Progress Illinois

On Sunday, Rep. Peter Roskam and his family decided to forgo their scheduled family vacation and instead headed east to Washington, DC, where a group of House Republicans were gathering to protest what they have termed the "Pelosi shutdown" -- the decision by Democrats to adjourn for August recess without first voting on offshore drilling legislation.

Yesterday, Roskam called into WLS' Don Wade & Roma to discuss his impromptu trip. After lauding him for his effort -- even thanking him for "helping America's families" by moving the energy debate forward -- the radio hosts assisted Roskam in obscuring some crucial facts about the drilling proposal. For instance, listen to this exchange:

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ROSKAM: Our desire is to move a holistic energy policy forward. There is an understanding that were not simply going to drill our way out of this, but you’ve got to pursue those sources of energy in the short-run.

But if we can't "drill our way out of this" energy crisis, as Roskam acknowledges, why should we devote resources to expanded offshore drilling? Why not instead focus most of our energies -- and taxpayer dollars -- on developing sustainable, alternative sources of energy?

Curiously absent from the 11-minute discussion on WLS was any mention of timeframes -- with one exception. During the above clip, Roskam appeared to suggest that increased drilling will help lower gas prices "in the short-run."

But a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted we wouldn’t see “a significant impact” on gas prices until 2030. No economist from any ideological position disputes this point. So unless Roskam equates "20-plus years" with "short term," he's being highly misleading.

Of course, it's possible that extra drilling could provide a psychological boost to traders on the oil futures market, which in turn could lead to a reduction in price in the short-run. But that's not the case Roskam is making. And even if he was, there are plenty of other steps Congress could take to ease market concerns. In fact, there are also other ways Congress could provide immediate assistance to cash-strapped drivers. David Robert's outlines a few ideas here, including "everything from direct tax rebates to bumps in the EITC to expansions of healthcare coverage."

What often gets clouded over in the drilling debate is that we're chasing a finite resource. The cost of oil, like all fossil fuels, is going to keep rising regardless of the degree to which we expand exploration. By relentlessly and disingenuously pursuing a policy that won't control costs in the near future, and repeatedly blocking forward-thinking energy legislation, Republicans like Roskam are ensuring that American families will lose out where it counts: in the long-run.