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The distraction of offshore drilling ( Dianne Feinstein )
Los Angeles Times ^ | July 18, 2008 | Dianne Feinstein

Posted on 07/18/2008 5:22:44 AM PDT by kellynla

There is no quick fix to $4.50-a-gallon gas, no way to provide instant relief to consumers we know are hurting. Yet President Bush and others continue to push the false promise of offshore oil drilling.

Just this week, the president lifted the executive order banning drilling that George H.W. Bush put in place in 1990. And he's asked Congress to lift its own moratorium on oil exploration on the outer continental shelf -- which includes coastal waters as close as three miles from shore.

This would be a terrible mistake. It would put our nation's precious coastlines in jeopardy and wouldn't begin to fix the underlying energy-supply problem. And it surely wouldn't ease gas prices any time in the near future.

The vast majority of the outer continental shelf is already open to oil exploration: Areas containing an estimated 82% of all of the natural gas and 79% of the oil are today available to energy companies through existing federal leases. Federal agencies are issuing drilling permits at three times the rate they were in 1999 -- but that hasn't slowed oil prices during the climb from $19 to beyond $140 a barrel.

Meantime, energy companies haven't fully utilized their existing permits to drill on another 68 million acres of federal lands and waters. Exploiting these areas probably could double U.S. oil production and increase natural gas production by 75%.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: 110th; california; congress; drilling; energy; feinstein; offshoredrilling; oil; princessdi; senate; ussenate
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The "terrible mistake" was ever allowing this SF Liberal to be elected U.S. Senator from CA.

Just exactly WHAT has Feinstein done for CA since she's been in office?

The price of gasoline has quadrupled. The price of crude oil has gone from less than $20 to $140 a barrel. There has not been ONE crude oil refinery built. There has not been ONE nuclear power plant built. There has not been ONE desalination plant built. The state is overrun with MILLIONS of illegal aliens, illegal drugs and gangs. The country is awash in debt. There hasn't been ONE balanced budget even submitted much less passed since Feinstein has been in office. And the trade deficit continues to rise.

While those of us who actually pay income taxes watch our taxes continue to rise.

And we should pay attention or even care what Feinstein has to say?

We don't need to be preached to be a bunch of Limousine Liberals who fly around in private jets at taxpayers' expense.

Sorry, Charlie, but Feinstein has about as much credibility as a screen door on a submarine.

It's time for Feinstein & Boxer to get off their rears and pass legislation that will allow drilling in ANWR, off the shore of CA and anywhere else in America that there is oil.

Polar bears & caribou don't pay the bills 'round here!

DRILL HERE! DRILL NOW!

1 posted on 07/18/2008 5:22:45 AM PDT by kellynla
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To: calcowgirl; Ernest_at_the_Beach; NormsRevenge

Our infamous senator blathers on...

Isn’t there ONE capable conservative in CA who could & would run against this SF liberal and remove her from office?

Chris Cox? Are you listening?


2 posted on 07/18/2008 5:24:38 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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To: kellynla
Yes, there is a quick fix.

If all members of both houses agreed to pass emergency (for national security reasons) legislation lifting all bans on drilling and refining, to build refineries to get us up to capacity, and to begin developing nuclear, and other non-petroleum power plants, OPEC would have a Holy S-— moment realizing that we were about to pull THEIR economic rug out from under THEM. The stock market would improve by the next day. Gas prices would begin to tumble within days.

The President has proven over the last week that this would succeed. His mere mentioning of drilling has brought the price down some, though it is being ignored by the Leftist media.

3 posted on 07/18/2008 5:26:54 AM PDT by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (If Hillary is elected, her legacy will be telling the American people: Better put some ice on that.)
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To: kellynla

To paraphrase SNL years ago (when it actually was funny): “Nancy, you ignorant slut!”


4 posted on 07/18/2008 5:27:32 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: kellynla

This is why we need PETROL

P.E.T.R.O.L.

The Public Employee Transportation and Responsible Oppurtunity Law

We the people being soveriegn masters of our servant government do hereby amend the California Constitution as follows:

All Public Employees and Public Servants, who are residents of The State of California, shall in all cases, use Public Transportation to and from work, there shall be no exceptions, or
exclusions for any person under any circumstances ever. Any private Citizen or Legal Resident who can demonstrate to a reasonable person that this amendment has been violated shall be Exempt from all fines, fees, assessments and Taxes for a period of 1 year.


5 posted on 07/18/2008 5:30:06 AM PDT by eyeamok
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Comment #6 Removed by Moderator

To: kellynla
This would be a terrible mistake. It would put our nation's precious coastlines in jeopardy and wouldn't begin to fix the underlying energy-supply problem. And it surely wouldn't ease gas prices any time in the near future.

The vast majority of the outer continental shelf is already open to oil exploration: Areas containing an estimated 82% of all of the natural gas and 79% of the oil are today available to energy companies...

If it's a "terrible mistake," then why did you approve the opening of "the vast majority of the outer continental shelf" already, Diane???

7 posted on 07/18/2008 5:30:38 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: kellynla
Meantime, energy companies haven't fully utilized their existing permits to drill on another 68 million acres of federal lands and waters. Exploiting these areas probably could double U.S. oil production and increase natural gas production by 75%.

"Porbably could", Dianne? Who's engaging in the politics of distraction?

8 posted on 07/18/2008 5:32:22 AM PDT by LRS (I want an oil glut!)
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To: LRS

PROBABLY


9 posted on 07/18/2008 5:33:50 AM PDT by LRS (I want an oil glut!)
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To: kellynla

I can’t call DiFi here in FR, what I called her early this AM when I saw her on a news program, expounding on this crap. It would not pass muster here.


10 posted on 07/18/2008 5:36:37 AM PDT by Vaquero (" an armed society is a polite society" Heinlein "MOLON LABE!" Leonidas of Sparta)
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To: kellynla

I think its time to go to the U.N. and shut down the Gulf and North Sea drilling operations because the all knowing one has stated that they are so dirty and polluting.

Would not it be a good idea to DEMAND that these idiots go live on the oil rigs for at least a week. These things have endured very rough seas and hurricanes. We have so many examples of success in off-shore drilling that any anti-drill fool can be proven wrong.


11 posted on 07/18/2008 5:38:19 AM PDT by PORD (People...Of Right Do)
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To: kellynla
Her Royal Highness The Princess Dianne Feinstein:

"Let them eat solar and wind power - 15 years from now."

LOL!

I was reading her phony DNC talking points when I realized something:

The target audience, the ones who are hurting the most, are the ones who have been dumbed down to semi-literacy by Princess Di's NEA union buddies.

Their eyes are going to glaze over after one sentence of her "arguments", and their dumbed-down minds are going to go back to the question, "why can't we drill?".

The irony is POETIC! It's DELICIOUS!

12 posted on 07/18/2008 5:46:17 AM PDT by an amused spectator (corruptissima republica, plurimae leges)
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To: eyeamok

I like it!


13 posted on 07/18/2008 5:47:42 AM PDT by an amused spectator (corruptissima republica, plurimae leges)
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To: PORD
Feinstein blathers on about drilling offshore endangering our coastlines...maybe Feinstein wasn't aware but during hurricane Katrina there was not ONE drilling rig damaged enough to lose one drop of oil.

But then we all know what these Liberals are all about, they don't care how high the price of gasoline goes; they want every one of us using government owned mass transit ala AMTRAK anyway.

“Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink.”
P.J.O’Rourke

14 posted on 07/18/2008 5:48:15 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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To: kellynla

Ah, yes. The self-proclaimed petroleum expert blathers away again.

Do you know how you can spot someone who has absolutely no idea what they are talking about? They use words like “probably”, “surely” and “estimated” a lot. BTW, Dianne, oil leases expire with no refund if they aren’t exercised... which means that many oil leases have been or are being explored by the oil companies, who have found that the territory covered by the lease has no oil, or has nothing in quantities that are recoverable.

There is no real shortage of crude oil; the main reason the price is so high is that demand has exceeded supply. Supply has reached a ceiling because the refineries are operating at peak capacity. The liberal environmental lobby has spearheaded efforts to get liberal democrat politicians to block the construction of new refineries... and that absolute truth is the white elephant in Mrs. F-—stein’s “article”.


15 posted on 07/18/2008 5:50:56 AM PDT by snowrip (Liberal? YOU ARE A SOCIALIST WITH NO RATIONAL ARGUMENT.)
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To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe
The President has proven over the last week that this would succeed. His mere mentioning of drilling has brought the price down some, though it is being ignored by the Leftist media.

Libs are claiming it came down because the chair of the Fed made a speech or something. That Bernanke guy?

16 posted on 07/18/2008 5:51:23 AM PDT by A_perfect_lady
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To: kellynla
The vast majority of the outer continental shelf is already open to oil exploration:

What a flat out lie!!!

Eighty-five percent of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), out to 200 miles off the lower 48 states, is off limits to development. These inaccessible lands contain an estimated 18 billion barrels of oil and 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service

http://www.api.org/Newsroom/upload/RED_CAVANEY_SPEECH_TO_USEA_ENERGY_SUPPLY_FORUM.pdf

17 posted on 07/18/2008 5:51:52 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: kellynla
Opening the protected areas of the continental shelf, on the other hand, wouldn't produce a drop of oil for seven years or longer. It takes a minimum of two years to process the new leases. Industry experts tell us that there's a three- to five-year waiting list for new drilling ships and other equipment.

...

We cannot drill our way out of the energy problem.

(The obligatory 'Rat sound bite has to be thrown in somewhere.)

We need to forge a long-term energy strategy that takes these factors into account, moves our nation away from fossil fuels and invests in renewable energy resources.

Hopefully (but probably not) the sheeple will be smart enough to see the hypocrisy and contradiction of these 'Rats. Fineswine starts off complaining about new oil production taking "seven years" to become available, and then turns around and pushes "renewable energy resources". Well, cripes, those will probably take much longer to come online, certainly more than seven years. And how can Fineswine even think that something like windmills is going to have any near-term impact on transport fuels costs.

I'm all for pursuing long-term solutions (nuclear energy coupled with electric substitution in the transport fuels sector is probably our best bet at this point), but short term the only thing that will make a difference is increased supply coupled with decreased demand. That means more drilling, more refineries, better mileage vehicles, and less flying in private jets by 'Rat politicians and big shots. But don't discount one on the basis of development time and propose another that will take even longer. The hypocrisy is what irks me. Then again, these are 'Rats talking, so I guess I should expect it.

18 posted on 07/18/2008 5:53:29 AM PDT by chimera
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To: kellynla

No instant fix??? When President Bush revoked the Presidential directive banning off shore drilling, the price of oil and refined fuel went down significantly before a drop of oil has been produced. Drill here, drill now!


19 posted on 07/18/2008 5:58:13 AM PDT by Lion Den Dan
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To: thackney
Since you are more knowledgeable on this issue than I,
I wish you would write the L.A. Times and rebut Feinstein’s argument.

letters@lattimes.com

20 posted on 07/18/2008 6:00:32 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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