Posted on 05/16/2008 7:12:16 PM PDT by Kaslin
Energy: With the price of oil spiking above $127 a barrel, the search for scapegoats has begun. Some point to the Saudis, OPEC's No. 1 producer. Others blame the oil companies. We have a better candidate: Congress.
Underscoring its failure to grasp the nature of our current problems, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Friday refused to end its moratorium on oil shale development in Colorado.
"If we are really serious about reducing pain at the pump," Colorado's senior senator, Republican Wayne Allard, said, "this is a vote that would make a difference in people's lives." He's right.
But the shale proposal went down to defeat with Allard and 13 other Republican members in favor and 15 Democrats opposed. Once again, Democrats were on the wrong side, opting to keep oil in the ground and punish you with higher prices as a result.
This was no minor thing. Estimates put the amount of oil locked in shale in both Canada and the U.S. at more than 1 trillion barrels. Pulling out even a tenth of that would quadruple our current reserves.
This is the same Congress that refuses to allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which holds up to 20 billion barrels of crude, or offshore, where another 30 billion await.
Meanwhile, Brazil — which recently made a major oil discovery almost in sight of Rio's beaches — announced that it has leased 80% of the world's deep-sea offshore oil rigs. In other words, Brazil unlike the U.S., isn't dithering as prices soar. It's drilling.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
Never.
I find it somewhat belittling to our country and his office that my President goes begging. He is the most powerful man in the Universe, and yet he goes begging. Never.
I’m extremely ashamed, I would rather pay 5 dollars a gallon then have the President of the US kowtowing to a raghead.
If you like $4/gal, Thank Congress!
Pray for W and Our Troops
Also, the dems have the media in theirt pocket.
So, to lay it on the feet of the republicans and the fact that they had both houses a few years ago and that is why we are not drilling in anwr is stretching it a bit.
When you paint with a wide brush, remember that the Rats only need 2-3 RHINOs to stop the drilling.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Supposition is the bailiwick of the ignorant … you don’t know me, why the supposition about my possible intent?
“WE had a republican president and a republican senate and republican house a few years ago and this problem didn’t get solved either. - Tom “
And your point is?
Do you think a higher percentage of Democrts or Republicans has consistently voted for more American energy production.
A large majority of republicans, joined by a few Democrats, has been trying for 20 years to increase 1) American hydrocarbon development. 2) Increased licensure of Nuclear plants. 3) Increased use of Clean coal. 4) Licensing of new refineries.
Senate ahd house voting records are public information. Google These votes.
Even here, 14 for drilling; 15 against. Even distribution within each party or did one party obstruct.
14 Dems against drilling and 14 Pubs for it. Pretty consistent over the years.
Some Republicans will be RINOs.
I'm eagerly awaiting the day when the oil bubble bursts and the speculators go the way of the sub-prime lenders.
Ping for later reading.
“I hope you realize that the President can only do what Congress allows him to do “
Not really responsive to what I said. Bush has been unable to use the bully pulpit of the presidency when he had a strong case to make, time and again. Few argue that point. He’s just not an articulate and convincing speaker, no matter how much strong evidence he has at his disposal. That has cost his goals and those who support him dearly.
Has nothing to do with what Congress will or will not agree with.
“I find it somewhat belittling to our country and his office that my President goes begging. He is the most powerful man in the Universe, and yet he goes begging. Never.”
And this is the second time he’s gone begging within a few months: same place, same cause, same result.
I commented yesterday that I couldn’t believe he’d go on this same mission again so soon after the first one unless some successful outcome had been pre-negotiated. Guess I should have believed it.
Though maybe there were some agreements on other items.
Obviously the title “worlds most powerful man” is a misnomer
First, although I don't use this product, since people are starting to use bicycles more, people might be interested in this autoshifting bicycle.
Autoshifting bicycleAlso, I'm keeping an eye on developments in biofuel production.
First, the bad news about ethanol. Ethanol fires are evidently harder to control than gasoline fires.
Ethanol fires hard to control 1Hopefully, ways will be developed to make controlling ethanol fires easier.
Ethanol fires hard to control 2
On the brighter side concerning ethanol, there's now evidence that people might get as much, or more, bang per buck for their gas dollars with gas / ethanol mixtures.
Gas-competitive gas / ethanol mixturesAlso, I was surprised by the introduction of a machine (popularly known as a still) for making home-made ethanol.
EFuel100In stark contrast to the 1700 gallons of water required to make one gallon of corn-based ethanol as indicated by the OP, the EFuel100 uses only 170 gallons of water to produce 35 gallons of ethanol In other words, the EFuel100 uses less than 1% ( about 0.2%) as much water as corn ethanol, under five gallons, to produce one gallon of ethanol (corrections welcome).
But watch out for fines for violating biofuel regulations.
Fines for violating biofuel regulationsAlso, progress is being made in the development of other non-corn ethanol production technologies as well.
Non-corn ethanolFinally, I've also been hearing good things about biodiesel production but need to find some links.
And the issue on building refineries is less a need for tax credits and such, and more an issue of impossible regulatory hurdles.
I can’t imagine ANYTHING more humiliating for our nation than begging the Saudis for more oil when we refuse to tap our own reserves for fear of discomfiting some critter or ruining the ocean view of some wealthy Hollywood star or lib politician. I never thought I’d think that our once-great country is washed up, but I’m sadly coming to this conclusion.
Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR)
The problem is, that while Republicans controlled congress, small gangs of House Republicans would join Democrats to defeat oil exploration bills.
thems the ones that need to be horse whipped
It would be funny, turning Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) over on my knee to spank the crap out of her for stating on TV that we shouldn’t be drilling offshore even though Cuba is.
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