Senate rejects GOP oil drilling plan (GOP measure, defeated Tuesday by a vote of 56-42)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/13/08 | H. Josef Hebert - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - The Senate has rejected a Republican energy plan that calls for opening an Alaska wildlife refuge and some offshore waters to oil development. Supporters of the measure couldn't get the needed 60 votes to overcome a Democratic-led filibuster threat.

Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said more domestic oil production is needed to keep prices in check and to reduce U.S. dependence on oil imports.

Opponents said areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and coastal waters that have been off limits to drilling for 25 years ought to remain that out of bounds to oil companies. The GOP measure, defeated Tuesday by a vote of 56-42, would have allowed coastal states to get a waiver to the offshore drilling ban.

[plain talk]

Were the 56 votes for cloture (4 short of 60 needed) or were they against cloture which would mean 18 short of the 60 needed?

I had same question. Lousy editing.

[BigFinn]

I’m beginning to think that the only way to STOP THIS STRANGEHOLD is to have a MASSIVE TAX REBELLION. A tea party if you will.

[tobyhill]

McLame has already made his position known, he doesn't give a crap about higher prices because he's a lib pretending to be a Conservative.

[tobyhill]

****”We can't drill our way to lower prices,” said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.****

OK fat ass Turban Durbin, what the hell is the solution then? What till technology learns to harness the human fart?

[I Drive Too Fast]

$100.00 * 1,000,000 * 365 = 36,500,000,000 OR 36 1/2 billion, not 365 billion. unless you are talking 10 million barrels a day instead of 1 million.

[captnorb]

No. She got herself in 1993. Refused then refused now.

[benjamin032]

I saw that after I posted on here. It’s a disgrace

[Ilya Mourometz]

Good luck with that; I don’t think too many people here are listening. It’s self-evident that ANWR oil production, under the best scenario, would take years to reach production capacity at a level to affect per barrel prices. It is not, in any way, a solution to current oil prices which are almost certain to crash by that time since the existing situation shows all the signs of a speculative bubble. In two years, we will be back to $60 per barrel or less—barring a major land war in Iran (at which point, the cost of oil will be the least of our worries).

In fact, drilling now would simply give OPEC another excuse to ration production and offset any gains. At current rates, the Arab states and Iran will reach their peak in about 30 years and will rapidly decline thereafter, while we will still have the (allegedly) vast reserves in ANWR (not to mention having the largest shale oil potential in the world, if the technology catches up).

Having the potential for domestic production is certainly necessary for national and economic security, but it is not a good idea to start drilling now, simply for the purpose of bringing down the price of gasoline in the short term.

[Steve0113]

Here’s the story.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I wish I could say that math is not my strong suit. :-)

[rmlew]

Conservative groups and the NRCC should make this an issue. If McCain wants to fight reality, he should burn, not the country.

[stevie_d_64]

Well...Maybe not on the poop itself...

But if we could harness the POWER of the poop...Refine it, and market it...

We could be MILLIONAIRES!!!

Woo Hoo, happy days are here again!!!

(then I woke up...)

Sorry...;-)

[DaBadGuy]

“This is the first election where I will truly hold my nose and vote for the lesser of two evils.”

Didn’t you vote for Bush?

[Colonel_Flagg]

Coleman (R-MN)

I am sick to bloody death of having to support this guy because he's not named Al Franken. This sort of blind ignorance is also why I want to write in someone for President because I know Juan McCain doesn't support drilling ANWR either.

I will no longer reward a party who gives us "Republicans" who think like these people do. End of.

[mdwakeup]

The vote was not on cloture. The amendment was brought up by a unanimous consent agreement that also provided that it would have to receive 60 votes or be withdrawn. Therefore, it was a straight up-or-down vote on the drilling proposal -- not a procedural vote. The 42 votes were for the drilling proposal; the 56 votes were against it.

[Just A Nobody]

Yes, I just wonder how McGore voted. Probably with his bestest buddies in the Senate. If he even had the ba!!s to show up.

He didn't! Too busy wasting fuel campaigning about gloBULL warming.

[Just A Nobody]

A tea party if you will.

Republican Tea Party -- Let the rebellion begin

GOP Resolution Against McCain

[Just A Nobody]

Thanks for the preview. Headed to the other thread now!

[Just A Nobody]

Thanks for posting the new platform!

[Just A Nobody]

but, at least of late, his form has been more the "no vote" route

Thanks for the links. I will take his 23 year record over anything he has done in the past couple years as he was gearing up for his coronation.