Pat, oil is king in America, albeit a syphilis-wracked, cancer-ridden king. But Mad King Oil will see us all dead before he lets go the throne. You ask why, I say look to your leaders.  
Well the oil kingpins don't just love the Republicans, they love anyone in office. All the BS the rightwing puts up about the treehuggers in AnWr but it all comes down to money
http://www.anwr.com/archives/oil_in_alaska_refuge_seen_raising_111_bln_for_us.php
I say pull out of AnWr and start implementing laws in new energy directions. I'm not buying the Right Wing bullishit of "If we could only drill in AnWr", however I think the Global Warming stuff is a load of crap. Yes there is Global Warming and no I don't think man causes it.