Posted on 07/17/2008 4:43:28 AM PDT by kellynla
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer wants people to know that Democrats like oil drilling. A lot. They're just very picky about where.
"Democrats are saying let's drill. Let's explore. Let's get energy for Americans from America and have it for Americans," Hoyer told reporters Tuesday. He was announcing that Democrats will unveil an energy production bill Thursday.
Asked a minute later if the proposed bill would allow new offshore drilling, Hoyer told IBD no.
"There is not offshore drilling" in the bill, the Maryland Democrat said. Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is similarly off-limits. Instead it focuses on drilling in already-leased areas.
Hoyer's announcement follows a similar one by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Monday.
"We want oil and gas companies to drill on the leases they've been given," Reid said.
While Democratic leaders have made rhetorical concessions to oil drilling in the face of record pump prices, they are digging in against any significant expansion of domestic exploration. They are gambling they can hold their increasingly anxious caucuses together when Congress debates energy legislation.
A Winning GOP Issue?
The decision has Republicans like Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado almost gleeful, convinced they have the upper hand on the energy debate. He predicted Democrats will defect when Congress takes up legislation.
"Reid has blocked all attempts to include more production," said a smiling Allard. "I think more and more, many Democrats are hearing that message."
Moderate Democrats who favor drilling, such as Rep. Gene Green of Texas, are trying to persuade their leaders to come around.
"We did have a meeting with the speaker yesterday," Green told IBD. "We're trying to come up with language that will help, but we're not there yet."
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
It's what the carbon credits are all about.
Is there oil on the land they have leased?
Just like a dim. When action is called for, they've got their head in the sand trying to parse words.
(There is not offshore drilling” in the bill, the Maryland Democrat said. Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is similarly off-limits. Instead it focuses on drilling in already-leased areas. )
In other words its the same ole same ole for the dems and screw the American citiznes at the pump paying $4 plus a gallon
the problem with having a ‘winning issue’ is that if you settle it, then you have to find another issue to tout. the dems are great at this - how many issues have they used to further their agendas over the years?
i’d rather they think of it as a problem to be solved, then they can add it to their collective resumes - as problem SOLVERS rather than constantly carping about something.
Maybe we could drill Iowa, right Steny ?
“Idle” lease claims based on lack of understanding: Cavaney
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035201/posts
Included in those acres are places the government has sold leases for but now hold up issuing permits for drilling, like in the Beaufort Sea.
Shell nixes 2008 drilling {Shell out of time to prepare for Beaufort season}
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037723/posts
The analogy of the beans......
I am very hungry, and out back is a large field, with a small patch of beans growing in one corner. As I head out my back door, with a basket in my hands, a man from the government comes up and tells me I cannot go in the corner to look for beans ( even though I can see the beans ) but I can look over in a different area. So, basket in hand, I go over to the area the government man said I can look in, but alas, I find no beans. I go to bed hungry. The next day I wake up, grab my basket and head out the door to pick beans. The man from the government stops me again, and tells me to go pick beans in a different spot. I tell the government man there are no beans in that spot, but I can see beans in the back of the field. I then ask if I can go get the beans I can see. I am told no, go pick where I told you to. So, basket in hand, I go where I am told to go and pick beans, but I find none. Once again, I go to bed hungry. The following day, I pick up my basket and my shotgun, when the government man arrives..........
If only that were true. Hoyer, as a true Democrat, is lying by not telling the whole story. The Dems want the oil companies to drill where they have existing leases but not allow them to drill where there are known sources of crude that would supply America's oil needs for decades to come and get us away from our dependence on foreign oil from our enemies.
You can bet that the last thing the Saudis, Venezuelans, Mexicans, Nigerians, et al, want us to do is become energy independent again. I'd LOVE to be a fly on the wall and listen/watch the back room discusions between the foreign oil despots and the Dems. TREASON wouldn't begin to describe it.
Trust me-—the Republicans will find some way of blowing this incredible gift-horse they’ve been given. It won’t be the Libs who will choke. The GOP will sign off on some phony, ligthweight energy deal that sells out the base once again.
The dirty little secret is they want high gas prices. If you like $5/gal, Thank Congress in Nov.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
Nothing there. Why waste money drilling dead holes? Silly Democrats, they think everything is a job creation project.
The Democrats’ control philosophy, in an area they know nothing about, is proof that government needs to stay the heck out of private industry. Imagine what will happen when the Dems take control of health care. A nightmare in the making!
“Sure! We like drilling!...Just as long as you don’t drill where there actually is any significant amount of oil.”
Come on, FReepers...we all know what this about...the ‘Rats want the government takeover of the oil companies and they want us all using government “mass transit” ala AMTRAK...
“Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink.”
P.J.O’Rourke
Too bad we have T Boone Pickens repeating the demo talking point “we can’t drill our way out” every five minutes on the radio and TV. Where is all this money coming from for all these commercials? Does the DNC have something they are hanging over T Boone?
The GOP has what's called a "target rich environment" for issues they could use to absolutely HAMMER the Dims with.
What the GOP lacks, is spine.
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