I'm sort of on the fence about this.
I agree we need to use all our resources to our advantage, but I also think we really need to be investing in the development of alternative technologies - ones that hopefully will result in more manufacturing here. I have no idea what that might be - but I'd like to see the US be in a position to leverage some competitive advantage AND get off oil.
I also worry because additional supply (of oil) doesn't always mean prices will drop. I would think that there could be a small temporary drop, followed by a spike as demand goes back up. ("Oh boy! There's more gas! Let's do that cross-country trip in the RV now!")
Maybe I'm too cynical about drilling for our own oil... but I just think back to how we were told in grade school that there was only about 30 years of oil left... and now (around 30 years later) we're still saying the same damn thing - only gas prices are over $4 per gallon.
(BTW - in Germany gas is over $8.60 / gallon... I read about that
here).
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