“2. It would take years (some say as many as 10) to produce energy from new drilling sites”
That isn’t a reason not to drill… it is just a reason that we should have done it 10 frickin’ years ago. Just sayin’… Anyone who says “lets not drill because we won’t see a result for 10 years” better damn-well promise that they have a better solution that can be implemented in under 10 years. Besides, that “10 year” bit refers to ANWR, not the gulf. Oil companies have pretty much said we can start pumping out oil here in a few years. The key is that we actually need to build new refineries to increase output, and deliver better products with less environmental impact.

“3. Producing more oil would have 0 impact on prices, the oil would simply go to companies who are not required by the government to keep costs in check - more oil, more profits”
Its all market-based. Oil company A can still charge $200 bucks a barrel, but if oil company B decides to sell at $150, then company A will no longer have any buyers. It is pretty simple economics anyway… as supply increases, cost decreases. Oil companies aren’t inherently evil, they are inherently capitalistic, as are all big companies. People who have a problem with oil company profits ought to consider the amount of money the government rakes in via gasoline taxes. Wouldn’t you love to pay $0.45 less per gallon starting tomorrow? The government has the power to do that without interfering with the operations of industry.

“even if tomorrow we opened up every square mile of the outer continental shelf to offshore rigs, even if we drilled the entire state of Alaska and pulled new refineries out of thin air, the impact on gas prices would be minimal and delayed at best. A 2004 study by the government’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) found that drilling in ANWR would trim the price of gas by 3.5 cents a gallon by 2027.”

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1815884,00.html?cnn=yes

Fucking assholes, If I had a wood chipper….. grrr