Posted on 01/06/2008 4:01:44 PM PST by Graybeard58
An elderly caller to Dan Lavallo's program on WWCO-AM told a harrowing tale Wednesday about energy prices. The man keeps his home thermostat at 40 F during the day, raising it slightly at night to ensure the pipes don't freeze. He is trying to make 200 gallons of oil last the heating season.
His is the most dire story we've heard to date, but he is not alone in feeling the pinch. Heating oil was about $2.50 a gallon after Labor Day but climbed to $3.15 this week, and is expected to rise further when $100-a-barrel oil hits the market. A prolonged frigid spell, a disruption in world oil production or a refinery breakdown could send the price into orbit.
Meanwhile, offshore and beneath Alaska's north coast are tens of billions of barrels of crude just waiting to be tapped. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is said to have enough oil to meet 100 percent of domestic demand for 25 years, and the offshore fields could be richer still. Congress, however, has declared those areas off-limits.
Sensible Republicans on Capitol Hill have tried for more than a decade to open a few square miles of the 19.5 million-acre refuge for exploration and development.
Cheered on by Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4th District, then-Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-6th District, and the rest of the Connecticut's congressional delegation, Bill Clinton vetoed a bill in 1995 that would have opened ANWR to drillers. His justification? It would be of no immediate help because it would take 10 years for the oil to reach the market. Reps. Johnson and Shays were more concerned about winning environmental awards than securing their constituents' energy future.
Back then, crude fetched less than $20 a barrel; it's an inflation-adjusted 333 percent higher today. Suffice it to say, the elderly caller to Mr. Lavallo's program might benefit from a little ANWR oil today.
President Bush, the Democratic Congress and the Connecticut delegation are insane if they think energy independence will be achieved with 35-mpg vehicles, ethanol and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Alternative fuels are decades from replacing oil as the fuel that drives our economy, heats our homes and powers our autos. How high must the pile of frozen corpses be before they come to their senses?
Shivering consumers should raise holy hell with the delegation. Here are the numbers to call: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, (800) 225-5605 or (202) 224-4041; Rep. Christopher Murphy, aka Congressman Green, D-5th District: (203) 759-7541 or (202) 225-4476; Rep. John Larson, D-1st District: (860) 278-8888 or (202) 225-2265; Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District: (203) 562-3718 or (202) 225-3661; Rep. Shays: (203) 579-5870 or (202) 225-5541.
Forget former Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd; he's been too busy running for president to help anyone back home.
Ping to a Republican-American Editorial.
If you want on or off this list, let me know.
Bush, of course.
—speaking of ANWAR, here’s a good reference—
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http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/goldberg200503180758.asp
Nope, I’m to blame. I’m a big speculator and it’s been me that has been bidding oil up. Sorry about that.
We could use some of that ANWR oil today.
Nobody is to blame. There will generally be less and less oil and higher and higher prices. Opening up new sources will only delay this slightly. Politically driven energy policy will generally makes things worse. The old guy freezing with the thermostat set to 40 will have to move further south or move in with someone else, no big deal.
I have to take my share of the blame. I keep it toasty warm in my house in the winter and cool in the summer. (I bet Al Gore does the same)
It might meet Alaska's need for 25 years.
We are to blame for not taking the wake up call in the 70s and allowing oil based fuels to maintain a monopoly while refusing to acknowledge that the world’s largest superpower needs to be energy independent. If we had started in ‘74, we would have achieved energy independence years ago. The profiteers are only guilty of exploiting the situation that we as a society created.
That article engages in a pet peeve of mine when high fuel prices are bemoaned:
How much per gallon are the local, state, and Federal Taxes?
In my state a gallon of gasoline has 47 cents tacked unto it due to taxes....
Sierra Club and ecofreaks who make big owl stories to stop progress.
Idiot congressmen that listen to the above.
There is 36 Billion barrels of oil in Colorado Utah that is untouched.
There is shortage of refineries and plentiful idiots.
Mr. Thackney, your views please?
With a Rep congress and Slick Willie at the helm, the laws were changed to allow unbridled speculation on oil. We’re seeing the result. At least 25% of every dollar is speculation. Actual demand is well below the current price.
If slick willy hadn’t held us up, we WOULD have ANWAR oil today.
We should ask Hillary to apologize for Bill not letting us drill, and that her husband is to blame for $100 oil today.
The wake-up call came about 1948 in the USA although in England it was about 1940. England didn’t do it because it would have been an easy target in war, and USA didn’t do it even though there was $10 billion available because foreign oil began to flood the market.
We would be a good part of the way through that field.
I agree. But isn’t it politics that keeps oil companies from drilling in ANWR?
Speculation should be bridled or just outlawed? How? How do determine that actual demand is below the current price?
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