Posted on 05/16/2008 7:13:03 PM PDT by Kaslin
Energy: With the price of oil spiking above $127 a barrel, the search for scapegoats has begun. Some point to the Saudis, OPEC's No. 1 producer. Others blame the oil companies. We have a better candidate: Congress.
Underscoring its failure to grasp the nature of our current problems, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Friday refused to end its moratorium on oil shale development in Colorado.
"If we are really serious about reducing pain at the pump," Colorado's senior senator, Republican Wayne Allard, said, "this is a vote that would make a difference in people's lives." He's right.
But the shale proposal went down to defeat with Allard and 13 other Republican members in favor and 15 Democrats opposed. Once again, Democrats were on the wrong side, opting to keep oil in the ground and punish you with higher prices as a result.
This was no minor thing. Estimates put the amount of oil locked in shale in both Canada and the U.S. at more than 1 trillion barrels. Pulling out even a tenth of that would quadruple our current reserves.
This is the same Congress that refuses to allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which holds up to 20 billion barrels of crude, or offshore, where another 30 billion await.
Meanwhile, Brazil — which recently made a major oil discovery almost in sight of Rio's beaches — announced that it has leased 80% of the world's deep-sea offshore oil rigs. In other words, Brazil unlike the U.S., isn't dithering as prices soar. It's drilling.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
How about some tax credits to build more refineries.
I don't understand Congress and they are leading us into a catastrophe on the basis of environmental religion.
They won’t allow drilling but will allow gas prices to go up and out of site to keep the American people under their thumbs. All incumbents need to be recalled and run out of office. It’s our oil, our land and the people can do what they want with it.
The only excuse I can see for this for this
is that the USA reserves are being kept
in strategic reserve, until other countries
use up their deposits
otherwise the current course
smells treasonous
The only excuse I can see for this for this
is that the USA reserves are being kept
in strategic reserve, until other countries
use up their deposits
otherwise the current course
smells treasonous
Even if the oil shortage is not eased by our drilling in the USA and off shore, at least our money stays home. And more jobs...
Impeach Congress!
Destroying America one day at a time.
PBR? Pabst Blue Ribbon? I need a couple of PBR's every time I read about the Dems in congress.
In the meantime, the leader of the free world goes begging to some fat overbearing raghead potentate. Sad day in the life of America.
From the same crowd that wants to take food out of peoples mouth and put it in your gas tank (that’s working out real well too).
And at the same time favoring windmills and solar in preference to nuclear, where the technology is known, proven, and the fuel readily available - left over from the cold war (we are spending huge amounts of money to store it).
At this point in time if some company decided to ‘illegally’ drill for oil or turn shale into oil then I would be hard pressed to not join up with other citizens and stand outside, armed, to make sure the production continued unhindered.
That’s how desperately we need off foreign oil.
The freakishly far left whines that it will take some 10+ years to realize any benefit from new domestic production. But they crow about fanciful “alternative fuels” that will take at least 10+ years if ever we can harness sunbeams and fairy dust. If Republicans were to make hay about democrat resistance to domestic production - most folks have no idea that there is so much available oil in this country, the watermelons might be out on their ears.
“I don’t understand Congress and they are leading us into a catastrophe on the basis of environmental religion”
Let me explain what has been going on.
Socialists/Communists need economic turmol iand unrest in order for them to take over a country.
The men like Rev Wright have been priming the pump.
Look what happened with any country they have taken over.
The model used is always the same.
When Stalin was asked to define peace he said when there is no resistence to socialism.
Damned Democrats. Why isn’t this in the MSM? They are keeping us locked into high prices because of some damned endangered species they’re afraid of hurting.
Anyone have a roll call on the Dems who voted against it?
Petroleo Brasileiro, the Brazillian oil firm. But I have to say, I had the same thought as you did!
The reason OPEC is pushing prices up like this is to affect our election.
During bad economic times tje party in the WH looses.
If they are successful, we end the WOT.
It is rather hypocritical of us to ask them to despoil their “pristine” desert and endanger their sand fleas.
How about just getting out of the way?
I despise tax credits as social engineering or economic development tools.
LOL!
WE had a republican president and a republican senate and republican house a few years ago and this problem didn't get solved either. - Tom
You can't use it up.
It is a self-renewing and self-sustaining resource.
Your fellow citizens have just stupidly restricted where people can go to exploit it.
It's kind of like the smoking bans - the end result of decades of propaganda-generated hysteria.
The electorate asked for it, the electorate got it. The chief danger of pure democracy.
We should all be happy that the "system" apparently works.
What congress needs to do is pay for their own gas. I'll bet they have never put any gas in there tanks that is not reimbursed by us taxpayers. (probably use a govmint credit card) That includes their staff and probably the family members as well. Although I admit the latter is just my feeling.
there —> their
Nice conspiracy theory. Just not true. This is a global commodity bubble. Thank Alan Greenspan for keeping rates too low for too long.
And what a pity it is that our sitting president is so inarticulate that he cannot, even with all the facts currently available, and the price of energy and food, he still cannot effectively articulate the part the Democrats and environment extremists have played in causing the current problems.
There is a gold mine of material, but seemingly no one to make use of it to the Republicans and the nation’s advantage.
And the freakishly far left Clinton vetoed ANWR drilling 14 years ago...
for reference — thanks for the post
Here is the event that set the sixties era environmental extremists on their current course, one oil spill from an offshore rig and they’ve been stark raving mad ever since, making their contribution to our energy problems while gaining great influence inside the Democrat party:
Odds are that you are right. They don't even pay for their cars.
Oil prices are not decided by Arabs they are decided by commodities brokers on wall street.
If he hadn't asked them, you'd be the first on to bitch about it
I don’t think it OPEC alone that is pushing the prices up.. It’s those darned speculators who do
Oil shale development moratorium? When did this happen? I knew that the Dems were blocking ANWR and offshore development, but I hadn't heard that they were blocking shale development.
Oil exploration was blocked by almost all rats and a few Rinos. The rats march in lock step against energy development except for the alternatives they prefer. They are leading us into an energy nightmare. In 10 years, we will have shortages of peak power, dramatic movement of industries to other countries, and much higher fuel costs. I cannot understand how the average individual complains about fuel and energy costs but votes for rats.
Never.
I find it somewhat belittling to our country and his office that my President goes begging. He is the most powerful man in the Universe, and yet he goes begging. Never.
I’m extremely ashamed, I would rather pay 5 dollars a gallon then have the President of the US kowtowing to a raghead.
If you like $4/gal, Thank Congress!
Pray for W and Our Troops
Also, the dems have the media in theirt pocket.
So, to lay it on the feet of the republicans and the fact that they had both houses a few years ago and that is why we are not drilling in anwr is stretching it a bit.
When you paint with a wide brush, remember that the Rats only need 2-3 RHINOs to stop the drilling.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Supposition is the bailiwick of the ignorant … you don’t know me, why the supposition about my possible intent?
“WE had a republican president and a republican senate and republican house a few years ago and this problem didn’t get solved either. - Tom “
And your point is?
Do you think a higher percentage of Democrts or Republicans has consistently voted for more American energy production.
A large majority of republicans, joined by a few Democrats, has been trying for 20 years to increase 1) American hydrocarbon development. 2) Increased licensure of Nuclear plants. 3) Increased use of Clean coal. 4) Licensing of new refineries.
Senate ahd house voting records are public information. Google These votes.
Even here, 14 for drilling; 15 against. Even distribution within each party or did one party obstruct.
14 Dems against drilling and 14 Pubs for it. Pretty consistent over the years.
Some Republicans will be RINOs.
I'm eagerly awaiting the day when the oil bubble bursts and the speculators go the way of the sub-prime lenders.
Ping for later reading.
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