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.

[CharlesWayneCT]

We could get at least a million barrels a day out of ANWR.

At 100 a barrel, that’s 365 BILLION dollars a year into our economy. 365 BILLION dollars that we don’t have to send overseas to pay for oil. 365 BILLION less in trade deficit.

That’s more than the cost of the war for a year.

That’s about the original cost of the prescription drug plan.

That’s a huge amount of money to be passing up.

There’s another million barrels a day to be had in offshore drilling. States who want to drill offshore should be allowed to do so.

[Reagan Man]

Opening up ANWR to oil drilling is in America’s best interests and part of the long term answer to solving our dependency on foreign oil.

Opposing drilling in ANWR -— along with more drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the west coast is crazy policy.

[Richard Kimball]

The Dim’s want to stop putting oil in the Reserve. That will cut gas prices in half I am sure.

That's an energy plan. Don't drill, quit putting oil in the reserve, and continue building wind farms and solar plants that consume more energy running than they're capable of producing.

[beethovenfan]

We’re being doomed to 3rd world status by these do-nothing creeps who are under the spell of the enviro-wackos and political correctness. Over 50% of members of congress should be unceremoniuosly kicked out for gross incompetence and failing to address the needs of our country.

[Myrddin]

The AP linked is “Senate says halt oil shipments to gov’t reserve” ????????

The strategic petroleum reserve is oil set aside to support the operation of the U.S. military in time of war. It is especially important given the lack of domestic supplies. Cutting that reserve is right in line with the leftist ideal of destroying our military capability.

[WarToad]

I highly suspect McCain voted against it seeing how he’s on the record for saying he doesn’t consider Anwar a long term solution to our oil needs, and he also holds Anwar akin to The Grand Canyon. To be untouched and pristine.

I’d lay money down on him being one of the crossover Republicans that voted against it.

[Cobra64]

And now it’s Bush’s job to go on tv weekly and read the list of congressmen who voted against new drilling. If the Republican party were effective, this would be the PR campaign of the century.

The operative word is "effective."

That's the problem with the GOP. They're a spineless, gutless bunch who have been in-effective at most everything they do except consuming oxygen.

[Enchante]

"The senate is proof you can train a monkey to do the same job."

What an insult to monkeys - they could do the job much better (without any training)!!!!

[rwh]

My point exactly. There will be NO leadership from the Republican side as far as energy is concerned. The Dems will own this issue, and America will pay in real dollars for its insane energy policy.

[kenmcg]

God willing, one day we’ll take this country back from the socialist/marxist thieves that run Congress. One day there was a Boston Tea Party.

[Cobra64]

The GOP needs to keep hammering away at this relentlessly. It’s an election year issue that’s a big winner.

Gee... that's a novel idea./sarc

Do you suppose any of those GOP morons could figure this out?

[stockstrader]

McCain 'sat this one out' (didn't vote). Real leadership there on energy policy..../s

BTW, we have a second SPR--it's called ANWR, and it's FILLED UP with enough oil for one million barrels/day for 30 years!!

I guess that the democrats and McCain feel it is much better to send the money for the one million barrels/day to the nut-case countries in the Middle East. /s

Unbelievable.

[Williams]

Defeated energy production in the middle of an energy crisis. They will destroy us. We will destroy us.

[So Cal Rocket]

It appears that there were only 42 votes for cloture... 18 short.

[BARLF]

mark

[So Cal Rocket]

RINOs voting AGAINST cloture:

Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Dole (R-NC)
Martinez (R-FL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)

Inhofe and McCain did not vote.

[kinsman redeemer]

The Isle of (Rev) Wright?!

[PA Engineer]

You have forgotten how the Rats filibustered everything. The Pubs never had a commanding lead to overcome it and the Rhinos within. I just do not understand why Bush did not take the Executive order route due to the national security issues involved.

The last election was critical for the Pubs to get the majority they needed, however many sat out the election to punish them for not doing anything. We lost many good conservatives because of this suicidal behavior.

[WarToad]

Ah, McCain didn’t vote.

Well, he is a campaigning politician. You can’t go making a stand I guess. It might anger some voters.