Please send this to all in your email list.
Cut fuel prices Drill 4 oil now
Posted on 08/13/2008 12:50:23 PM PDT by Delacon
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - As the House GOP began the eighth day of its offshore drilling protest on Tuesday, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) led a petition asking the Senate leadership let the ban on drilling expire on Oct. 1.
Republicans want to lift the legislative ban on coastal exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). President George W. Bush already lifted a 1990 executive order last month prohibiting drilling.
The legislative moratorium expires on the first day of October, a day DeMint calls "American Energy Freedom Day."
"We strongly encourage you to allow the expiration of these prohibitions on American energy exploration and production, as scheduled under current law, and we will actively oppose any attempt to extend them. Now is not the time to deny Americans access to their own energy supply," DeMint said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
The letter has been signed by 35 other lawmakers, all Republicans. A website, energyfreedomday.com, has been launched by DeMint along with Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) to gain support for the petition.
Democrats and Republicans in the Senate adjourned for the summer recess early this month without reaching an agreement about an energy bill that aimed to control excessive speculation in oil markets. Republicans were demanding that they be allowed full debate on the measure and to offer provisions lifting the ban on coastal exploration. Democrats opposed offshore drillling amendments because of environmental concerns; they also argued that speculation in energy markets is the root cause of rising oil prices.
DeMint's petition comes amid a GOP protest in the House that began nearly two weeks ago. Republican congressmen have been making speeches before an empty chamber in Congress to demand Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to hold a special session and allow a vote on drilling.
ping
If Obama nominates a senator for VP, McCain should pick DeMint.
The news of American Energy Freedom Day is spreading. Keep it up, and continue to encourage your friends and family to sign the petition!
Here’s CNN’s profile on EnergyFreedomDay.com:
As House Republicans continue to focus on energy policy, Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas launched a new Web site Tuesday that highlights October 1 as the day the congressional ban on offshore oil drilling will end unless Congress takes some action to continue the ban.
The site prominently features a YouTube video clip of DeMint and Hensarling discussing energy policy and encouraging the public to contact their representatives in Congress about lifting ban on offshore oil drilling and oil shale recovery. The site also contains a clock-like widget counting down the time until October 1. Visitors to the site can copy the HTML code for the widget so that they can embed the countdown clock on their own blogs or Web sites. Visitors can also sign an online petition on the site and read a blog about energy policy.
ATR Calls for the Preservation of “American Energy Freedom Day”
Domestic energy resources will no longer be off-limits on October 1, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), along with 39 other national and state free market organizations, publically supports the expiration of federal bans on domestic energy supplies on October 1, 2008, fittingly labeled “American Energy Freedom Day”. ATR urges Congress and the White House to oppose any new moratoriums, temporary or otherwise, on increasing domestic energy supply.
American consumers need relief from the increasing burden of high energy prices. “When President Bush repealed the executive ban on off-shore oil drilling,” stated ATR president Grover Norquist, “Congress was left with no one but themselves to blame for the high energy costs that continue to cripple the economy.”
As energy prices have fallen in recent weeks, Congress’ last remaining barrier to greater energy independence is the temporary ban on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf, which contains estimated reserves of 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
On October 1, 2008, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2008 (Public Law 110-161), prohibitions on energy exploration will expire, immediately making vast amounts of American petroleum and natural gas available for leasing activities, to the benefit of all Americans currently coping with high energy costs. Allowing for this expiration will give states the autonomy to determine whether or not to allow off-shore drilling. “The federal government has no role creating blanket mandates on how citizens of every state can use their own resources,” stated Norquist. “What we need is less regulation, not more.”
Recently, House Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), Chairman of the Senate Republican Steering Committee came together in a bicameral effort to protect American Energy Freedom Day and called on their colleagues for support.
Americans for Tax Reform commends the GOP leaders’ commitments and continues to encourage all Members of Congress to follow President Bush’s lead and vote to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling so that “American Energy Freedom Day” could come before October 1st.
Signed also! Keep this going..
Yes, the ban has to be renewed every year. Can you believe they have been renewing it for something like 15 years already?
This promises to be a most entertaining process.
If I understand what they describe as the likely chain of events the Dem. leadership in the House will insert a drilling ban renewal into one of the omnibus appropriations bills or continuing resolutions. These are considered “must pass” items since a “government shutdown” hinges on the outcome.
Well, I say bring it on.
Republicans in Congress should fight tooth & nail to stop passage until the offending language is removed. What a great time to have a “real” filibuster that’s tied to a simple popular cause.
There will be huge pressures to pass the bills - not only to avoid the “shutdown” but also because 435 Congressmen and 33 or 34 Senators want to hit the campaign trail.
The President should get out front and brandish the veto pen. Everything that can be done to raise the stakes for the Dems should be on the table.
Pass the popcorn.
Google the words “American Energy Freedom Day” and “petition” in their news section and you only get this article and one from Human Events. The MSM so much don’t want anyone to know about this.
Contact your Congress critters to let them know that you are tired of high gas prices.
Office of Representative Heath Shuler Representing North Carolina’s Eleventh Congressional District For Immediate Release August 1, 2008 Contact: Hayden Rogers, Chief of Staff office: (202) 225-6401 ________________________________________________________________________ Rep. Shuler Introduces Legislation to Sustain Forests and Reduce Emissions Healthy Forests, Healthy Planet Act Gives Incentives to Reduce Carbon, Produce Biofuels Washington, D.C. – Representative Heath Shuler introduced legislation today to provide private landowners with an incentive to preserve forest land by expanding access to carbon trading and biomass markets. “Our forests can play an important, long term role in mitigating the effects of climate change and helping the nation become energy independent,” said Shuler. “Private landowners hold the key to saving our environment, and we should do everything we can to reward them for doing the right thing.” The Healthy Forests, Healthy Planet Act provides landowners with incentives to participate in carbon trading markets. Currently these markets are voluntary and operate under minimum quantity standards that usually exclude owners of small private forestland. The Healthy Forests, Healthy Planet Act provides the management infrastructure needed to hasten an orderly development of both carbon and biomass markets. The bill would track carbon and biomass projects on a regional basis, assist small forest landowners with quantifying their forest carbon and trading capabilities, and provide cost efficient mechanisms for ensuring that landowners use sustainable forest management practices. The Healthy Forests, Healthy Planet Act would also influence the biomass markets by encouraging the use of locally-produced biomass. This will promote regional energy independence and create entrepreneurial and employment opportunities. This legislation is cosponsored by Representative Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Congressman Billy Bob will be pleased as well - he lives just down the road near Highlands.
We'll be rich I tell you and feel good about saving the planet for Ms. Pelosi all at the same time.
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