Lawyers, Obama, And Oil, Oh My! -- And Still They Don't Get It!

Over the next five years, we should also lease more of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska for oil and gas production.

But, as Obama no doubt knows, much of the NPR has already been leased, yet those leases have not generated any oil production. Why is this? Not because there aren't enough leases, but rather, as we pointed out here, because the necessary infrastructure doesn't exist: the Corps of Engineers has not been able to get a permit to build a pipeline. Further, the projects that oil companies have already proposed in NPR have been tied up in litigation initiated by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups. Leasing more acres won't solve these problems, it will only lead to more litigation. Of course, the Democrats have always been better at producing lawsuits than producing oil.

DKK
Powerline blog -- The Dishonesty Of Barack Obama Part II

 

It's The Gas Pump, Stupid!

DON WADE:  HOW TO GET ELECTED IN 2008 

The new bumper sticker for this year’s winning political campaign, regardless of who the candidate is, will be:

                                    IT'S THE GAS PUMP, STUPID!

Because the American people want one thing more than anything: their American lifestyle. And that lifestyle is threatened by a couple of things:

1. Oil prices

2. Environmental extremists

The winning political message is going to be:

You elect me, and I will vote yes ---to drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

You elect me, and I will vote yes ---to drilling for oil off the Atlantic Coast and the Pacific

                                                        Coast.

You elect me, and I will vote yes ---to drilling in Alaska’s Anwar.

You elect me, and I will vote yes ---to oil shale extraction in Colorado.

I will vote yes for more refinery construction.

I will vote yes to nuclear power plants.

I will vote yes to wind farms and hydro-electric dams.

I will vote yes to subsidizing research into alternative energy sources.

Vote for me and my energy plan will radically reduce your gasoline price at the pump.

Vote for me and every product you buy at the supermarket will come down in price radically because the energy to produce it will plummet. 

Vote for me because I want what you want… the American way of life.

                                                                                              

I don’t know which candidate will express this message, but the one who does… will win. And that’s not just the presidential race, that’s in the congressional races, as well.

If you embrace that message, you will be elected because that’s what Americans want. 

                                    IT'S THE GAS PUMP, STUPID!

Don Wade AM co-host of the Don Wade and Roma show on WLS
DKK

Democrats Are Lost In ANWR Wilderness -- Even Snopes Reports The Truth!

Snopes -- The Truth About ANWR.

The American Energy Act (HR 6566) -- Manzullo Co-Sponsored Bill Does What We Need -- Everything! UPDATE: Call Congress Demand A Vote!!

Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) today joined 83 of his colleagues in introducing a comprehensive energy bill that takes an “all of the above” strategy to end our dependence on costly foreign oil and reduce gas prices in America. At a Capitol Hill news conference this afternoon, the Members of Congress will also demand Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi end her opposition to American-made energy and allow a vote on the bill.

The American Energy Act (HR 6566), which Manzullo co-sponsored, will increase the supply of American-made energy, improve conservation and efficiency, and promote new and expanding energy technologies to help lower the price at the pump and reduce America’s increasingly costly and dangerous dependence on foreign sources of energy. Many of the provisions of the all-encompassing bill were included in Manzullo’s 12-point plan to reduce gas prices in America, which he unveiled in May.    

This is exactly what we need, a real actual energy policy that addresses current and future issues! Manzullo and the Republicans have got to force this to the floor for a vote -- that means they have to sell it to the American people, and they have to start now! Thing is, with $4 gas prices selling it won't take much, more like just making as many people as possible aware of it!

Even T. Boone Pickens, who has been getting praise from the left for his plan, today reaffirmed that his plan is simply to get off of foreign oil using every measure available! Drill everywhere AND include renewable, kinda like plan Manzullo co-sponosred.

 

More on the plan from Manzullo!

• To increase the supply American-made energy in environmentally sound ways, the legislation will:

1.        Open our deep water ocean resources, which will provide an additional three million barrels of oil per day, as well as 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas;

2.        Open the Arctic coastal plain, which will provide an additional one million barrels of oil per day;

3.        Allow development of our nation’s shale oil resources, which could provide an additional 2.5 million barrels of oil per day; and

4.        Increase the supply of gas at the pump by cutting bureaucratic red tape that essentially blocks construction of new refineries.

• To improve energy conservation and efficiency, the legislation will:

1.        Provide tax incentives for businesses and families that purchase more fuel efficient vehicles;

2.        Provide a monetary prize for developing the first economically feasible, super-fuel-efficient vehicle reaching 100 miles-per-gallon; and

3.        Provide tax incentives for businesses and homeowners who improve their energy efficiency.

• To promote renewable and alternative energy technologies, the legislation will:

1.        Spur the development of alternative fuels through government contracting by repealing the “Section 526” prohibition on government purchasing of alternative energy and promoting coal-to-liquids technology;

2.        Establish a renewable energy trust fund using revenues generated by exploration in the deep ocean and on the Arctic coastal plain;

3.        Permanently extend the tax credit for alternative energy production, including wind, solar and hydrogen; and

4.        Eliminate barriers to the expansion of emission-free nuclear power production.

  
DKK

See -- Representative Don Manzullo's plan here

Update:  This bill is being held up by Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in congress because it would easily pass and they couldn't have that -- an independent America would really put a crimp in their plans!   

Call Congress and demand an up or down vote on The American Energy Act today!! 

Ten Years To Get Oil -- My ASS!

A Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analyst said in a report there is a lot of offshore crude that can be produced relatively quickly. The problem: It is located off California, where politicians have built careers opposing new drilling.

The Minerals Management Service said that of the estimated 18 billion barrels of oil in off-limits coastal areas, almost 10 billion are off the coast of California.

"California could actually start producing new oil within a year if the moratorium were lifted," the Sanford C. Bernstein report said, because the oil is under shallow water, has been explored and drilling platforms have been there since before the moratoria.

DKK
American Thinker -- Republicans Could Tap a Gusher of Support Off the California Coast

Democrats Anti-Competition Energy Bill

The bill, which the House was to vote on later on Thursday, has a "use it or lose it" provision that requires oil companies to diligently develop their existing federal leases or turn them back to the government before they could obtain new acres to drill.

"By blocking some firms from competing for new leases, this legislation would further increase gasoline prices that already exceed $4 per gallon and result in unintended consequences due to litigation," the White House said in a statement.

DKK
Reuters -- White House threatens to veto drilling legislation.

Manzullo Reacts To President Lifting The Executive Ban On Offshore Drilling

“We are one vote away from easing our dependence on costly oil and reducing gas prices in America,” Manzullo said. “I urge Speaker Pelosi to allow us to vote to end the Congressional ban on offshore drilling so we can increase our supplies of homegrown energy. Americans have had enough of these record gas prices and higher natural gas prices are just around the corner. It’s time for Congress to act.”

Congressman Manzullo  reacting to the news that President Bush has lifted the ban on offshore oil drilling which leaves only the Democrats in Congress blocking oil exploration.

This is right on the mark!  While the Democrats hold their hands over their ears screaming, "lalalalalalal you can't get the oil for seven years, I can' hear you lalalalalala!"  The American people and the Republicans keep saying, "seven years is better then ten, or even never so lets get started now!"

I can't recall a time when the people of the country have called for action on an issue of national importance such as this and have been completely rebuffed by their Representatives.   

We have entered a time where the Democrats like Obama and Manzullo's opponent have virtually told the American people, "let them eat cake!"  (Our policy is drive smaller cars and wait for the wind is the actual line).

DKK

Representative Don Manzullo

Bush To Lift Executive Order Banning Off Shore Drilling -- Congressional Action Required To Proceed

The White House says President Bush is planning to lift an executive ban on offshore oil drilling. The White House says President Bush is planning to lift an executive ban on offshore oil drilling.

In a Rose Garden statement on Monday, the president plans to lift the ban. But by itself, the move will not lead to more drilling off America's coastline.

That just leaves the Congressional ban that has to be lifted.  Nancy Pelosi says the call for more drilling is just  a hoax but $4/gal gasoline says otherwise.  Those prices are affecting every aspect of the economy today so the pressure on Congress will be immense.
DKK
ABC News

Seriously, We Can Drill Our Way Out Of This!

Jed Babbin: “Democrats have voted three times against increased oil production in the last year. They are content with rising prices.”

Babbin has a simple response to the Democratic Party line of “We can’t drill our way out of this problem.”

Babbin: Yes We Can.

“More than three times the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia are embedded in Western states’ oil shale, estimated at 800 billion to 2 trillion barrels of recoverable oil,” Babbin wrote.

As long as it's not all we do we can too drill our way out of this mess, I have said this repeatedly!   What we can't do is conserve our way out of this.  Our society is 50% more efficient now then we were 30 years ago, yet we are using nearly 3 billion barrels more oil today then we did then.

DKK

Don Surber -- Gasoline Wars 

Who Does A Person Support For Lower Gas Prices?

American Solutions has a new page on their site that includes endorsements of their Drill here, Drill now, Save money policy by candidates, politicians, and media sources.

There is no one from Illinois yet but since Manzullo has stated that he supports opening up domestic production this would be a good place to get that on the record.  The petition has nearly 1.5 million signatures to date.  They are shooting for 3 million and they may just make it.

Support for doing something is growing and the Democrats are on the wrong side of this issue.
DKK

Lower Gas Prices In Three Easy Steps

Newt Gingrich and his American Solutions own this issue!  (Drill Here! Drill Now! Pay Less!)

1.  Release a substancial amount of the Strategic Petrolium Reserve to the market immediately!  ("You'd have a lot of speculators going broke and you'd have taught some people about betting against the United States.")
   
2. Look for oil where it is!
3. Maximize the development of alternatives.

The US has doubled its energy efficiency in the past 30 years.  We still have room to go, but there is no way we can conserve our way out of the short term nor the long term energy needs of modern life!

Go to American Solutions and sign the petition if you haven't already.
DKK

There's Oil In Them Thar Hills!

HELENA, Mont. - Here's some very good news about oil that the manipulators on Wall Street don't want you to know: there could be as much as 40 billion barrels of crude lying untouched in eastern Montana.

That's billion with a "b" - as in a ball-breaking amount for those speculators who are purposely pushing oil higher for their own selfish reasons.

Who says? Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer does, adding that his state - with fewer than 1 million residents - would be thrilled to bail the US out of its current energy predicament.

(...)

As it is today, Americans are being cheated on the price of oil. I've been writing about this for the past couple of years and now even a do-nothing Congress is getting concerned, although its ire is misplaced.

Wall Street speculators, aided by cheap money from the Federal Reserve and an ill-informed press, have kidnapped oil in much the same way that the Hunt brothers cornered the silver market in the 1970s.

The only difference is that the Hunt escapades didn't come close to ruining the country's economy. Congress is blaming the oil companies, which certainly are benefiting from the surge in oil prices. President Bush did his part by groveling to the Saudis for more oil - and was offered a token increase, but was essentially turned down.

But maybe if we start digging in Montana, we just might get our national dignity back - and even save our economy.

Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less!

DKK

NY Post -- Montana Governor is Sitting on an Oil Mine

States Could Be Part Of The Energy Solution, Not Part Of The Problem

As of right now, 85% of the U.S. coastline is off-limits to energy production because of (anti-capitalist) environmentalists. Most of this includes huge reserves off the Florida coast. The problem is that the politicians (Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson in particular) are not willing to become a part of the solution. But here's an idea that is so logical, there is no way in hell Florida politicians will ever consider it.

Representative Sue Myrick of the House Energy and Commerce panel wants to let coastal states decide whether drilling would be environmentally risky. In other words, don't let drilling be stopped on a national level ... let the individual states decide. It would essentially give coastal states that want offshore drilling the power to opt out of the federal Interior Department's offshore restrictions. There's only one problem with that ... what if coastal state don't want to drill. What if they are most concerned about the view their residents will have from their beach condos than actually becoming part of the solution?

Of course, there are incentives in Myrick's bill. She proposed letting states in on federal revenues from leases. It would also give states the ability to control energy production up to 100 miles off their shores and extend their territorial waters.

So we'll leave you with some information from Investor's Business Daily about America's energy security.

• Less than one one-thousandth of a percent (0.001%) of the 7 billion-plus barrels of oil that Washington has allowed to be produced offshore over the past 25 years has been spilled, according to the Interior Department.
• A whopping 63% of petro pollution in North American seas comes not from offshore rigs, but from natural seepage from the sea floor. Source: National Academy of Sciences.
• There hasn't been a major oil spill from an offshore well since 1969 even though rigs since then have been lashed by Katrina and other major hurricanes.

DKK
Neal Boortz

Oil Imports Drop - First Time Since 1977

The US is starting to break its “addiction” to foreign oil as high prices, more efficient cars, and the use of ethanol significantly cut the share of its oil imports for the first time since 1977.

The country’s foreign oil dependency is expected to fall from 60 per cent to 50 per cent in 2015, before rising again slightly to 54 per cent in 2030, according to the head of the Department of Energy’s statistical arm.

(...)

The US decline in foreign oil dependency is already becoming more visible, with imports making up 57.9 per cent in the first three months of this year, down from 58.2 last year.

Guy Caruso, head of the US Energy Information Administration, said that that trend was set to continue as people adjusted to high oil prices and the impact of the Energy Independence and Security Act, which became law in December 2007, was felt.

“The 1970s is the last time we saw any significant decline in net import dependency in the US. It shows that markets do work, policy changes do work, technology does work” Mr Caruso said.

Fixed that quote for Mr. Caruso, by the way, he never mentions that 1977 was the year the Trans-Alaska Pipeline came online, gee, perhaps that had something to do with, "the last time we saw a significant decline in net import dependency in the US?" Maybe?

DKK

Financial Times -- In Depth - US begins to break foreign oil 'addiction'