July 31, 2008
As a matter of fact, if I wanted to fetch some olive oil from my pantry tonight, I wouldn't really be able to sauté anything with it until 2018. At the earliest.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
02:44 AM
| Comments (5)
| Add Comment
Post contains 54 words, total size 1 kb.
July 28, 2008
No; I do not think that drilling on the OCS is the most important part of the set of solutions we need to deploy against our energy problems; after all, the East Coast and the West Coast have less provable oil than ANWR does; only the Gulf is competitive with ANWR in its longterm potential.
But showing that America is serious about developing its own domestic alternatives is one of the actions we can take that will help in the short- and medium-term. (Along with increased use of methanol and ethanol, the mandating of flex-fuel technology in all vehicles, even for hybrids, and a handful of other measures, including increased use of natural gas, clean-burning coal, wind farms, and more nuclear reactors.)
Back to the WaPo:
WHY NOT have a vote on offshore drilling? There's a serious debate to be had over whether Congress should lift the ban on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf that has been in place since 1981. Unfortunately, you won't be hearing it in the House of Representatives -- certainly, you won't find lawmakers voting on it -- anytime soon.Instead of dealing with the issue on the merits, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a staunch opponent of offshore drilling, has simply decreed that she will not allow a drilling vote to take place on the House floor. Why not? "What the president would like to do is to have validation for his failed policy," she said yesterday when asked that very question. "What we're saying is, 'Exhaust other remedies, Mr. President.' . . . It is the economic life of America's families, and to suggest that drilling offshore is going to make a difference to them paycheck to paycheck now is a frivolous contention. The president has even admitted that. So what we're saying is, 'What can we do that is constructive?' "
If there is an explanation buried in there about why that makes offshore drilling off-limits for a vote, we missed it. Ms. Pelosi is correct that drilling is no panacea for the nation's energy woes. The short-term effect of lifting the moratorium, if there were any, would be minimal. That doesn't mean the country shouldn't consider expanded drilling as one of many alternatives. There are legitimate concerns about the environmental impact of such drilling -- environmental concerns that, we would note, exist in other regions whose oil Americans are perfectly happy to consume. But have technological improvements made such drilling less risky? Why not have that debate?
When they took the majority, House Democrats proclaimed that "bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows open, full and fair debate consisting of a full amendment process that grants the Minority the right to offer its alternatives." Why not on drilling?
Meanwhile, the dispute has snarled progress on spending bills for fear of having drilling amendments attached. Citing "the uncertainty in how the oil and gas drilling issue is currently playing out on the Senate floor," Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) called off committee consideration of spending bills on which Republicans were threatening to offer drilling amendments. The result threatens to be the first time since at least 1950 that lawmakers will go home for the August recess without either chamber having passed a single appropriations bill.
Have the vote, Pelosi. It's called "Democracy," and it is (as Martha would say) A Good Thing. Just ask Leonard Cohen
Posted by: Attila Girl at
01:51 AM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 636 words, total size 4 kb.
July 18, 2008
Aside from the prospect of expanding domestic oil supplies, the new production would help alleviate worries about the viability of the Alaska pipeline system.The pipeline is transporting 700,000 barrels of oil daily, down from 2.1 million when the Prudhoe Bay fields were at peak production in 1988. If the amount of oil in the pipeline falls too low in the bitter Arctic climate, it is no longer able to flow south to the tankers that take it to California for processing.
Once more, an Ed Morrissey analysis is in order:
Oil prices have tumbled the last two days since Bush lifted the executive order. The price on a barrel of oil fell more than $10, the largest such reduction in almost 20 years. Analysts in the media claim that the prices have fallen due to “demand destruction” and the fears of a long economic slowdown in the US, in which less energy will get expended. However, that doesn’t take into account the rising demand from China and India, which is expected to grow — and so a lack of American demand doesn’t make a lot of sense as the reason for the sharp drop. The markets may have begun to factor in more American production — and more moves to open resources in the US could add to the momentum.
It's almost as if good news is reassuring to the markets or something. Weird.
(Cross-posted at Right Wing News.)
Posted by: Attila Girl at
08:10 AM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 258 words, total size 2 kb.
July 03, 2008
Here's How the American Solutions is promoting the idea (and I'll have some more thoughts later; this is simply a Public Service Announcement):
Thank you for joining more than 1.2 million of your fellow Americans in signing the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition.Congress has heard the message loud and clear, but many Members of Congress are still not listening to the will of the American people. This is why we need your help to declare this July 4th Energy Independence Day!
This week, Congress is on recess for the Fourth of July and will return to Washington, DC on July 7. During their 10-day recess, Members of Congress will be holding townhall meetings, attending parades, and talking with their constituents in their districts.
We encourage you to attend any one of these meetings to ask your Member of Congress if they support the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition. If possible, bring a video camera along to capture their answer. If you're unable to attend these meetings, be sure to either call or write your Congressman's office instead.
Here are a few more steps you can take to make this July 4th Energy Independence Day [and the entire month Energy Indepence Month!—Ed.]:
• Tell five friends about the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition;
• Call your local talk radio show about your Representative's position on the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition;
• Write a letter to the editor about your Representative's position on the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition;
• Download and print our handout to distribute at your townhall meeting or parade;
• You can find a new YouTube video, sample talking points, letter to the editor, and other action-oriented materials to guide you here.
This list is by no means exhaustive. In addition to getting your Representative on record, we encourage you to create your own activities surrounding Energy Independence Day. Your Fourth of July parties, BBQs, and neighborhood gatherings would be great opportunities to talk to your friends and family about the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition, and ask them to sign it.
Finally, after Energy Independence Day, email us your stories, photos, or videos to drillnow@americansolutions.com so we can highlight all of your hard work.
With your help, this Independence Day we will declare our energy independence. And we give our elected officials this choice:
Either take action to drill here and drill now for American oil or the American people will take action this fall!
Thanks again for joining the more than 1.2 million Americans of the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" movement.
Posted by: Attila Girl at
04:15 PM
| Comments (13)
| Add Comment
Post contains 490 words, total size 3 kb.
210 queries taking 0.1209 seconds, 440 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.
