As the world consumes oil, the world’s oil is depleted.  As the world’s oil is depleted, the countries that completely run out of oil first will become totally dependent upon the countries that still have oil.  Thus, the goal of any country that wishes to avoid becoming totally dependent is to avoid being among the first countries to run out of oil.

How does a country avoid being among the first to run out of oil?  By conserving its own domestic oil sources for as long as possible (i.e., leaving its own oil in the ground) and, instead, consuming oil from other countries.  The more oil it can obtain from other countries, the faster those countries will run out of oil and the longer the importing country can avoid becoming totally dependent.  Obvious, right?

Not if you are a Republican lawmaker who wants to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil drilling.  This moronic suggestion proposes to accelerate consumption of America’s domestic oil, thus shortening the date when America completely runs out of domestic oil and becomes totally dependent on foreign sources.  This is why drilling for oil in ANWR will increase, not reduce, America’s oil dependence.  The faster America consumes its own domestic oil, such as by drilling in ANWR, the sooner America will become totally dependent on oil from other countries.