White House hints it may buy up oil leases

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 06/20/2002 | Marc Sandalow

[Pokey78]

Washington -- The Bush administration raised the prospect of a permanent end to oil drilling off the California coast Wednesday as it stepped squarely into a heated political dispute between Gov. Gray Davis and his Republican challenger, Bill Simon.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton, in a letter to Simon, reiterated President Bush's support for a moratorium on any new drilling rights off the California coast and applauded Simon's efforts to restrict drilling on existing leases.

[Dialup Llama]

This would be really cool. More oil (which everyone likes these days) and it makes Grey-out Davis look bad.

[Dialup Llama]

RATS. Oh buy them up and NOT use them. I suppose I should try to read these articles first. Never mind.

[browardchad]

Yup -- not use them. Same political strategy as Florida. Once again politics trumps making the U.S. less dependent on foreign oil.

[thatsnotnice]

"The fact that Secretary Norton wrote to another Republican candidate for governor, before responding (to similar requests from) our governor and two senators, is something that we find an insult to Californians," she said.

heheheh

[Black Agnes]

We're saving the oil for the Aztlan'ers to loot.

[skateman]

Yup -- not use them. Same political strategy as Florida. Once again politics trumps making the U.S. less dependent on foreign oil.

I am so in agreement with you. It appears that once again, President Bush has sold his soul to the devil for the sake of political gain.

[The Vast Right Wing]

Well, it that political gain is to get a republican in charge of California, I am all for it. I don't know if you live in Ca. of not, but the Democrats are completely destroying this state. After they have destroyed Ca., they will move to a state near you and destroy it. They must be stopped, they can not be reasoned with they must be destroyed.

[hchutch]

If we make a big oil deal with Russia, we still screw over the OPEC cartel. The fatc is, right now, we have a much tougher task in getting domestic oil drilling than we thought, so we have to pull back, re-group, and try again later.

[elcaudillo]

What great news.

Wonder which credit card our president will use to make these purchases? With the buying spree that has been going on non-stop the cards are maxed out.

Of course we can still give half a billion to Africa to fight AIDS.

[SteamshipTime]

George Bush is using your money to try and buy a few environmental votes while paying off a bunch of fatcats who knew perfectly well when they made their investment that they may not get drilling permits from the government. This is welfare for millionaires, pure and simple.

The only difference between Republicans and Democrats is who gets plundered and who gets the spoils.

Actually, like the pigs and humans in Animal Farm, they're both beginning to resemble each other.

[Wphile]

There is no way and no how someone who favored drilling off the coast of California could ever get elected. That's the fact of the matter, period. And since this is a representative republic, those representatitives must listen to the wishes of their constituents.

California is currently being run into the ground by a near completely controlled Democratic government. If Simon can get into the Governor's office and he has to oppose offshore drilling, then so be it. Again, 75% (if not more) of the people of CA oppose offshore drilling. To run against the wishes of the overwhelming majority would be folly.

Seems to me it makes more sense appeasing the 70 to 80 percenters than it does the 5 to 20 percenters.

And this doesn't equate to not drilling in Alaska where 75 to 80% of the locals do favor drilling up there. It's called local politics and I welcome the federal government respecting it.

[Texas_Jarhead]

If drilling is ok in the Gulf of Mexico then why not off Kalifornia? Never once have we had a oil slick wash up on our beaches that I can remember. Drilling and production technology is very advanced and the risks of accident has been signifcantly reduced over the last decade.

[hchutch]

Excellent point. The sad fact is that the folks in Florida and California aren't desperate enough to accept it, so we must re-group and try again elsewhere.

[Wphile]

Yep, Californians and Floridians want to have their cake and eat it too. Fortunately, we have Texas and Louisiana to bail the rest of us out.

[Let's Roll]

Or even worse use them with the govt in charge of the oil business!!!

[Free the USA]

fyi

[ClancyJ]

This is what I am wondering about - buy them up and then use them when America is in a strangle hold from the Mideast and Russia is not coming through. If that occurs - the administration then puts the options before the American public and they can decide if California and Florida will have to join in with the Gulf drilling to keep America going.

If this happens - the price for the leases will go up also for those wanting to drill and the increase could help pay off the investment. Sometimes it is nice to have oil men in the government.

[Let's Roll]

I understand what you mean, but who knows who will be in the WH when/if this is needed?

Fingers-crossed.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for the ping!

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