Interior Department continues to look backwards for energy

Predictably, the Bush administration wants to drill for oil and gas offshore in the US. At the earliest this would not be possible until 2011 according to the Interior Department which then raises the question of why this and why not more emphasis on other energy sources? It's doubtful that natural gas along the American continental shelf can be drilled and sold for a profit, which again means massive taxpayer corporate welfare for energy companies.

If taxpayers are going to fund energy programs - and this subject should be debated - why should we throw hard earned money at energy sources that are the past instead of the future? Finding the energy sources for the future is understandable and to the benefit of an energy consuming country like the US. Same old, same old, will only benefit the existing players who have very little interest in new technologies and it will be the average American who will prop up these programs instead of spurring new growth and innovation. Our energy policy needs to climb out of the past.