Enough Already -- the US Needs to Drill Offshore

http://www.janereinheimer.com ^ | July 16, 2008 | Jane Reinheimer

[janereinheimer]

The domed ones on Capitol Hill have insisted that loosening up on those bans to drill offshore wouldn't make any difference for years and years and years.

So how come the price of crude (futures) went down $10 the very day that Bush signed an executive order repealing the ban that his father had put in place when he was in the White House.

Just imagine what the price of crude would fall to if congress did its part in repealing the ban that they put into place to appease the environmentalists! And further, I heard somewhere yesterday that the Chinese are drilling 30 miles off the coast of California, not 50 or 60 miles.

But that ban is only half the problem. The other part of the problem requires congressional approvals.

Apparently that's not going to happen. Both Pelosi in the Big House and Reid in the Senate say they're just not going to allow such a nonsensical thing as a repeal on offshore drilling or drilling in oil-rich fields in Alaska. Here's what Reid had to say about that: http://www.newsholic.net/2008/07/no-drilling-votes-in-debate-over-oil-speculation/

Reid says rescinding the ban would be a gift to the oil companies. Actually, Mr. Reid, it would be a gift to China and every other country that wants to come in and drill in the oil rich fields off the coasts of the United States.

But wait! Isn't America supposed to be a representative form of government?

So you feel represented? I certainly don't. I live in Illinois and I am here to tell you that Senators Durbin and Obama don't do a thing to make me feel represented. They think they know what's best for all of us We the Peoples.

Well, 91% of us say the congressionals have it all backwards. Since they apparently aren't experts on anything but politics (instead of governing and legislating), I do not need for them to tell me what's best for me. Especially when it comes to the high price of crude.

And I'm no economist but I'd bet that I have more economics courses in my business administration undergrad than a lot of those politicians under the Dome have.

Pelosi's solution is the try to force Bush to use up all the oil reserves before authorizing any drilling anywhere. That would bring the gasoline prices down, she says.

Problem is, what she's advocating is specifically against the law. I learned that from our watching C-Span the other evening. The oil reserves cannot be used to effect an economic change.

That little piece of advice to the White House warranted the Investors Business Daily to call for Pelosi's resignation. Imagine that! Advising the president of the United States to do something that would specifically be against the law.

And, of course, she and Reid say that it's Bush's fault that the approval rating for congress is only 9%.

Click on this website and you'll see a map that shows where China is going to be drilling about 36 miles off the coast of the Florida Keys. Cuba gave them permission and they'll be drilling in areas where our nitwits in congress say US oil companies can't drill. Here's the map at this site: http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2006/05/its-official-cuba-hires-china-to-drill.html

Now, don't you feel represented in Washington?

The Senate did approve a measure in the Energy and Natural Resources committee that does open up 2.9 million acres for drilling as long as the drillers stay out about 100 miles off the coast of Florida.

So, let's see. The Chinese don't need permission from our "self-imposed divine right of kings congress" to drill off our coasts in international waters. They could go 40 miles off the coast of Florida and still be in international waters and there wouldn't be a thing we could do about it. They could put all kinds of oil rigs in a 60 mile zone before they even got to where the US companies were allowed to drill. http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2006/2006-03-09-10.asp

Here's a really interesting map that shows where the offshore oil potential is located (and where drilling is prohibited): http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2008/07/11/todrill_graphic.html

115 billion barrels is a lot of oil. Especially since the US only used 7.5 billion barrels last year.

Here's a map that showed up on Free Republic which shows the prohibited areas -- the "No Zones" where US oil companies are not allowed to drill. The map is at response #12 on the thread. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029500/posts

Keep in mind that a barrel contains 40 gallons. And after refining, we get about 19 gallons on gasoline from one barrel of crude.

Of course, we'd need to get real busy and build more refineries. We could do that. We have lots of politicians running around the country lamenting the loss of jobs to outsourcing. So hire all these people who want to work. Approve overtime. Approve three shifts a day. If that's not enough, hire another crew and another one and another until the refineries are up and running.

This is America, folks. We can put up a house in less than 90 days and I'd wager that we could put up a refinery or two in less than ten years. Don't believe that doomsday "worst case scenario" that comes out of political mouths.

[angkor]

So frustrating that the MSM also seems ignorant of the >100 mile distance (they think ANWR needs a new pipeline?) and doesn’t challenge pols (who are simply lying) when they promote this false story.

[EdReform]

Indeed. There’s method in their madness.

[cookcounty]

"Reid says rescinding the ban would be a gift to the oil companies"

Procedure is on our side. The ban will be rescinded unless Congress extends it. There are Democrats ready to vote AGAINST extending the ban.

[ravingnutter]

This entry at Snopes speaks in detail on the misinformation on exports. Alaskan exports ended in 2000 and even before that were only 7%. It also explains that almost none of what is exported from the U.S. is crude oil, it is petroleum coke.

[stuartcr]

Thanks. What is petroleum coke used for?

[WOBBLY BOB]

it’s like the lib argument against capital punishment:”it costs more to execute than incarcerate for life”.

Sure, but only because the same people ensure lots of appeals and a backups on “death row” of 15-20 years.
(IE: a self-fulfilling prophecy)

[autumnraine]

Where? Where do they know there is oil and aren’t drilling?

[cookcounty]

"And King Harry of Las Vegas said we can’t drill our way out of this."

The same Hopeless Harry who insists that the Surge is a failure.

If Hobbit Frodo had to work with Hopeless Harry, he'd have starved to death in the Shire.

[cookcounty]

"Bush should extend out sovereignty out to 300 miles."

LOL! Not gonna work. Though it would be fun to just say Cuba belongs to US!

Under International Treaty, China can drill that close to the US because as long as they are closer to Cuba than the US, Cuban "law" applies.

[WOBBLY BOB]

This is America, folks. We can put up a house in less than 90 days and I'd wager that we could put up a refinery or two in less than ten years.

"Extreme Makeover" does it in 5 days.

[Foolsgold]

There seems to be a question as to the validity of the claims about oil leases off Cuba, however Jimmy Carter signed an agreement back in 1977 allowing Cuba access to half of the 90 miles distance to Key West. - 45 miles from the United States of America sovereign soil!

Drill 4 oil now

[RightWhale]

Three major announcements appeared yesterday. Other factors could also be at work. It wouldn’t be unusual to pick one announcement as being key, but it would also be myopic.

[ravingnutter]

Petroleum Coke is used as a substitute for coal in the manufacture of blast furnace coke, in the production of cement and lime, and to generate electric power. In many cases, petroleum coke is blended with other industrial carbons to achieve an economical solution to rising raw material costs.

Source

[stuartcr]

Thanks

[cookcounty]

"why haven’t the oil companies drilled on 70% of the land that they pay big bucks for that they know have oil?

They don't know they have oil on that land. You have to get the lease first, THEN you can explore. THEN you can file with the EPA to actually drill. THEN you can drill, and if you've done your homework well, you MAY strike oil.

There is plenty of exploration going on out in the West, and a lot of drilling (Grand Junction, Colorado is a boomtown, same for western North Dakota), but the preliminary studies of the fields available are not nearly as possible as those the DEMOCRATS are tying up.

WHY do the Democrats PREFER that our oil come from areas BEYOND THE REACH of the stringent regs of the EPA? WHY do they favor sending our money OVERSEAS to purchase oil from places where the oil pollution is outrageous???

Because they are NOT global thinkers, and would rather pollute the planet than agree with George the Satan.

It's about political power. Sick.

[Cobra64]

Thanks! I did not know that.

[janereinheimer]

But it seems that Pelosi and Reid have the notion that our sovreignty includes the entire Pacific Ocean. We’re going to have foreign oil rigs closer in than our own rigs.

What rubbish is this that comes out of Washington?!!

[janereinheimer]

Thanks. I’m bookmarking this site.

[janereinheimer]

Nobody ever accused the libs of being able to think that far ahead or outside the box either, for that matter.

I listened to Diane Feinstein on Fox News the other day. All she was doing was repeating Harry Reid’s talking points. They keep saying we can’t drill our way out of this mess, but they don’t have any other solution that they’d be willing to take responsibility for.

But then, my guess is that We the Peoples are paying for their gasoline consumption. They’re already sticking it to us with their leased vehicles. Might as well fill up the gas tanks while they’re at it.

[janereinheimer]

It’s about time a whole bunch of us “We the Peoples” started flooding the mail boxes of congressionals’ e-mails and snail mails.

I get the idea that they think we’re out here in the Netherlands not painting any attention to anything they’re doing. We can fix that little erroneous thought.