Posted on 08/04/2008 7:12:53 PM PDT by kristinn
Democratic leaders slammed Republicans on Monday for threatening to force a government shutdown this fall unless Congress lifts the ban on offshore oil drilling and for simultaneously demanding lawmakers return from the August recess to vote on more drilling.
SNIP
Some Republicans nevertheless say they are prepared to vote against a resolution to fund the federal government for fiscal 2009, which begins Oct. 1. If the resolution fails, many agencies and departments would run out of money and close their doors.
SNIP
The conflict stems from Republican demands that any energy plan include a provision to expand domestic oil drilling to areas currently off-limits, including a wildlife reserve in northern Alaska and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Democrats oppose the idea, saying oil companies already have millions of available drilling acres on land they're not using.
SNIP
Republicans have seized on the drilling issue, which the Democratic environmentalist base opposes, but which enjoys support of about two-thirds of voters, polls show.
SNIP
The congressional drilling moratorium was first enacted in 1982 and has been renewed every year since. It prohibits oil and gas leasing on most of the outer continental shelf - from three miles to 200 miles offshore - and expanded oil-shale development in the West.
An executive moratorium on offshore drilling was lifted last month by President Bush. That ban was put in place by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and sustained by President Clinton.
The congressional ban is set to expire at the end of September, but Democratic leaders are expected to include a one-year extension in legislation that they will introduce next month to continue funding the government past Oct. 1.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
The land they are talking about are 68 million acres of oiless lease land. The only reason they were able to lease it is there is no oil any where on it. The dems were challenged on the floor of the senate a few weeks ago to point to one acre of land of the 68 million acres that had oil on it that the oil companies won’t drill on and they couldn’t do it. Their whole argument is totally senseless, if the oil companies had land with oil on it why wouldn’t they drill on it? The answer is they would drill. This argument is easily derailed and has been several times but of course democrats don’t care about facts!
The government needs to be shut down for a little while. Especially the IRS!
Shut down the government? Geeez! Don’t do us any favors.
Please sign Eric Cantor’s petition to Bring Congress Back to vote on this important issue:
http://www.callbackcongress.com/
Thanks
There’s no oil there. If there were oil, the oil companies would be drilling - after all, that’s their business.
There, fixed it for you.
ditto.
i forgot the pubies had balls.
If you like $4/gal, Thank Nikita Pelosi. If you want $10, Vote No Oilbama.
Pray for W and Our Troops
I am.
If a large wave begins, I would be proud to march on Washington, and I live 3000 miles from that sewer.
We are moments away from having to take our country back...by whatever means necessary.
I do not recall him accusing the Stalinist Rat Party (formerly the traditional, patriotic Democratic Party) of being the party of Big Oil but what other conclusion is there?
Others have probably stated the fact the Stalinist Rat Party (formerly the traditional, patriotic Democratic Party) is the real Party of Big Oil.
It's no "Occident" that the Party of Al Gore is in the pockets of Big Oil. And the real reason the Stalinist Rat Party (formerly the traditional, patriotic Democratic Party) is blocking an increase in supply is because it is the real Party of Big Oil.
Sure the Rats want to add two-and-one-half-days of oil to the supply and Big Oil says it want to drill more.. but do they mean it? :)
This is a winning issue. The libs are beginning to panic.
Conservatives need to STAND FIRM.
They know that the higher that they can keep oil prices--the better for the democrats. They are absolutely unconscionable.
Do nothing, blame Bush, count on our stooges in the Dinosaur media to protect us from the voters through November.
We don't always agree, but I have often admired your posts. This being a case in point. Keep up the good work.
TS
Real this below link and it will tell you the facts. Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reed, Barack Obama are lying to us.
Be sure to read all the way down through FACT and CLAIMS.
American drilling
American jobs
American oil
The RNC should send out drill bits with the words “Drill Now” on them.
bttt
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