Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla., r.), spoke alongside Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind., c.) and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Tx.) during a press conference urging House Democrats to end their recess to proceed on a debate on offshore drilling in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/UPI Photo/NEWSCOM)
GOP sees advantage in offshore oil drilling
Republicans pack the House with tourists to make their case as polls show it could work.
By Gail Russell Chaddock | August 12, 2008 edition
Reporter Gail Russell Chaddock discusses the unusual methods Republicans are employing to push a vote on offshore drilling.
Washington – The lights are dim, the mikes are off, and the television cameras dark in the US House of Representatives. But minority Republicans – sensing traction with voters on the issue of offshore drilling – aren’t giving up the floor.
Nearly 90 GOP lawmakers, about 40 percent of the Republican caucus, have come back to Washington since the House voted to adjourn on Aug. 1 to protest Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to allow a vote to lift a moratorium on offshore drilling.
“The American people deserve more access to American oil, and Congress should be in session until we vote,” said Rep. Mike Pence (R) of Indiana, speaking to a chamber half-filled with tourists, escorted by GOP lawmakers to break off their tours of the Capitol and take a seat on the floor. He urged the tourists, many of whom seemed astonished to find themselves on the floor of the US House of Representatives, to “call to a Democratic member of Congress from your state” to demand a vote.
“We were lucky to be here,” says Anjali Srivastava, exiting the floor of the House with a tour group from Lansing, Mich. The members of Congress talked about “energy and terrorism,” she said.
While tourist power may not be enough to move to a vote, Republican lawmakers say that voter power is — and that polls show that public opinion has shifted decisively their way.
“The public has clearly changed its mind about drilling,” says Peter Brown, assistant director at Quinnipiac’s Polling Institute, citing a recent poll.
A majority used to think it was not worth any potential environmental risks. The opinion seems to have changed that the nation needs to do everything, including drilling, he added.
“In a year when the playing field is stacked enormously in favor of the Democrats and Obama, this is an issue that seems to help Republicans and they’re trying to make the most of it,” he added. “Republicans are trying to keep the issue alive because it works for them, and the data suggests that the issue is working.”
Last month, Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said that he now favors offshore drilling as part of a comprehensive solution. On Monday night, Speaker Pelosi said in a television interview on CNN’s Larry King Live that Republicans “have this thing that says drill offshore in the protected areas. We can do that. We can have a vote on that.”
In response, environmental groups are stepping up grass-roots and advertising campaigns to derail moves to lift a congressional ban on offshore drilling when Congress returns in September. Recent full-page ads in The Washington Post by the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund urge supporters to “stop the giveaway of our coasts.” With just 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves, the US doesn’t have enough oil to “drill our way to lower prices at the pump.”
“There’s clearly a lot at play right now, and it’s hard to predict what votes we actually may see in the fall, but what we’re focused on in August is having our folks in districts talking to their members of Congress about why drilling is not a useful enterprise,” says David Willett, a spokesman for the Sierra Club.
When voters are given a choice of plans to lower energy costs, 83 percent of Americans opt to “end America’s addiction to oil” and to invest in wind, solar, and the next generation of biofuel technology.
That’s 20 percent more than support increased offshore drilling, Mr. Willett says, citing a poll released this week by the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund. The July 24-29 poll was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research.
“People are so scared right now that they’re not really seeing a choice. They want to do anything that might have an impact on gas prices,” says Tim Greeff, deputy legislative director of the League of Conservation Voters.
Meanwhile, bipartisan groups in both the House and Senate are moving forward on drafting legislative language for bills offering a comprehensive solution to high energy costs, including a partial lifting of a ban on offshore drilling.
The so-called Gang of 10 senators unveiled a plan on Aug. 1 to develop comprehensive energy legislation. At the heart of the plan is a $20 billion “Apollo Project-like effort” to transition 85 percent of America’s new motor vehicles to non-petroleum-based fuels within 20 years.
The plan also proposes extending renewable energy, carbon mitigation, and energy conservation incentives through 2012, currently held hostage in a partisan stalemate over offshore drilling.
The most controversial element of the plan involves opening new areas for exploration and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coasts of Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. The plan retains an environmental buffer zone extending 50 miles offshore where new oil production will not be allowed and requires all new production to be used domestically.
“Congress needs to take immediate action. This is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, it is an issue that affects all of us,” said the bipartisan coalition in a joint statement on Aug. 1. The group is led by Sens. Kent Conrad (D) of North Carolina and Saxby Chambliss (R) of Georgia.
Comments
2. Larry | 08.12.08
With Democrats at the helm of congress, we are running enormous deficits, have no enegy plan, and they are taking a nice long vacation while Republicans work hard.
Its time for change all right, just not the vaque meaningless words about change uttered by Yobama. We need to take our country back from the Dims!
4. Nick | 08.12.08
I don’t know about you, but I don’t get 5 weeks off for summer break while things need to be done at work. You lazy senators. We pay your salary. You work for us. NOW START WORKING FOR US! If a senator was treated like any other private sector employee, they would have been fired. Wouldn’t that be nice…
5. Jason | 08.12.08
If you work for the Oil Companies or anything that produces things for War, you should vote Republican. Those two businesses own the party.
If you live in America and work doing anything else, why would you even consider voting for a Republican? Are you all really that easily fooled by the BS marketing strategies and little wedge issues?
Then again, about half of you voted for Bush…twice…didn’t you.
6. Jack | 08.12.08
We need every bit of fossil fuel energy to ensure the transition from fossil fuel to renewables is smooth. The reason is that in order to construct and install solar panels, windmills, or thin film solar in a reasonable amount of time requires fossil fuels. If we only used energy from existing windmills, solar panels, and other non-carbon sources it would take much longer to transition to renewables and would cost much more.
Biofuels also require fossil fuels to run the tractors and require oil based fertilizers and pesticides to ensure the plants grow healthy. If we only used “organic” fertilizers and pesticides, it would cost more and the production would be smaller, which means it would take longer to produce sufficient biofuels to provide significant liquid fuel to the U.S. and would cost much more.
Some critics of offshore drilling state that it won’t solve the problem. Though offshore drilling alone won’t solve the problem, combined with other resources like oil sands, coal gasification, natural gas, and development of renewables it can a part of the solution.
Other critics state that offshore oil should be left alone until an emergency arises, of course there is a problem with this statement. Suppose there is an emergency and we need the offshore oil, well if we haven’t built the oil rigs, or drilled the hole, it will take 8 to 10 years to get any oil out of the deposit by then the emergency would have taken its toll.
7. Mike from NYC | 08.12.08
The Republicans just love ‘grandstanding’ and using the energy issue to maximum effect because the rest of their platform is an empty shell and in denial of reality, as exemplified by McCain’s economic plans to keep the tax cuts and institute new ones in the face of growing deficits. The Republicans never discuss one of the main culprits of the escalating cost of energy because it was their leader who caused it - Bush, with his tax cuts and the unrelenting rise of US deficits. Because of the deficits the value of the US$ has plummeted and since oil is priced in US$ the price has reflected the drop of the value of the $. And let’s not forget the refusal by the Republicans to increase fuel mileage standards for cars and trucks, especially by Bush. The Republicans’ mindset is still stuck in the 50s as evidenced by the comments on many conservative websites and blogs - those guys still think we can drill out of our oil dependency and the high prices. Almost 50% of Americans think by agreeing to allow drilling the price of oil will instantly drop, even though production will take 10 years to implement. Americans are more ignorant than I suspected; and I didn’t have a high regard for the intelligence of most Americans to begin with. When oil drilling and alternative energy policies are dealt with in the same bill I will begrudgingly say Yeah, but if alternative energy is not dealt with I say Nay.
8. Alice L. Husselbee | 08.12.08
I worked for Texaco headquarters during the “fuel shortage” created by Big Oil collaberation in the 70’s, which was actually aimed at stopping the Conservationists progress to get them to clean up emissions. They won, and their deadline was extended, and extended. So, I know the schemes that are put into play to obtain the objectives of Big Oil. From the beginning of the sudden rise in prices for fuel “this go-around” my mind immediately went to offshore drilling as the new objective. How much behind the scenes deal-making went on simply to make this breakthrough by scaring the American public? Just watch - as soon as that objective is achieved, fuel prices will drop dramatically, because Big Oil doesn’t want to scare the public so much that it actually makes a switch to alternative energy. Sadly, because this has become an election issue, I’ll wager they win this time, too. I just hope the momentum to break free of fossil fuels is retained, so that the American public finally wins.
9. Funny Truth | 08.12.08
The FUNNY TRUTH IS THAT NOW THEY ARE WAKING UP?? Why did the Republicans not do this 3 months ago the gas was higher then at $4.50 a Gallon ? This is an Election year political spin that they want to push the Blame on the Democrats.
When someone comes to the emergency room, they did not get the sickness 4 hours before, it was many days before that they got sick. the same with the republicans, its over a year now with the escalating prices of gas, and now in the middle of summer break they are playing Politics. We are not follies to believe that this is the silver bullet that will cure our nations woes.
10. David Perton | 08.12.08
The Republicans are using offshore drilling as a political football and saying that if you donot agree with them, then you are not looking at the big picture. We need to end our dependence on fossil fuels. We have to push for alternative fuels. even drilling offshore will not lower fuel prices for many years. The oil companies have tons of land leases that they have never touched. The facts keep on getting distorted.
11. David | 08.12.08
I believe you mean, “… the mics are off.” I have an image of several men named Mike in a race …
12. R G Goff | 08.12.08
Thank Nancy Palosi and the democrats for displaying some common sense and responsibility to the citizens of the US.
Who owns the natural resources (namely oil) offshore?
If one of the big 8 oil corps tap into it the product will go to the so called free market. Stockholders are the only interest of a oil company. The rape and plunder of U S. resources will continue with no affect on our price at the pump.
New legislation must be inacted. A comprehensive energy stategy put in place. We must see that offshore oil inures to the benefit of the citizens of the US.
13. Sherry Blair | 08.12.08
Offshore oil drilling is possible now, with or without the Democrats. Why don’t the oil companies drill where they already have leases? It seems that this whole thing is really about the Republicans using fear and the high price of gas to get the public to agree to give more leases to oil companies, a giveaway to big oil corporations, not a drilling issue at all!
Unfortunately, this tactic seems to be working with the American people who now seem to be ready to give up their public rights to greedy private interests. Why can’t we make them use what they have before we give them more?
14. graham hunter | 08.12.08
BANDAIDES DO NOT WORK WITH OUR GLOBAL WARMING AND ENERGY CRISIS WE NEED TO SPEND BILLIONS TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM NOW NOT IN TEN YEARS , IT WILL BE TOO LATE BY THEN WHAT HAPPENED TO COLD FUSSION we need to change gas stations to electic fastcharge stations
15. Jabe | 08.12.08
Start drilling folks! The infrastructure of the country cannot change in the “10 years” as Mr. Gore believes it can (we can start however). Get more oil out of the ground here in this country and watch prices for oil drop immediately. Wall Street and the markets will react to just the opening of oil fields (and guess what, people will stop bickering over the “huge” oil company profits since they will be making less because the world wide price will go down). At the same time get going on nuclear, solar & alternative fuels. This is a huge issue and it needs multiple points of attack all working at the same time, not serially. Stop the bickering democrats, and get out of the way, and just one way is to not apply windfall profit taxes on oil companies. Plain and simple - let the markets do their thing. Oil executives are not stupid - they get there is an end to the oil, they just need maneuvering room to find the next alternative energy source if its not nuclear (which if we followed the French lead 30 years ago we would be far better off today) and taxing them to oblivion is NOT the approach. Consider the Pickens Plan.
The energy issue is one of source, type and distribution. Each of these is a huge problem by itself; collectively its a very complex problem and solving it is priority one. But start by drilling! Get the economy rolling with real measures (i.e lower energy costs) and not some half-hearted tax rebate. Does anyone really think in the times of $250/week food costs that a one time check of $700 from the government was going to really make a difference in the economy. $2/gallon gas would!!!! No coal-based electricity would! Wind farms in the south west would. Solar panels on roofs of homes would.
16. Tim Salam | 08.12.08
I can’t for the life of me figure out why this has become such a problem. What happened to good old fashioned compromise? You want drilling? Then have a little bit. But it’s high time we stop letting the years tick away while we dodge the 800-pound gorilla in the room. The fact is, we need to get off of oil and we’re already late to the game in doing it.
17. Jon Wells | 08.12.08
That’s great. As a country, we admit our addiction to oil. Then Bush and his puppets in congress try to push another needle in our national vein, one that offers no immediate solution, further lines the pockets of their big oil buddies, sacrifices more of our environment, and obviously ignores the need to create desparately-needed jobs in this country, jobs that would be created by investing in alternative renewable energy resources.
Yay team! If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance…
18. bkurilko | 08.12.08
I can’t believe this offshore drilling thing has gotten so much press time. Are we so incapable of understanding the facts? Imagine you’re dying of hunger, literally days until you expire, and someone comes along with a magic seed they claim will sprout a hamburger out of the ground overnight. Sorry, but we can plant that seed and watch it slowly grow, and maybe in a decade we’ll get a tomato to put on that hamburger. The people who are buying into this really, really, really need to wake up, or else we’ll damn ourselves to at least 4 more years of the worst leadership this country has ever endured. Personally I would like for my children to live in the best world possible, but apparently half the country is ready to vote for the worst future the billionaires of the world can offer us.
19. old mo | 08.12.08
Why not drill now ? So we don’t get it for twenty years. BFD We will have it then won’t we ? To do as we please with. Most plastics are petroleum based. Now just how in the world can the good old U.S. of A. go without plastics ? That would probably be more difficult than going without oil. That is we will have it if we can keep the environmental freaks from sabotaging the operations. Remember how they sabotaged the great spotted owl fiasco. Drove steel spikes into trees to destroy the lumbering equipment. But Al Gore forgot to tell the owls that they going to become extinct. The poor dumb asses just flew off to another part of the forest. Same thing with the caribou in Alaska. Mr. Gore and his green weenies forgot to tell them they were going to die because of the horrible Alaskan pipeline. So they multiplied. What about the whales and dolphins in the Santa Barbara channel. Poor things have propeller scars all over their backs. From do-gooders protecting them. Big ships do not leave small scars.
20. Long Beach David | 08.12.08
Before you ask yourself if we should drill more oil on American land, ask yourself, “WHO IS GOING TO DRILL OIL OFF AMERICA’S COASTS?”
Big Oil of course. The same big oil companies that just posted a $44 billion quarterly profit that’s who. They will lease the land and give the govn’t royalties and upfront money for the right to drill our oil and sell it back to us at a price the market determines.
-So let me get this straight; For some people here in America, the answer to cheaper gas is to give the guys who are bulling Americans now even more oil?
Plus, oil is a global market. It’s true that oil pumped in the U.S. could stay in the U.S. But prices will be determined by international, not national, supply and demand.
And finally, most analysts agree that conservation will play a greater role in meeting energy demand than drilling in the U.S.
21. T.J. Cammon | 08.12.08
WE cannot get our crude oil out of the Williston Basin, located in Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota. Why? The pipelines are full and there are no local refineries.
We have been sitting on +800 bbls for two months and the crude purchaser, Murphy Oil, says there is no pipeline space, thus “shut in the wells before the tanks run over”.
I ask, when this nation imports some 20 million barrels per day from foreign countries, most of whom care less about the USA, why we cannot fast track pipelines or refineries? The answer: Economics no longer make the decisions, it’s more and more political crap about “BIG OIL”, obscene profits, and whining about $4.00 gas and always playing the GREEN CARD. Remember, our oil was sitting in tanks when crude went over $145/bo on the Nymex.
Our solution looks like a crude oil unit train, bound for Long Beach, oil loaded onto tankers, headed to China. The Chinese understand how to win at this game, most of our elected officials don’t have a clue. I wait now for some law prohibiting US companies selling to China, India, and other developing economies, since we can’t compete anymore. Or just give everyone $1000, since we can’t sell it anyway.
A small oil and gas producer, Golden, Colorado
22. Bob | 08.12.08
And all that NEW oil?
Will be exported around the world. There is no law that says it will go into American gas tanks.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN0325640920080703?sp=true
But Republicans would never tell the American people that simple truth. Their only goal is to make a big stink and have a good time at their phony Exxon Sleepover Camp.
We are being bamboozled.
23. Joe Cool | 08.12.08
We need to drill and should have started yesterday. Every week we wait means putting our economy and future further at risk until we have enough solar, wind, and nuclear to cover things.. Forget the politics and ’supposed’ game playing and let’s get busy people. Or do you want to keep sending billions of dollars to the Arabs and To South American dictators?
24. Elliott Kramer | 08.12.08
Do you really trust that a huge land giveaway to big oil will increase America’s oil supply. They will sell any found offshore oil to countries which pay in Euros, note dollars. Don’t worry tho, all those Alaskan legislators will make sure only firms willing to build them new home additions get the work.
25. George | 08.12.08
The Congress is always on vacation. Nothing says they ever have to show up.
But the TOOLS that think offshore drilling will help couldn’t be more retarded. Also, anyone who thinks the GOBers work hard has lost their mind.
I’d say anyone commenting in favor of off-shore drilling is an oil lobbiest. I know how they work and that is it.
Skumm of the Earth are all Republikkkans!!
26. George | 08.12.08
They are taking the FIRST and ONLY stand in their miserable lives and it has to do with giving away oil to oil companies.
27. Eddie | 08.12.08
Democrats are so Ignorant (as are some Republican Senators). We need Oil; Coal; And Nuclear now… All they talk about is taking corn away from those of us who like to eat it to make inefficient Biofuel.
So we can’t Drill; use Coal; or have Nuclear Power…
Get ready for $10.00 gas in 2015…
It’s on the way.
28. Jimbo | 08.12.08
A taxpayer voting for Obama is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders!
Tax revenues remain about 19.5% of the gross domestic product, regardless of what the top tax rate is. However, higher taxes reduce the GDP, thereby reducing tax revenues. So if you want to pay down the debt, or have more money for other projects funded by tax revenues, lower taxes!!!
Same thing goes for oil. If you put a windfall tax on profits, what incentive do oil companies have to drill for or produce more oil?
As far as drilling for oil offshore, existing leases have not been drilled on because they have been explored and found to not have commercially viable supplies of oil or gas.
People who are scared of offshore drilling in their are are just uninformed. For instance, Mass. does not want offshore drilling because of fear of hurting their cod fishery. However, where there is drilling off the coast of Texas or Louisiana, the fishermen all head straight for the rigs, because that’s where the best fishing is! Rigs provide shelter and structure that fish want and need.
Rigs that are more than about 5 miles off the coast can’t even be seen from the shore, so they can’t spoil the “scenic beauty of our coastlines.”
I’m all for developing additional sources of energy, but I’m also for reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and sending more of our money overseas. Dubai just bought half the Chrysler Building!!!
29. Daniel | 08.12.08
There is plenty of of oil in the ground here in the US, just waiting to be pumped when the price and global scenario are ripe enough for big oil.
Am I the only one who remembers the wells being capped off in the late 60’s early 70’s because it was “more profitable to import oil” than to pump it here?
Wake up America - this is just another scheme by the oil companies and their proxies (Bush and Cheney) to feed off the American taxpayer, just one more time.
WE spend billions each day on the Iraq folly. Why aren’t we spending billions on alternative energy sources?
Because it doesn’t benefit big oil?
30. Maccabees | 08.12.08
No drilling. We are deep enough in this hole already. Anyone with any sense knew in the 1970’s we needed to go in another direction. Until we decide to cut our ties to oil we will be eternally fighting somewhere in the Middle East.
We would save 12 billion/month if we left Iraq. We will spend an untold fortune/month if McCain is elected and continues this nonsense by marching us into Iran.
No subsidies for U.S. automakers. They destroyed themselves. Why should taxes be raised to insure their survival? They have fooled us once. No more.
Lower tariffs on auto imports to make the good vehicles available at better prices. Require tariff reductions to be passed on to consumers.
Change the laws to reduce our costs and not to increase our taxes.
McCain could not find the sun in broad daylight.
31. Dan | 08.12.08
1.Tell them that we want that off-shore drilling now in those proven oil areas areas, including Lake Erie (off of eastern Ohio and northern PA) and southern Florida (off of South Beach and all the way around the Keys).
2.Tell them that we want to forget about the Santa Barbara oil-spill disaster and just get that precious oil now.
3.Tell them that we want to use up our oil now instead of using oil from other parts of the world.
32. George | 08.12.08
Most of you Rebublicans are poor and have been made so by rich republicans. That makes all of you either ignorant or just plain stupid.
33. xb | 08.12.08
Hey Larry,
Jan 2001 US Fed national debt was $5.2 trillion
Jan 2007 US Fed national debt was $9.5 trillion
GOP ran congress & White House for that entire block of time
Please respond to those facts !!
” Larry | 08.12.08
With Democrats at the helm of congress, we are running enormous deficits,”
34. George | 08.12.08
Such fools!
Even if they drill in the US, do you really think the price will go down? do you really think it will stabilize? It will never happen. You will never cut off the money flow of these fascists. It can’t happen!
35. bt | 08.12.08
the USA consumes 20 million barrels of oil a day
that’s 7.3 BILLION barrels of oil a year
we import almost 14 million barrels a day
worldwide oil production is 85-86 million barrels a day
300 million people in the USA account for almost 25% of worldwide oil consumption (out of 6.68 billion people)
Bush & McCain say there’s 18-21 billion barrels of oil offshore
So how big a difference will that make when it comes online at maybe 1-2 million barrels a day ??
China & India growth demand for oil is over 10% a year
that requires at least an additional 400 million barrels of production a year
36. Long Beach David | 08.12.08
After reading some of the posts by American that are for drill, it is more and more evident that there are still a lot of people in this country that are close minded. It amazes me how some people can actually still support the same people after all they have done to them in the last 8 years. If we stay the course with lower taxes for the rich oil guys and keep giving in to corporate lobbists, we will not only get worse than we are now. All 3 branches of congress were Republican, so you only have yourselves to blame for the mess we are in now. Open your minds and dont make the same mistake!
37. Chris | 08.12.08
I am so glad I got out of America. Why are you so spoiled?! Yes you. Why are you entitled to anything? Look in the mirror. The answer is simple USE LESS ENERGY! Carpool, use public transportation, a bicycle maybe, hey they you could lose some of that gut while showing your patriotism! I would live to see a $1-$2 tax on top of the current prices. Note, I am NOT an environmentalist, I am all for anything that makes America worth living in again feel free to drill in my backyard. I WANT to be a patriot again. See that guy on the bicycle? There is a potential patriot, solar panels - patriot, hybrid or electric car - patriot, those people carpooling or riding the bus - patriots again. Next time you see someone on a scooter and snigger do us all a favor and go shoot yourself.
We are on the losing end of the resource problem people, think about it, Someone like Russia can attack a country with just a pipeline and the price of oil goes UP. Guess what, they sell oil so that means they can attack you and make a profit from it! How about Iran? You are paying for their nuclear research and enrichment plants! Environmentalist? How can you say that it’s bad that China is such a polluter and energy consumer when YOU ARE THE ONE BUYING THE PRODUCTS THEY PRODUCE thus the cause of the pollution. How about starting to become a patriot today?!
38. Alan | 08.12.08
The United States is the only country in the world that denies its citizens access to their country’s natural resources. Take a look at Norway - a very “green” socialistic country, yet because they drill off-shore, they are energy independent, are an exporter of oil, yet protect their environment. Pelosi and the Dems should wake-up and smell the hydrocarbons.
39. Mark Davis | 08.12.08
Wow the price of gas has droped 30-40 cents without ANY new drilling… could it be because the price for gas is set by the gas companies who make tens of billions in profit !!!!
Geez why are so many Americans sooooo stupid to still believe anything that comes from a multi-national corporation?
Our media is as “liberal” as it’s conservatives owners will allow.
40. Amour | 08.12.08
I am with the wrinkly old guy with white hair who wants to drill here, now. He was speaking in Ohio. And there’s loads of oil here in Ohio, even in Michigan. Let’s OK drilling in Lake Erie from Cleveland OH to Erie PA where there are big deposits and in Lake Michigan from Muskegon south to Benton Harbor. Ohio and Michigan people won’t mind because they’re auto people from auto states.
41. Jim | 08.12.08
Drilling advocates, please help me to understand how this will help…
The US is sitting on approximately 3% of the Earth’s remaining oil.
The price of oil is set by the market forces of supply and demand. Whatever companies drill offshore, ANWR, etc. will sell that oil for the market price. Do you think they will say, “oh, let’s give Americans a big discount”? Fat chance.
An addition of 3% to the world’s oil supply (over time) will not make a dent in the market price.
So how will additional drilling help anyone but the oil companies?
42. EricDaVille | 08.12.08
“With just 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves” - 3 pct that can’t be in production for what, 10 yrs? Drilling offshore isn’t a solution, it’s simply a way for republicans to get more uninformed people to vote Republican because it makes it seem like Repub’s have a energy plan of sorts. 10 cent lower gas in 10 years when it’s 8 a gallon is so crucial. brilliant plan.
43. Scott D | 08.12.08
Anyone falling for this crap? Oh ya, those republicans who want to win office. Oil prices are due to the last 20 years of selling off the US and making ourselves more dependant. Who did this?? Why both Republicans and Democrats. They didnt and dont care. They are able to pocket big money, have great health insurance and retire happy people. In the mean time YOU are juggling two jobs, deep in dept and are paying $3.50+ for gas.
ps - did ya know that big businesses are now paying less taxes then they did 10 years ago? guess who is picking up that bill too? YOU.
44. melior | 08.12.08
I remember when CSM reporting could counted on to provide full background to a story.
Now they manage an entire article about offshore drilling without once mentioning that it can’t possibly make the slightest difference in production for several years. (According to Petroleum Institute studies, it will only make the slightest difference even then.)
Score one for truthiness!
45. Raven | 08.12.08
When a Rebublican takes office, very little changes and everyone complains.
When a Democrat takes office, very little changes and everyone complains.
I had a friend who practiced psychiatry.
He once told me that if a person performed the exact same action over and over and expected a different result each time from that same action, he was considered insane.
How many reading this have voted for a Republican or Democrat and actually expected a different result from voting either candidate into office?
And here we are again, performing the exact same action once again and expecting a different result from that action.
Good luck with that.
If you want things to change, do away with the lobbyists who work for the corporations and do the actual running of this country.
46. Jeff | 08.12.08
XB–
Thanks for reminding Larry that the Bushtards have almost doubled our national debt. Thank God for those tax cuts that 99% of us never saw. Sure did a mountain of good!! A swollen Wall Street and a “drunken” real estate market!
47. Be real Folks | 08.12.08
Come on folks, be real. Obama is nuts if he thinks that I’m going to be cold or hot in my own house. I’m all for wind and solar power but we need to drill for what ever we can while we figure out how to make it all work. If your unhappy with the price of gas today, what is it going ot be in ten years? Even higher right? So lets drill now where ever we can, stop giving our money to other countries.
Big deal if “Big Oil” has a huge profit. Welcome to capitalism folks. Who really profits from our cars not getting good milage? Its not “Big Oil”, its “BIG GOVERNMENT”, yes, that’s right in the form of big taxes per gallon. It’s the bones in the cloest no one is talking about. How is the govt. going to replace all that gas tax revenue if we all drive cars powered by compressed air? (compressed air car - google it)
Point is I’m an average American and most folks I talk to about this topic agree with me. We must end our dependence on oil, especially oil we have to buy from someone else. So if that means drilling more in the gulf, ok by me. Ditto for ANWAR. Meanwhile, lets get moving on a long term renewable solution(s). It’s time for govt to lead here, time for a Manhattan Project / Space Race / War funding size project. Lets lead the word and spread the good we develop globally. Watch the Olymipic’s and take a gandor at that smog, In Biejing alone, they are adding a thousand new cars on the road everyday. If we can get on the ball and get this problem resolved, we’ll be the hero’s of the world again (for those of you who care about what others think of us).
So lets get real, stop worrying about Bush or Carter or Clinton, they all stink and so will the next one.
48. Carlos | 08.12.08
People have to also understand that this is by no way going to fix anything in the short term, and the benefits of the long run are dim if any.
This is more of just a gimmick before election time, to have some “I did Something For you” credentials than real benefit for the American consumer.
49. Lenofus | 08.12.08
What don’t you people understand about what Putin is doing to Western Europe? Fact. If we don’t control our own energy, there will be someone, somewhere, who will cut us off. Then, all the people on the left will clamor for us to go get it with guns. If we drill now, we can yield results from the Coastal Shelf in a year to 18 months. The shear fact that we have our act together will drop oil $ like a rock, and firm the dollar. At the same time, follow Pickens, subsidize solar, build nuclear plants. THis is NOT 1979. Does the device that wakes you in the morning look like the alarm clock of 1979? There have been some technological improvements. Global warming? So, the rich get to fly and drive, and the rest of us elbow the chickens out of the way for feed? I don’t think so. I remember Jimmy Carter’s administration, and it was the pits. We’re better than that.
Republicans, when you get the power back, and you just may as soon as November, how about doing the right thing? And, btw, stop your members from fleecing us this time. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s time for a third party.
Go watch the Day of the Condor. The scene with Cliff Robertson and Redford at the end stuck with me all these years, because I know it’s true. All the limo liberals want it their way, while the rest of the country does without. Ain’t happenin’ folks. Ain’t happening. The Democrats are a disgrace all around. And I’m not registered with either party. I just know Chicken salad from the other stuff. I wouldn’t let Pelosi take out my trash, unless the trash was Reid.
50. Kat | 08.12.08
Offshore drilling won’t even make a dent.
The Republicans, with help from many Democrats (heck, let’s just say Bush and Congress) have done an outstanding job giving us all this in eight years: record deficits, unwinnable wars, environmental disasters, lack of funding for infrastructure and schools, world record-breaking profits for oil companies, two-thirds of American companies pay no taxes, and $4/gallon gas. Why start being logical now?
—-
Offshore drilling needs more science, less politics, according to an editorial in the Beaufort (South Carolina) gazette.com:
“Earlier this month, President Bush repealed an offshore drilling moratorium, the same one his father signed in 1990. Congressional bans on offshore drilling were enacted in 1981, and Bush is urging Congress to lift them as well. The move is unlikely.
More than risking any environmental catastrophes or destroying critical natural habitats, attempting to open additional offshore drilling fields is a great way not to come up with a long-term solution to our energy needs and, if you buy the argument that it is, then it’s a great way to win the votes of an uninformed, politically blinded or desperate American people. The argument for new offshore drilling, however, is based more on election-year posturing and political brush-offs than science and logic. Americans who believe that drilling off the Eastern and Western seaboards will get us back to $2 or even $3 a gallon gasoline are in for quite a rude awakening.
Offshore drilling won’t even make a dent.”
51. Reg | 08.13.08
To the mike from NY that has little respect for American, what is the matter with you.
All forms of energy at this time are needed. Thinking with one’s whole brain might help you. If the USA is so bad leave, if you dislike us so much go away. Nancy Pelosi is terrible she feels that she knows better than the majority of Americans. Congress is suppose to represents us, not tell us what they think is best. Shame on mike from NY. You live here but ridicule us. In case you do not know what shame is look it up. Might do you some good.
52. Ron | 08.13.08
I am so tired of hearing such lame fabrications from Pelosi to pander to her ultra liberal left wing constituents. First of all, just because you have millions of miles in oil leases doesn’t mean there is oil to drill. Pelosi thinks America is one big version of the Beverly HillBilly’s where Texas T is bubbling from the ground in everybody’s back yard. We have American companies bidding to develop oil fields in Iraq and other countries. If you were an oil company wouldn’t you extract oil from your home country if you could rather than risking your investment in an unstable middle eastern country. Left wing democrats and their cook conspiracy theorists with their “Big Oil” & “Big Corporation” labels have been scaring the American public for decades about our energy resources to the point that we have become vulnerable as a nation dependant on our enemies for our energy needs. We wouldn’t even need to have a significant military presence in the middle east if we weren’t so dependant on OPEC countries. As usual, all we get from the Democrats are short-term stunts that have no effect on the problem like using our national emergency oil reserves or taxing the oil companies to buy some votes with a $1K tax credit #so and the oil companies pass the bill on to us. Where is your brain! We need oil, gas, nuclear, wind and solar in the short-term to transition to alternative fuels and technologies that won’t be ready to replace oil for another twenty years at the earliest.
53. Ron | 08.13.08
The idiots out there who are saying that drilling for oil won’t have a affect on gas prices today are the same people who are blaming speculators for the price of oil. Speculators are investors who are betting that the price of oil some time in the near future will be higher than the price of oil today. Thus they can sell the oil for a handsome profit in the future. If you believe speculators are artificially inflating the price of oil wouldn’t it follow that speculators will anticipate that the price of oil will fall as supplies will increase (Economics 101 “affects of supply and demand on pricing”). Using two arguments in the same breath represents the stupidity of Pelosi, Reid and Obama.
When Bush lifted the executive ban on offshore drilling the price of oil per barrel went down $10 and has taken a nose dive since. Not one drop of oil was added to the world supply with that announcement. Oil producing countries like our “friends” at OPEC and Venezuela don’t want America to produce more oil and weaken their stranglehold on the free world. Rhetorical question… What do you think is going to happen if Congress passes legislation allowing more drilling along with other energy initiatives to reduce our dependance on oil? Use you brain!
54. Susan Riehle | 08.13.08
I’m very glad to see someone stand up and show courage. Drilling needs a vote. To prevent that vote by running away from it was not Speaker Pelosi’s finest hour–but perhaps its the most characteristic hour of her congressional session.
55. Moad Dib | 08.13.08
The words common sense and republican make up an oxymoron and never should appear together in the same sentence.
The fact is, the oil they are talking about drilling for would only supply our thirst for oil for less than 2 years … its not that much to be so worried and worked-up over. They just seem to avoid stating the obvious.
Also, the oil that is recovered would go into an international pool and sold to the highest bidder. Just because it came out of reserves in “our” country doesn’t means it belongs solely to the American public. I wonder why they never state this in their “discussions”? Seems to me there needs to be some truth brought forth concerning who owns the oil that comes out of the well-head, where it will end up, and how the American public benefits when bidding for “our” oil at the international counter.
The sad fact is American wells are past their prime/peak and what few areas that are still pristine don’t hold that much when compared to our current levels of consumption. The key to the problem is consumption is far greater than the supply. And the supply problem isn’t so much the lack of resources, its the lack of capacity to extract more barrels from current known sources and the ability to refine once it arrives at its destination. From an economic standpoint, this would require more money to be invested on equipment to extract and process the oil. And the cost of gearing up would be passed on to the consumer, so the price you pay for gas would go up even more.
So it seems to me that drilling for more oil would raise rather than reduce the cost for gas. Perhaps conservation would be a better alternative. It seems to be working at the moment.
57. Paul Sedan | 08.13.08
OK. Election year. Lots of posturing by both parties. The facts are that if we start drilling today, we will still be largely dependent on foreign oil for years to come. Still, exercising all options are reasonable: drill where there’s oil, have stricter CAFE standards (the ones we currently have are a joke), start using smaller forms of personal transportation (motorcycles are fun), lobby for interstate train service, use the Internet more for shopping, let the oil marketplace alone (demand and supply will balance out), resist quick fixes that are not fixes (like lowering gas taxes or penalizing oil companies). I have a much greater faith in the marketplace and the common man than I do in the government.
58. Paul | 08.13.08
$4/gal is the Bush Energy policy!
Why should we be blackmailed by the oil companies.
Time to shutdown the welfare state for oil companies.
What a coincidence that predatory oil speculators have driven up the price of oil just in the election season. Curious how it resembles the phony energy crisis in the Fall of 2000, created by predatory electricity speculation by the criminal actions of Enron Corporation.
59. bt | 08.13.08
the USA consumes 20 million barrels of oil a day
that’s 7.3 BILLION barrels of oil a year
Bush & McCain say there’s 18-21 billion barrels of oil offshore
So how big a difference will that make when it comes online at maybe 1-2 million barrels a day ??
60. jakeblaine | 08.16.08
All the talk about offshore drilling tends to cover over the fact the oil companies that will be extracting the potential oil found will be selling it on the international market. If there is a country willing to pay more for those barrels of oil than the United States so be it.
61. Gary | 08.16.08
These clowns in Congress have done nothing to address this crisis. Not only that but they left Washington for a 5 week vacation without accomplishing a thing. They talk about ridiculous proposals like tapping the strategic reserve. The reserve is our only way out if the supply of imported or domestic oil is cut off for any reason. When full it would only last 60 days at most. And whatever is used must be replaced by the tax payers at the current price per barrel!! Or how about tax payer subsidized ethanol made from food crops. It’s so absurd it’s hard to believe it’s happening. Or how about an energy rebate. They would send you a $1000 dollar rebate using money borrowed from China which you, the taxpayer, would have to repay at some point, with interest. Or maybe they might, out of the goodness of their heart, allow a little offshore drilling. How generous of them!!
We need to open up ANWR, offshore, and our shale oil reserves to expanded drilling. We need to reign in out of control speculation. We need to look at alternative energy sources realistically and fast track the ones most economically viable. We need new nuclear power plants. And we need to continue to conserve as best we can. We need all this and we need it right now.
This is not only an economic issue. One only has to look to the Russian invasion of Georgia or the oil enriched states sponsoring terrorists around the globe to realize that swift, aggressive action needs to be taken immediately. We’re 20 years behind on all this already. Further delay is one thing that is definitely not an option.
62. Paul | 08.17.08
What a joke, McCain/Bush only answer is to ‘Drill, Drill, Drill’ and ‘Bomb, Bomb, Bomb’.
The US tried that for the last eight years - didn’t work, won’t work.
REGIME CHANGE!
63. et | 08.20.08
I can’t believe all these leftists with their absurdly ignorant, uninformed comments. “Big oil, Big Oil, Big Oil” What the hell is your problem with oil companies? They make a measly 8 percent profit on the money they invest. Compare that to Apple for example who makes over 40 percent on every IPOD they sell. It costs millions to dill an oil well in the middle of a corn field in Texas, now if you’re out in the middle of the ocean then it’s over a billion dollars for one well. Who else is going to pony up the cash to drill for oil in the first place. Certainly not that B|TCH PELOSI
64. Doug Jones | 08.20.08
Hi Everyone
I enjoyed reading everyone’s comments. Please lower the volume and try to respect alternate opinions. We need to share ideas, facts and educate. One area we have not discussed is the the tax incentives we give to drill for oil and gas. This is an old and very profitable industry and I do notbelieve with 11 billion in profts per quarter they need our tax icentives. Do those tax incentives benefit us or the world? Maybe reduced incentives for oil or gas sold here and none if oil and gas sent overseas? I think we should give up some off shore leases as part of a comprehensive energy package. Limit the time frame that the oil company has to dril and start production. It also should include reduction of speculators; long term incentives to those producing wind and solar so they can plan their investments (right now those incentives end Dec 31st, most Republicans votd against allowing this to come to a vote in the Senate, McCain was the only Senator not to vote, I am trying not to judge, just present the facts). Those tax credits now only go to individuals that have passive income ( if you work the land you don’t get them but if you are a landlord or investor like me you qualify, that is not fair and not a good incentive). It should be expanded so the farmer or businessman or individual investor can use them. If we realy want to encourage everyone to save energy we probably do not want these tax preference items to be reduced by the alternative Minimum Tax as the credit for the purchase of my business hybrid was. Lets up the MPG required, certainly we can see that the industry can produce cars and trucks that get better mileage. We also should have the gas tax automatically adjust to take into account the fleet increase in mileage. As MPG goes up we are going to generate fewer dollars to maintain our roads. Lack of appropriate maintenance has seen one collapse here in Minnesota and 3 bridges be closed after the lieutenant governor was removed has he had of our dpartment of transportation. The one that collapsed will cost all of us over $350,000,000 and it could have been maintained for probably less than 1% of that amount. What else can we do? Nuclear, probably, more research incentives, you bet, tax redits to make our homes energy efficient and one thing I really like and not mentioned here is get big business and big labor out of our elections. Obama is doing that right and because he is not taking lobbyist money he may be able to accomplish something if he is elected. Thanks for taking your time to read my comments, look forward to readng your thoughts.
65. J Blotz | 09.08.08
I’m an independent. Will all the oil from opening up drilling in Alaska go to US consumers or will the oil companies sell it to other countries? I don’t here that mentioned. We are not addicted to oil, we are addicted to mobility. Give us a car that won’t pollute and we’ll use it. If you are for a new nuclear plant, are you also okay with it being built in your town and will you volunteer your town to have a nuclear waste dump? We’ve lost 4,155 soldiers and counting, guarding the Iraq oil reserve…why don’t we tap that first? If the Republicans would propose drilling along with a push also for clean energy, it might fly better, but all I hear is drill for more oil and build nuclear plants. Nuclear is not clean as you have to dispose of the waste. Also, it is hard to trust the oil companies to drill safely after the Exxon Valdez disaster. Both parties politicians at the national level are 95% bought by big money. If the Dems don’t think so of their party, ask yourself what the companies that paid $6 million for a sky box at the Democratic Convention want in return? Both make promises every election and virtually nothing happens, even when they have control of all branches. Examples: Health Care, school vouchers, fixing social security. Another example: Why wasn’t abortion overturned when the GOP controlled all 3 branched or why didn’t any congressman bring up a constitutional amendment banning abortion? Their excuse is it might not pass, but why not try? Conservative judges now have the majority on the supreme court, why not overturn Roe v. Wade? Seven of the current judges were appointed by Republican presidents. Promises never kept, yet the pro-lifer’s keep voting GOP. And the biggest joke of all, why hasn’t Bush captured Bin Laden yet? Bin Laden admits he struck American soil and the “strong on defense” GOP has made it a very low priority to capture him. Why didn’t Bin Laden strike the towers before Clinton left office instead of 8 months after Bush was elected? Send a message and vote for Ralph Nader or Bob Barr or any third party candidate of your choice.
66. S. Hammel | 10.26.08
Do you think any other country would worry about the ” green” effects of offshore drilling if they were to take over our country? Enough said!! Lets get to drilling before opec totally ruins the economy with the high priced fuel. I the meantime the government needs to research for much higher fuel efficiency. We need to learn to conserve resources for our kids sake. But in the meantime we need to be self suficient. All of this importing of fuel and everything else has ruined our economy.
67. tzau | 12.02.08
well, look at both ways. we can either harm the environment and save money, or save multiple ecosystems by not offshore drilling. (choose the lesser of the two evils)
68. Drilling Equipment | 08.10.09
These days, there are several plans proposed for extending renewable energy, carbon mitigation, & energy conservation incentives through 2012, currently held hostage in a partisan stalemate over offshore drilling.
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1. Bob | 08.12.08
Big Oil’s really proud of their GOP Lobby bullying the ignorant American Public about offshore drilling.