green

By Yasmine Robinson
The Peanut Gallery
on Environmental & Public Works:

The Conservatives of the Committee of Environmental and Public Works were focusing on passing a bill to continue offshore drilling and dabble with nuclear energy. The harmony between the liberals and the conservatives stopped at off shore drilling. The conservatives are more focused on getting America’s economy back in good shape, while the liberals are concerned with saving the environment with expensive energy efficient items.

Representatives from Cato are concerned that the liberals are focusing on spending America’s money on more “green” items such as energy efficient cars, technology, and cleaning products.These green items Cato states are “not a good use of funds. We must take funds and put them in the smaller businesses of America so that we can boost America’s economy in more pertinent ways.” 
Environmentally friendly cars were a big topic of discussion in the committee. Liberals said that these cars do help the environment but conservatives stated that these cars are too expensive. A member from the presidential cabinet even agreed that these “smart” cars are not very smart. The amount of gas money saved from using these cars eventually equals out to the high-energy bills caused by these cars.

Carbon emissions given off by automobiles are harmful to the environment. Is asking Americans to pay for expensive cars or funding for energy efficient buildings the answer? The answer right now is not very clear; one suggestion from a democrat in the Committee of Environmental and Public Works was that people who drive too much in congested areas should be fined. Is that the answer? Should innocent people be charged for trying to commute to their necessary jobs? The conservatives did not agree.

The bill the Republicans are pushing to be passed deals with the advocation of drilling offshore. There are pros and cons of drilling offshore but the conservatives agree that the pros outweigh the cons. The conservatives show that they are steps away from helping America become a more energy efficient country as well as getting America back into a stable economy.