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POPSWe DO Need More Domestic Energy...BUT... Bush is absolutely right (I can't believe I'm saying that) - we absolutely do need to focus on more domestic energy production to reduce and ultimately eliminate out reliance on the Middle East. He's absolutely wrong however (now that's more like it) when he says we need to get that additional domestic energy by drilling for more oil off-shore. Pretty much all major scientific research - and even a great deal of the public - agree oil is not the answer to our energy crisis. There is only so much oil and any additional drilling will be far outnumbered by the increase in usage that will have occurred when we finally get that new oil online. Could drilling for new oil help lower gas/fuel prices? Sure it could temporarily. But that would only slightly delay the inevitable. We NEED to reduce our energy consumption until we can find alternative and more abundant sources of clean energy to meet our needs.
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POPSPelosi Is Losing! Join House Republicans and Sign the Letter An Open Letter to Speaker Pelosi We think it is unconscionable that Congress has gone on vacation before we have addressed the high gas prices that are crippling our economy and hurting millions of families. We are asking that you reconvene the House from your five-week vacation and schedule a vote on legislation to increase American energy production. Let us be clear, we are not asking for a guaranteed outcome, just the chance to vote. http://www.nrcc.org/actioncenter/default.asp?ID=317#sign
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POPSEnergy Rhetoric vs Reality
RHETORIC: Oil and natural gas companies are demanding greater access to America’s resources even though they own leases on millions of acres of federal lands that are already open to drilling. REALITY: Just because a lease is not producing oil or natural gas doesn’t mean it’s idle. Companies are actively exploring and developing the majority of their leases, but the entire process takes years and requires many steps, including securing government permits, analyzing seismic data and installing the machinery needed for drilling and production. Many leases prove not to contain enough oil and natural gas to be commercially viable, and companies can’t produce oil and natural gas where it does not exist. REALITY: At a time when we need all the energy we can find, increasing access to domestic sources of oil and natural gas would enhance our energy security. We have enough oil and natural gas resources to power 65 million cars for 60 years and heat 60 million households for 160 years.
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POPSGeneral Electric And Al Gore $cheme To Undermine Domestic Drilling GE stubbornly adheres to climate change alarmism because it has placed a huge financial bet on carbon-free energy sources, such as wind, that are threatened by domestic oil production. Climate change fears and tight oil supplies are the driving force for renewable energy. Increasing the supply of oil will reduce its price, making wind power even less competitive, even with generous government subsidies. GE CEO Jeff Immelt, already in hot water for poor stock performance, can't afford to lose his gamble on renewable energy. Faced with this threat, Immelt is shrewdly using his NBC news empire to promote climate change fears and wind turbines as a sound energy alternative. For economic and national security reasons Americans desperately need natural resource development in our own backyard.
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POPSGOP And Bipartisan Effort To Force Democrats To Lift A Drilling Ban Washington - As Congress heads into its last week before August recess and political conventions, there's one big item on the must-do list: Action to ease energy costs for American families. ongressional leaders are increasingly deadlocked over what to do. In response, frustrated rank-and-file members on both sides of the aisle are stepping up efforts to find common ground. Rep. Nick Lampson (D) of Texas is now pursuing his own version of an offshore drilling bill that would dedicate all $2.6 trillion in expected royalties to research on alternative energy. Last week, Republicans blocked three Democratic bills in as many days: On Thursday, the House rejected a measure that would have released about 70 million barrels of oil from the nation's SPR. On Friday, Senate Republicans blocked a move that would stop excessive speculation in energy markets. On Saturday, the GOP opposed taking up a $5.1 billion Senate measure to help low-income Americans pay utility bills this year.
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POPSMagical Thinking vs. Reality amount to $1.05 to $1.38 per gallon, or 42 to 55 percent of ethanol's wholesale market price. Ethanol does not reduce gasoline prices. If you lived in urban areas that used reformulated gasoline last summer -- that's the environmentally "clean" gasoline required for areas with air pollution problems -- you might have paid up to 60 cents a gallon more for gasoline. That's because the federal government required oil refineries to use 4 billion gallons of ethanol in 2006, regardless of price, and gas pump prices last summer reflected the fact that ethanol was twice as expensive as conventional gas in wholesale markets, and far more costly to deliver. The truth is that if ethanol has commercial merit, it doesn't need the subsidy. And if it doesn't, no amount of subsidy will bestow it.
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POPSYet Another Reason for Alternative Energy It amazes me when Bush talks about how committed he is to national security - with middle east countries being the biggest targets - but does nothing to reduce our reliance on oil. Bush continues to rely on countries he considers part of his "axis of evil" when he does nothing to further research into alternative domestic energy sources. His answer - let's try to drill for more oil here while maintaining a military presence in the middle east that's costing this country billions and ultimately trillions of dollars. No dumb ass, if you invested even a tiny portion of what you've spent on "securing" Iraq, on a domestic alternative energy policy, we wouldn't be in the economic trouble we're in today.
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POPS3 Myths About Offshore Drilling "Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) claimed "not a drop of oil was spilled during Katrina or Rita." This myth has been told again and again by the likes ofGov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, Mike Huckabee, George Will, and Bill O'Reilly. There were, in fact, major onshore and offshore spills due to the hurricanes."
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POPSPelosi: Drilling In Protected Areas ‘A Hoax’ Democrats would not say when these bills would be ready for floor consideration. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) took to the floor to again criticize Democrats for dodging votes on energy bills, charging that Democrats are avoiding votes on the opening up of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge and the OCS. Hoyer soon followed to retort, saying he and Democratic leaders have for weeks been urging for drilling on approved acres, only to have those efforts blocked by Republicans. He blamed Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney – the “two oil men in the White House” – and Republicans for setting an energy policy that has driven up gas prices and steered record profits to the energy companies. “As every serious person who has studied this issue knows, the proposals that Democrats are producing are shams and hoaxes designed to provide political cover and not to produce more American energy and lower gas prices,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said.
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POPSThe Pickens Plan For Wind-Powered Energy Joseph Romm raises interesting questions about what wind power should replace, as well as the efficiency of natural gas in transportation. So does FuturePundit. # I believe more domestic production of oil is a marginally useful thing, but a long-term solution probably requires (short term) diversified energy sources - more plausible as technological progress allows us to capture, e.g., wind and solar energy more efficiently and to increase battery storage capacity - and (long term) nuclear energy. # I believe the lack of fueling infrastructure is a significant barrier to using natural gas for transportation. # I believe the scientific evidence that anthropogenic climate change is occurring is solid. # I believe the cost of oil is significantly higher than the price of oil and the negative externalities of our oil-driven economy are a problem that needs to be resolved. # I believe regulatory solutions to environmental problems are likely to result in path
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POPSFREE Email: No More Excuses For High Energy Prices! There's just one problem: Democrats are refusing to allow the bill out of committee, so the full House of Representatives can vote on it! Thankfully, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) has filed a "discharge petition" to get H.R. 3089 OUT of committee and force a vote on it. That petition already has 153 names on it -- but it requires 218 signatures to force that vote... So WE need to get 65 more Congressmen to SIGN that petition, NOW!
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POPSStop The Pelosi Anti-Energy Package! The most common-sense energy solution in the short term is to increase domestic oil production in the United States by allowing more exploration and drilling. Currently, there is a Congressional moratorium on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) that has been in place for 27 years. This moratorium translates into roughly 85% of the OCS that Congress has declared off-limits for oil exploration and drilling. It simply does not make sense for the United States to allow its domestic oil resources to sit unused and depend on other nations in unstable regions of the world for its energy needs.
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POPSA Clear Majority Of Americans Want To Drill Here Al Gore, philanthropist, Climate activist, and winner of the Nobel Peace prize, is the single greatest advocate in the war against humanity. Millions of innocent lives, people whose only crime is being poor. We need to protect not only others wellbeing, but our own freedoms, our own rights. We need to defend ourselves from Eco-Terrorist ideas, perpetuated by cheap theatrics and scaremongering. We need to defend ourselves against Eco Evangelist Al Gore. Energy Independence: President Bush asks Congress to lift the 1981 drilling ban on offshore oil. The no-drill Democrats will call it flip-flopping. We call it change you can believe in. The Democratic response to Republican determination to end our dependence on foreign oil has been to call for more taxes on oil companies and to pressure, even sue, OPEC. A group of 10 Democratic senators on Tuesday called for Bush to file a complaint against OPEC. http://www.smartgreenusa.com/
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POPSIs McCain Coming Around On ANWR? It will take years for the technologies to mature, the costs to come down and the national fleet to be changed over from its petroleum base. In the interim, we will need crude oil and plenty of it. Since the stability of our present sources of oil cannot be relied upon, our nation's security has been put at considerable risk. McCain realizes that the U.S. no longer has any choice but to develop its own dependable domestic energy supply and infrastructure. He's also politically astute enough to understand this: McCain's position is likely to help him solidify support among conservatives, which political analysts say he needs to do to guarantee a strong GOP turnout in November. His position also puts him in line with Republicans in the House and Senate, who are pushing legislation in Congress to lift the ban.
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POPSBush Calls Out the Dems Next was ANWR, which can be exploited with "virtually no impact on the land or local wildlife." Finally, refining capacity: It has been 30 years since a new refinery was built in our Nation, and lawsuits and red tape have made it extremely costly to expand or modify existing refineries. The result is that America now imports millions of barrels of fully refined gasoline from abroad. This imposes needless costs on American families and drivers. It deprives American workers of good jobs. Finally, Bush laid the problem once again at the Dems' door: I know Democratic leaders have opposed some of these policies in the past. Now that their opposition has helped drive gas prices to record levels, I ask them to reconsider their positions. If congressional leaders leave for the Fourth of July recess without taking action, they will need to explain why $4-a-gallon gasoline is not enough incentive for them to act. Excellent stuff. We need to do this every single day.
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POPS President Bush Discusses Energy The problem is that Congress has restricted access to key parts of the OCS since the early 1980s. Since then, advances in technology have made it possible to conduct oil exploration in the OCS that is out of sight, protects coral reefs and habitats, and protects against oil spills. With these advances -- and a dramatic increase in oil prices -- congressional restrictions on OCS exploration have become outdated and counterproductive. Republicans in Congress have proposed I call on the House and the Senate to pass good legislation as soon as possible. This legislation should give the states the option of opening up OCS resources off their shores, provide a way for the federal government and states to share new leasing revenues, and ensure that our environment is protected. There's also an executive prohibition on exploration in the OCS. When Congress lifts the legislative ban, I will lift the executive prohibition.
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POPSPETITION: To Secure Unrestricted Reliable Energy Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow the issuance of tax exempt facility bonds for the financing of domestic use oil refinery facilities; (2) extend through 2018 the tax credit for producing electricity from wind facilities; and (3) allow tax credits for the production of electricity from nuclear energy, natural gas production, and carbon dioxide tertiary injectant processes. Requires the President to designate at least 10 sites for oil or natural gas refineries on federal lands and make such sites available to the private sector for construction of refineries.
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POPSGas Prices Are Changing Americans’ Priorities would make developing the oil shale profitable at $20 a barrel. Are liberals in Congress anxious to see this oil help American consumers? No. Just last week they voted to extend their ban on oil shale development. The other liberal objection to increased domestic energy production is that the additional supplies will not affect prices for a decade. We will let Jay Leno respond: “Democrats said it would not do any good because it would not produce oil for 10 years. You know, same thing they said 10 years ago.” Just last week liberals in Congress rejected a proposal to allow drilling for oil 50 miles of the U.S. coast. The U.S. Minerals Management Service estimates that 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas can be found along the U.S. outer continental shelf. The typical liberal response to calls for more domestic oil production is that drilling will not help lower prices significantly.
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POPSBush To Press Congress On Offshore Oil Drilling Bush also will reiterate his call for development of oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, Perino said. McCain has opposed drilling in the refuge, maintaining that the pristine areas in northeastern Alaska should be protected from energy development. On Monday, McCain made lifting the federal ban on offshore oil and gas development a key part of his energy plan. The Arizona senator said states should be allowed to pursue energy exploration in waters near their coasts and receive some of the royalty revenue. Bush has made clear in recent weeks that the drilling moratorium in coastal waters should end to allow for more domestic oil production and help "take the pressure off the price of gasoline." Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for president, opposes lifting the ban on offshore drilling and says that allowing exploration now wouldn't affect gasoline prices for at least five years.
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POPSChina's Drilling for Oil in America's Backyard... Apparently China recognizes a rich source when they find one. Can't you just see that *straw* under our coastal floor just sippin' away? I wouldn't be surprised if we don't end up buying it back with a nice profit for them.
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POPSHarry Reid's Anti-Energy "Consumer-First Energy Act" of 2008 Simply put, the Consumer-First Energy Act is an anti-energy bill that will only add to already-high energy costs. Fewer Restrictions on Domestic Oil Production We need fewer restrictions on domestic oil drilling. America remains the only oil-producing nation that has placed a substantial amount of its energy potential off-limits. This includes a few thousand acres of Alaska's 19.6 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). This small portion of ANWR is believed to contain 10 billion barrels of oil—an amount equivalent to 15 years of imports from Saudi Arabia.
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POPSCampaign To Lower Our Gasoline Prices As gas prices continue to increase, Congress continues to blame others while ignoring practical steps to stop the pain Americans are feeling at the pump. To lower gasoline prices and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we need real solutions to our energy challenges. Laws and policies that restrict access to America’s abundant energy drive up the price of fuel and electricity. They cause widespread layoffs and leave workers and families struggling to survive, as the cost of everything they eat, drive, wear and do spirals higher.
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POPSPetition U.S. Congress: Make Gas Cheaper NOW WASHINGTON – Wisconsin’s 1st District Congressman Paul Ryan introduced legislation today that would impose a one-year earmark moratorium and strengthen the paychecks of American families. With the savings from this break in pork-barrel spending, Congress would provide some relief at the pump this summer and make much needed investments in our nation’s infrastructure. “The Gas Tax Relief and Earmark Moratorium Act of 2008” was unveiled at today’s Joint Hearing before the House Budget Committee and House Transportation Committee, which focused on financing infrastructure investments.
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POPSThe "No-We-Can't" Left in Congress the Saudis, following President Bush's visit, agreed to boost their oil output by 300,000 barrels a day. It won't fix the problem, but at least it won't make it worse, which is exactly what liberals in Congress did last week. As Americans, we all need to ask ourselves the following: Which is it -- the Congress or Saudi Arabia -- that has a greater obligation to ease our energy prices? And which is the greater obstacle to energy independence and security? The Left's Answer: More Pain, Not More Production As I mentioned, the higher energy prices Americans are paying are the equivalent of a huge tax increase. One economist calculated that the price of oil rising from $80 a barrel to $100 a barrel had the same effect on Americans' pocket books as a $150 billion tax increase -- and the price of oil has risen an additional $27 since then!
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POPS Inconvenient Truths About Oil by imports, which now account for 75% of our needs. So much for the pledge to make America independent of unreliable foreign sources. What went wrong? Of natural crude, we have large reserves off the coasts of California and Florida. America also has additional reserves in the Gulf areas, from Florida to Texas. In Alaska, both onshore and offshore, we have large areas of proven reserves. In the mountain Western states, large amounts of oil are available in the shale rock formations. The conversion of coal to oil, a technology available for over 100 years, remains another untapped resource. While this 86.3 billion dollar legislation does tell the auto makers how to build cars, tell us that we can’t buy incandescent light bulbs after 2012, and demand that we continue to use 1.25 gallons of gasoline to produce 1 gallon of ethanol (subsidized by us of course); it does not result in one new gallon of gasoline, or one watt of new electricity.
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POPSShortage Fears Push Oil Futures Near $140 That trend was exacerbated by T. Boone Pickens, the influential investor who believes world oil production is about to peak as aging fields run dry. He warned that oil prices would hit $150 a barrel by the end of the year. “Eighty-five million barrels of oil a day is all the world can produce, and the demand is 87m,” Mr Pickens told CNBC. “It’s just that simple.” Mr Pickens’s view is still in the minority in the oil industry. But concerns over future oil supplies are fast moving into the mainstream and influencing investors. Politicians have expressed concern that speculators are forcing prices higher and Joseph Lieberman, the influential senator, said he was considering legislation to limit big institutional investors in commodities markets. Nervousness about Chinese energy demand was exacerbated on Tuesday when officials said 32 power plants had been forced to close because of coal shortages. PetroChina and Sinopec, the two biggest domestic oil groups, also have
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