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Colorado Democrats pursue a 'no energy' economic plan
The Pueblo Chieftan ^ | July 19, 2008 | Mark Hillman

Posted on 07/19/2008 9:54:58 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

As if paying $4-plus for gasoline isn't bad enough, some of Colorado's political leaders seem bound and determined to spread pain at the pump to the cost of heating our homes this winter - and for decades to come.

Ours is a beautiful state with an abundance of natural resources: silver and gold lured early pioneers, mountain vistas and ski slopes keep visitors coming year after year, and abundant energy sources fuel our economy and our way of life.

Not long ago, political leaders of both parties understood that the energy sector is vital to the economic health of our state and actively worked to utilize those resources while applying responsible protections for the environment.

Unfortunately, energy has now become a political football. Republicans play the traditional role of advancing affordable energy development, while Democrats try to freeze traditional energy sources to make alternative energy economically competitive.

According to Fortune, our junior U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar "has emerged as the Senate's leading oil shale opponent," fighting for a moratorium against further development. Never mind that Shell invested millions in oil shale research: "Salazar's efforts have essentially pulled the rug out from under (it)." Oil shale reserves in the Green River Formation, which underlies parts of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, are staggering. A Rand Corporation study calls it the largest known oil shale deposit in the world with 1.5 to 1.8 trillion barrels of crude oil.

Nearly half of those deposits - 800 billion barrels, triple the known crude reserves in Saudi Arabia - are recoverable using existing technology, if only Salazar and company would get out of the way.

With gas prices soaring, Salazar's wannabe Senate sidekick, Boulder County Congressman Mark Udall, told Colorado families that high gasoline prices aren't going away so we need to be more fuel efficient.

File that inspirational note next to Jimmy Carter's fireside chats about economic "malaise."

Udall's plan to do something about soaring gas prices is a confounding concoction combining economic illiteracy and wishful thinking:

Crack down on price-gouging. Straight from the far-left playbook of MoveOn.org, liberals rant against price-gouging, fully aware that evidence of actual price-gouging is scarce as hen's teeth.

Stop "subsidizing" the oil and gas industry. Udall wants to eliminate tax credits that U.S. oil companies receive for taxes paid to foreign governments and a tax deduction for domestic production. This amounts to penalizing American companies for bringing home their overseas profits and for creating jobs to produce oil in the U.S.

Move away from corn to cellulosic ethanol. Ethanol mandates contribute to price distortions, but the technology for turning corn into fuel is years ahead of research on switchgrass.

Udall and Salazar team up with Gov. Bill Ritter to stonewall against responsible energy development on the Roan Plateau. Meanwhile, Ritter still expects the energy industry to provide more tax revenue.

Roan Plateau contains an estimated 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas - enough to heat every home in Colorado for 20 years. The Bureau of Land Management would allow drilling on no more than 1 percent of the plateau's surface at any time.

Yet Salazar, Udall and Ritter want to stall the process (which began in 1997 under President Clinton), impose even more restrictions and then tell the bidders where to drill first.

Say what you will about oil and gas producers, but remember that they don't get paid if they don't produce. If Salazar, Udall and Ritter get their way, Coloradans will be sitting atop vast oil and gas reserves but sending our money to the likes of OPEC and Hugo Chavez.

******************

Mark Hillman (www. MarkHillman. com) is a Burlington farmer and former Republican majority leader of the Colorado Senate and state treasurer.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: congress; democrats; drilling; energy; environment; gasprices; naturalgas; oil; oilshale; switchgrass; taxes; ussenate
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What is wrong with these people?
1 posted on 07/19/2008 9:54:58 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ya gotta love this “New Direction” stuff. It won’t be long before the DemocRATS have us all sitting around a campfire in front of a cave eating sticks and berries.


2 posted on 07/19/2008 10:03:06 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (The U.S. Constitution was not written to protect those who want to destroy America.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

As some wise Frenchman once said, “People get the government they deserve”!

The time for grabbing the pitchforks is quickly appoaching - and if we don’t, we deserve what we get!!!


3 posted on 07/19/2008 10:10:33 PM PDT by aquila48
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Good point. Coloradans sit on top of a Saudi sized pool of oil, and they’d rather give their money to the Saudis.

Fine. But don’t blame the oil companies if you refuse to drill for whats right there underneath you.

Don’t blame the oil companies if you’d rather put people to work around the world, rather than your own. And you’d rather see that tax revenue go to other governments rather than your own. If you like paying $4 a gallon, you’re going to love paying $8. And you’re going to pay it, love it or not.


4 posted on 07/19/2008 10:15:41 PM PDT by marron
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

By the way, just saw that Jordan has decided to go after its oil shale in a big way, and Shell is going to help them.

If we don’t want it, there are people who do want it. And God bless them, they’re going to do it while we run around in circles, one foot nailed to the floor.


5 posted on 07/19/2008 10:18:42 PM PDT by marron
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Think of all the money they might have if they did this...........

bumper-sticker
 
 

Contact your Congress critters to let them know that you are tired of high gas prices.

U. S. Senate

U. S. House of Representatives

6 posted on 07/19/2008 10:21:33 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Oil is our issue. For the Radical Dems, Libs, Socialists, call ‘em what you will, the issue is their POWER.

In this Nation the POWER IS THE PEOPLE. Time is long past due to put these Radical Turds in their place.

We need to PULL THE CHAIN, flush the Congressional bowl. RINO’s and Dems...ALL.


7 posted on 07/19/2008 10:27:46 PM PDT by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists...call 'em what you will...They ALL have fairies livin' in their trees.)
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To: aquila48
As some wise Frenchman once said, “People get the government they deserve”!

The time for grabbing the pitchforks is quickly appoaching - and if we don’t, we deserve what we get!!!

I'm ready.

8 posted on 07/19/2008 10:36:18 PM PDT by Entrepreneur (The environmental movement is filled with watermelons - green on the outside, red on the inside)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Group think like the rodents that run over the cliffs to die.


9 posted on 07/19/2008 10:59:16 PM PDT by Red Steel
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I live in this state. We are sitting on enough oil and natural gas to give every one of our state's 7 million residents an income for the rest of their lives.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

10 posted on 07/19/2008 11:01:01 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: Entrepreneur

Pelosi Salazar, Reid, Udall, Gore and their ilk are the Marie Antoinettes of our days - we need to take to the streets, occupy their offices, get their attention!

We need our versions of “code pink” and “earth liberation front”!!


11 posted on 07/19/2008 11:01:35 PM PDT by aquila48
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"which underlies parts of Colorado,"

A HUGE swatch of that land, which also sits on top of the largest fresh water aquifer in the USA, is owned by an Arab.

12 posted on 07/19/2008 11:13:11 PM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: marron
"Good point. Coloradans sit on top of a Saudi sized pool of oil, and they’d rather give their money to the Saudis."

Shale requires a LOT of water to process. One of the reasons is because the EPA fears it will contaminate that aquifer. It's actually a legitimate concern. It doesn't mean that shale can't be processed in areas not on that aquifer however, but then the question becomes where will the oil companies get the water needed to process the shale?

Can't use the aquifer, and there is no other abundant source except desalination and piping it in.

Things aren't always as easy as they seem.

13 posted on 07/19/2008 11:19:01 PM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: Nathan Zachary; 2ndDivisionVet

Things are never as easy as they seem.

They are technical issues. Not political ones.

The politicians have made a political decision to head off any technical solutions; they don’t want technical solutions.

Technical people solve technical problems all day long every day. Its not easy. But its doable. The question then becomes, is it economically feasible. After you’ve spent the money to resolve the technical hurdles, is it cost effective to pursue it compared to other energy sources.

Thats not a political decision, its a pretty simple calculation once you’ve costed it out.

But as I say, the political people want to close off any answer to the question. They don’t want the question asked and they don’t want it answered.

Oil shale is going to be done. The politicians just want to insure it isn’t done by us.


14 posted on 07/20/2008 12:04:50 AM PDT by marron
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To: marron
The real problem is that these selfish bastards are thinking of them and them alone and to hell with America.

These smug, arrogant prickly politicians think they are cutting a fat pig in the butt but it may just come back to bite them in their own butt.

When they sit on top of energy and refuse to let the rest of the country use that energy then it becomes a major problem as to whose bets benefit is served, an energy starved country or a minority of jet setters like alGore, Hairy Reid and Nancy Peloser sipping lattes and enjoying the high life.

When Left Wing Salazar ran for office I remember him painting a completely different picture as a candidate that governed from the middle, sort of like Obama is now claiming and the voting suckers of Colorado bought Salazar's line of Shiite hook, line and stinker.

15 posted on 07/20/2008 1:40:42 AM PDT by OKIEDOC (OBAMA aka Post Turtle the Forest Gump of American Politics ABORTION -Liberal Child Abuse.)
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To: aquila48

“As some wise Frenchman once said, “People get the government they deserve”!”

Looks like I will be pay the price for what the other guy deserves.


16 posted on 07/20/2008 4:00:16 AM PDT by blueyon (Loose lips sink ships.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

A boycott of CO is in order. If no one travels to that state, they will feel it, big time.


17 posted on 07/20/2008 4:21:01 AM PDT by kittymyrib
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Democrats/socialists/communists/Royalty want to control energy the same way they control intellectual development through the government skools. They say, more or less, no energy, but what they mean is all energy from all sources.....through their control

It's all about money and control. They want us to be the serfs and them the royalty.

18 posted on 07/20/2008 4:39:10 AM PDT by Leisler
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Asshats...


19 posted on 07/20/2008 5:09:27 AM PDT by tips up
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To: FlingWingFlyer

No campfires allowed by the Left. Jimmy Carter says get a sweater if you are cold! And sticks & berries don’t need to be cooked, so forget the fire!


20 posted on 07/20/2008 5:30:11 AM PDT by Mister Da (The mark of a wise man is not what he knows, but what he knows he doesn't know!)
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