Posted on 01/14/2009 9:39:41 PM PST by JavaJumpy
How does $8-a-gallon gas sound? Few Americans would want to see that happen. Unfortunately, President-elect Barack Obama’s choices for the government’s two highest energy posts have expressed a surprising level of comfort with sky-high gas prices.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the incoming Obama administration and new Congress have suggested that they might reverse the pro-domestic oil drilling measures enacted since last summer. It is starting to look as though the change coming to Washington will bring bad news at the pump in the years ahead. As gas prices topped $4 a gallon last July, President George W. Bush revoked the longstanding executive order that outlawed oil exploration and drilling in 85 percent of America’s territorial waters - nearly everywhere off the "lower 48" except Texas and Louisiana.
Congress followed up by allowing its own 27-year-old offshore moratorium to lapse on Oct. 1. These outdated restrictions should never have stayed on the books for so long - the risk of oil spills has been dramatically minimized with the latest technologies. But at least Washington did the right thing by belatedly getting rid of them. Thus, the leasing process can commence in areas estimated to contain 19 billion barrels of untapped oil - about 30 years of current imports from Saudi Arabia. And, it should be noted, these initial estimates tend to be on the low side. We might find much more oil.
Earlier in the year, then-candidate Obama and leading Democrats in Congress had opposed this expansion of domestic oil drilling. However, both relented in the face of the summer’s public outrage over $4-a-gallon gas, as well as polls showing 2-to-1 support for more drilling. But, as they say, that was then. Since the election, both the incoming administration and Congress have signaled that they might reverse position and undo this policy. And two key Obama appointments might want to go further.
Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., Obama’s nominee for secretary of the interior, was on record as opposing lifting the offshore moratorium even if gasoline were to reach $10 a gallon. The Department of the Interior runs the federal energy-leasing programs. As secretary, Salazar would have the power to slow such leasing to a crawl, with or without the help of Congress.
In fairness, Salazar strongly opposed offshore drilling but never said he actually wanted the price of gas to skyrocket. The same cannot be said of secretary of energy nominee Steven Chu.
Last September, he told The Wall Street Journal that "somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe."
European gas taxes are much higher than in the United States and are designed to force people to drive less or not at all. At the time of Chu’s comment, the "levels in Europe" were above $8 a gallon.
Beyond restoring the ban on offshore drilling, the Obama transition team is also considering adding to the restrictions facing onshore drilling, something Salazar has pushed for in the Senate. He has also been instrumental in placing regulatory roadblocks in front of oil shale in Colorado and other states where it exists.
Though the process of extracting oil from shale is still being developed, if successful it could produce hundreds of billions of barrels of oil - enough to supply the United States for many decades. Being so stridently anti-energy might not be the political poison it was last summer now that gas prices have plummeted by more than half.
The main reason for the price decline - a slumping economy that has dampened demand - is one that few expect or want to last forever. If we don’t get serious about expanding oil production, pump prices could go back up as soon as the economy starts to turn around. In all likelihood, we have not seen the last of $4-a-gallon gas.
Imagine if we return to that level - and the consumer anger that accompanies it - perhaps as soon as 2010.
How will the public feel about an administration and a Congress that came in and instituted a sweeping crackdown on domestic oil supplies?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ben Lieberman is a senior policy analyst in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
After thinking about that, you are right.
Look at Mugabe.
But on the other hand this is not Zimbawe or Kenya yet.
At this point we are still an armed citizenry.
You forgot they want us to wear recycled burlap flour sacks sown at the Village Collective....
They want to control us, they can do it by restricting the capitalistic flow of energy. You can post proctor it by making these Byzantine rules in regards to CO and NOX.
BTW... I am reading in Auto/Aviation posting boards that NOX may have never been a problem at all, and we have been running richer than we need to with our fuel air mixtures since the 70's but now that you head is about to explode there is more!
Remember in the 90's CA experimented with crushing polluting cars? Well, it was a mess, Car Restorers had to form 501 Lobbying Organizations to prevent their cars from getting entangled in it..
Now this Schumer and Di-Fi are proposing it again to crush "Gas Guzzlers". Again it will be the law of unintended consequences. Go here to read it...
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/01/vehicle-scrappa.html#more
I saw an article discussing these proposals. In true convoluted liberal fashion, they are proposing to subsidize the gas tax increase for the *poor and working class*. I am uncertain (and so are they, it seemed) whether this will be a direct subsidy in the form of a direct deposit each month (they could use the SS database and infrastructure) or a tax rebate check at the end of the year.
This is how they are going to keep their base and increase the tax on gas. I will bet it is negative as to revenue and so, more taxes will be needed in future. Of course, smart folks will take the highest rebate allowed and then conserve as much as possible so they show a personal net profit. They will never give up that rebate, then.
Prices have been climbing around here recently. Went up 10 cents in just the past couple of days.
I have been predicting that. And the subsidies won't be just for gas. Healthcare, food, utilities, you name it -- will be subsidized. Those that have income or stored wealth will be paying for this. In 10 or 20 years we'll be like Zimbabwe, UNLESS we have a revolution to restore the traditional American republican form of government. So, Comrade, how do you like living under Communism?
People have survived these sorts of regimes in the past and we intend to survive this one. As to liking it: FEH! But, we are seniors and we have one vote each and no way to rebel, otherwise. We're just hoping that the results of this last election are so onerous that we can peel off 10% or more of zerO’s voters. I think there are that many who voted out of misplaced liberal guilt. Perhaps another 5% who were financing the coup have been badly hurt by the economic crisis. Besides starving the change agents, that 10%-15% could give us enough to take back the House in 2010 and stall this disaster until 2012, when there will be a vivid experience in memory of the pain under progressive rule. At this point, I would take conservative donks over RINOS, if that is what it takes to get us out from under these jackboots.
We'll see how the under 45’s like their hope’n’change. Nothing like some first hand experience to refute all their ideological babble. Add in another bad winter 2009-10, high unemployment, rising interest rates and all that accompanies eventual inflation and high fuel taxes and they may find themselves having to reject their former idealism. If they refuse to commit vote fraud and refuse to work for the Party of Government, we stand a chance.
I should add that as much as I would prefer to gloat and rub noses in this merde, I intend to listen sympathetically and reinforce their negative perceptions as much as possible. Right now, IMO, it is imperative that the useful idiots find compassion from the old folks WRT the hard times upon us, instead of hearing “We told you so.” But, it will be difficult to exercise that level of self-control.
I want to hear all the comments from the Obama puppets at work who firmly believe Bush raised and lowered the prices at whim to get him and his oil buddies rich. When the Great Spreader makes the prices go higher, what will they say? Probably still blame Bush.
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LOL - you must work where I work! Today CNN was showing off the MS magazine cover with Obama on it, praising Obama for his work with women or for women (I almost said women’s work!). Honestly, they looked like little puppy dogs with big ol’ smiles on their faces.
Honest to God, many of my co-workers are exactly that stupid. A number of them do actually believe the president raises and lowers prices on oil and other commodities. There is no shortage of ignorant Dems where I work. They shout out their ignorance while the conservatives like myself and a few others whisper and mock their stupidity where we can’t be heard.
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