Reminiscent of Alaska’s infamous bridge to nowhere,Congress stands poised to repeat their spending folly with wind and solar farms… with no transmission lines to urban service areas, and inadequate capacitance needs.
Pelosi, Al Gore, and an army of DNC gullible, are hell bent on forcing the nation to create, in essence, and new national power grid in an unrealistic time frame. And if refusing to allow the oil and gas industry to increase supply vs demand (by allowing additional exploration, leases and drilling) and instead keep gas prices high, they can force a desperate nation into compliance for the impossible. That will be fine with them…. damned be the consequences.
Al Gore’s challenge to be totally weaned off a petroleum or coal based power grid in 10 years is lofty in ideals, but more soaring in rhetoric… nay, BS… than all Obama speeches combined. As Kevin Bullis pointed out in his Technology Review article, “Al Gore’s Inconvenient Plan”,
In the wake of the astronomical prices at the pump, McCain stood aboard an offshore rig and repeated his 27 year old policy of “lifting the drilling bans covering the federal Outer Continental Shelf off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the eastern Gulf of Mexico.”
McCain’s visit came a day ahead of the Minerals Management Service’s lease sale in New Orleans to auction off 18 million acres of the western Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling. The tracts could potentially yield as much as 400 million barrels of oil, but that amount would only meet the nation’s oil needs for about 19 days, and it would be at least seven to 10 years until oil started flowing.
Ah yes… were the 400 million bbls the only source, that 19 days argument may make sense. But McCain’s recent change of heart, recognizing the importance of drilling as part of a larger energy package, is the approach most polled American’s prefer… an “all of the above” plan. And what better place to showcase the latest drilling technology than aboard the Chevron Genesis.
McCain flew by chopper the 130 miles to the Gulf of Mexico platform is located south of New Orleans, in 2600 ft of water, atop an Outer Continental Shelf field estimated at 160 million bbls. Post drilling flow tests were conducted in which the field produced at rates of up to 8,300 bbl/day. These estimates proved low, and the yield is approximate 10,000 bbl/day. Production at the time of construction/drilling was estimated to peak at about 55,000bbl of oil and 72 million ft³ of natural gas per day.
He does a great job describing some of the Democrats who have some common sense and being pro-energy while describing Pelosi as the measly little shrew she is.
The leadership, the speaker, the Senate majority leader, contemporarily avoid facing reality. It may be that speaker Pelosi believes that going on a book tour and selling her book is a better idea then solving America’s energy problem.
Politico has a piece today that echoes my original belief that Obama’s “change” of heart on drilling is nothing but a safe political ploy for election purposes. In other words, say what the public wants to hear, and deliver nothing.
Martin Kady II and Patrick O’Conner’s dual byline, “At-risk Dems back drilling”, cites Democratic aides confirming the divide in the DNC on the issue of drillling on US territories is nothing but a sham.
California Democrat Nancy Pelosi may be trying to save the planet — but the rank and file in her party increasingly are just trying to save their political hides when it comes to gas prices as Republicans apply more and more rhetorical muscle.
But what looks like intraparty tension on the surface is part of an intentional strategy in which Pelosi takes the heat on energy policy, while behind the scenes she’s encouraging vulnerable Democrats to express their independence if it helps them politically, according to Democratic aides on and off Capitol Hill.
No surprise there. Let the safe elected ones take the heat, while those up for re’election dazzle the voters with promises that will never be fulfilled. No one could better illustrate the masking of the truth better than the DNC’s slick front man, Barack Obama. As I pointed out in my Aug 2nd post, Obama “plays” bipartisan on energy, he has placed some insurmountable caveats on what any compromise that includes oil drilling must include.
Comes as no surprise that Obama reconsiders oil in an energy package, as I’m sure the handlers are ever keeping an eye on poll opinions on energy.
His restrictive energy plan, consisting of alternative energies only, isn’t going to fly in the face of Americans’ financial reality, so BHO has reversed course and said he would accept an expansion of offshore oil drilling as long as it was part of a broader package of measures that would free the logjam of energy bills in Congress.
“My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices,” Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said in an interview with the Palm Beach Post. “If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well-thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage — I don’t want to be so rigid that we can’t get something done.”
More groundwork from the path leading to today’s uproar… from yesterday’s Union Leader op-ed page:
Outrageously and indefensibly, the Democratic majority in Congress callously plays politics while the people burn their paychecks on $4-a-gallon gasoline.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are desperate to avoid a vote on oil drilling before the November elections. They know they will lose such a vote, and they fear Republicans will get credit for taking action to lower oil and gas prices.
So to prevent that electoral nightmare, they simply refuse to allow a floor vote on offshore drilling, which is now supported by more than two-thirds of the American people. Instead, they propose tighter regulations on commodities speculators. In both the Senate and the House, Democratic leaders called for votes this week and last on bills to further regulate oil speculators. They did so after the Commodities Futures Trading Commission issued a report concluding that speculators were not driving up the price of oil and gas.
Yesterday, the House voted to adjourn for its August recess and leave the oil issue unresolved. The vote was 213-212.
Both of New Hamsphire’s representatives, Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter, had the power to keep the House in session until oil and gas prices were addressed. They chose to go home without holding a vote on the most pressing economic problem in recent memory. They will be home for the next five weeks. You might take this opportunity to tell them what you think about their decision to head off for vacation while the average price of gas in New Hampshire sits at $3.90 a gallon.
House Dems turn out the lights but GOP keeps talking
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democrats adjourned the House and turned off the lights and killed the microphones, but Republicans are still on the floor talking gas prices. Read the rest of this entry »
Everyone remembers this interview of Obama in which he said that he doesn’t mind the high price of gas. In fact, its a good thing. He is just annoyed it rose so fast instead of gradually:
Well, his cohorts in the Senate agreed and adjourned this session without passing any bill that would deal with energy in a responsible manner. Specifically, ensuring we are not so dependent on others oil. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the advantages of being one of Floppy Aces newest authors is the opportunity to participate in some of the phone conference Q & A sessions with our legislators. Heaven knows, getting a US Congress member, outside your district, within your voice or email for interactive communication is no easy task.
So I welcomed the opportunity to have a group phone session with the NC GOP Senator, Richard Burr, on his visions for America’s energy future. And mind you, public “speaking”… even via a group on phones… makes me nervous as a kitten. So getting out a couple of questions with this shyness handicap proved to be a large hurdle for me personally. Yet the Senator was accommodating, exhibiting southern charm directness with the 13 or so bloggers and print media representatives on the conference call.
But first, to bring you up to speed - excerpts from an interview a few days ago with Sen. Burr from the BlueRidge Now Times-News to introduce you to the Senator and his plans for an energy “blueprint”.
Harry Reid lost it with reporters today after their failed attempt to produce a energy bill without legislation that would end a Congressional moratorium on off-shore drilling. Republicans vowed to defeat any bill that did not include this, and they did. Which sent Reid into a bit of a tizzy:
At a “pen and pad” — a more casual, off-camera chat with reporters — Reid attacked and scolded correspondents in attendance, telling them he’s “really disappointed” in how they have been writing his energy plans, which include a bill to reign in speculation in the energy futures markets. Read the rest of this entry »
The Nigerian light sweet crude oil lines are again under fire by MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta), as the militant thugs threaten to destroy “the Chanomi creek pipeline and other major pipelines” within the next 30 days.
Tho the crude represents only about 8% of the US imports, the Nigerian disruptions by the militants, disgruntled about the lack of oil revenue sharing, affects the global supply. The Nigerian government’s oil firm, NNPC, said they had paid what is tandamount to extortion funds in the amount of $12 million to the militants to protect the supply lines. But according to the militants, that check in the mail hasn’t arrived.
According to Paul Richter, in a June 29th, 2008 LA Times article, the gangs are armed with surface-to-air missiles, bazookas, and have mastered the art of siphoning thousands of gallons to barges, where they then sell it on the black market. Their most recent activity has cut the output by 1 million brls daily.
Even the off shore rigs in the area are not immune to their attacks, with a Shell rig shutting down after a midnight raid by the militants in speedboats. The non stop violence, combined with the corruption on both sides in the area, has got the oil companies thinking twice about their current investments… or, for that matter, considering any others in the petroleum rich region for the future.
Norway is the fifth largest oil exporter in the world. Their largest oil company, STATOIL ASA has it’s majority shares owned by the state of Norway itself, tho not fully nationalized.
Despite the govt’s ability to rein in fuel prices for it’s citizens, Norway’s increased their gas taxes, ignoring a supply problem that doesn’t appear to exist for them.
President Bush and Republican leaders speaking with one voice on energy!
Continuing a campaign to focus national attention on America’s needs to develop new energy supplies President Bush stood at the White House podium on Tuesday to repeat his message to Congress that needs to act now to increase the supply of domestic oil by permitting offshore drilling, exploration of ANWR in Alaska and oil shale development.
Today’s press conference was a follow-on to his announcement on Monday that he was lifting the executive ban on increased offshore drilling and he called on Congress to do the same.
President Bush has been demanding attention to the energy issue since the first days of his Administration (photo chronicle of his efforts to highlight alternative fuels is here). And yet, every year, the only action from Democrats in Congress has been to use the issue as a political football or to use it to raise taxes, not increase energy supplies.
McCain could travel all the way to Alaska to see what ANWR really looks like, and after the visit he may change his mind about drilling there. Or he can save himself the trip and watch this video. Once again, if the Republicans can use this stuff to show the American people how the whack-jobs are running the Democrat Party, he may have a chance.
Then again, if he skips the trip to Alaska, he’d miss out on a field trip with the governor, Sarah Palin. Read the rest of this entry »
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday shut the door on expanding oil and gas drilling beyond areas that have already been approved for energy exploration, drawing a clear distinction from her counterparts in charge of the Senate. Read the rest of this entry »
You are currently browsing the archives for the Oil category.
RNC Trip Donation
Help send Skye to the Republican National Convention. Please consider donating a few bucks. All the info can be found here.
Reader Post Submission
For FA readers who wish to write their own post for FA. You must be a registered users (if you're not registered click the register button above header picture). Post will be held in moderation and once approved by authors it will then be published.
Fit fit OH MY GOD! Why hasn’t this been mentioned before?! HOW SHOCKING!
--------------
Chuck I hope McCain and his support groups plaster the media with this kind of ads. The MSM took sides in the campaign early of and it is time to take the shine off the image they...
--------------
Fit fit Mike, do you really think the McCains have the moral high ground when it comes to treatment of half siblings in the family? The number won’t matter in the longer run....
--------------
Mike's America Well at least Fit Fit recognizes that Obama doesn’t know the first thing about an AWAC. Nor much else related to the military for that matter. Since much of Cindy...
--------------
yonason Just a final thought… While I would accuse them of bloviating in the wind on wind power, I would take seriously any reasonable proposal for a solar-thermal energy...
--------------
stix1972 Wow you actually did not get the joke with the $5 million. Wow just amazing. Look at his whole answer, not the sound bite from DailyKos or DUmmieland Who cares how many...
--------------
Fit fit I think the unspoken subtext is supposed to be the age issue. Look for jokes about needing Lieberman to whisper answers in his ear… This is the first incident that has...
--------------
mingus Stix72 - Make that 7 houses, not the paltry four you mention. And by the way, didn’t McCain define rich as making $5 million a year? By that standard Obama isn’t...
--------------
foobar Obama is trying to make issue out of McCain’s wealth, as if there’s a problem with being wealthy. Success for others is a problem for Obama. Does he want everyone...
--------------
GOPer from PA Yeah, but most people only have one. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with being rich or marrying rich. WHO CARES? But to not know how many houses you...
