Let’s Talk about Sex…and Oil

Right now, the biggest environmental story (if you don’t count the huge storm Mother Nature is sending at Texas) is that United States’ Interior Department employers in the Minerals Management Service were partying hard with people from the oil industry.

And not just any people. These were contract holders, people who bid on government work. According to reports, the program’s director, Gregory Smith, and over 11 other employees drank alcohol, smoked pot, snorted coke, and otherwise partied together. Employees on both sides even messed around, going home together for casual sex on many occasions after a night of partying.

Yeesh.

Now, this is a big deal because government employees who were involved in all of this risque behavior allegedly gave these party buddies of theirs special consideration, sending contracts their way, letting them bid multiple times, and otherwise showing their friendship in non-kosher ways. That’s definitely not a good things.

But environmentally speaking, maybe this all coming to light was a good thing. It is a bit suspicious that this all was made public right as Washington seemed ready to approve the Republican-proposed lift on the off-shore oil drilling. Now, drilling critics are pointing at the allegations, saying “See…we told you oil companies shouldn’t be given even more power.”

To me, this is a story about government corruption and improper spending, not about the environment. Whether clean-cut Company A gets to drill offshore or party hearty Company B gets to drill off shore doesn’t matter…it still isn’t a good solution to our country’s energy problems.

However, it does give the general public an even more shadowed perception on the oil industry (if $3.50+ a gallon wasn’t already doing that!), and although I don’t fault the hard-working men and women who bring me the gas for my car or other oil products, I do think that we need to stay away from relying on these companies and instead focus more money into greener energies, converting some of those lost jobs into green collar jobs.

So, true or not, I hope that this sex scandal encourages more people to learn the facts behind oil and support green laws, green companies, and green candidates.