Home » Campaigns » Drew Pritt for Lt. Governor » Blog » Why Offshore Drilling Is Not...
Democracy for America campaign blog for Drew Pritt for Lt. Governor
Why Offshore Drilling Is Not The Answer....
Linked to groups: ENOUGH! in LR
Linked to campaigns: Drew Pritt for Lt. Governor, Obama for America
The Republican Party strategy is to say we need more off-shore drilling. It seems simplistic enough. If we drill more then gasoline prices will come down, right?
WRONG....Here is why....
The crude oil market is globally determined. Oil companies do not sell just in the United States of America. Crude oil and gasoline is a product shipped globally. Therefore, the price of crude barrel oil is established by global supply and demand. Lets say, 3 million additional barrels a day could be extruded from lands and seabeds of the United States. Compare that to the 90 million barrels now produced around the world. So thats what 6% of the total? In the best of circumstances, thats no difference to the American consumer.
Second, Crude Barrel Oil isn’t just waiting there to be pumped out of the earth. Exploration takes time. Erecting drilling equipment takes time. Getting the oil out takes time. Turning crude into various oil products takes time. There'd be no significant impact on domestic crude and natural gas production until 2030. Thats well after the administration and possibly life expectancy of John McCain, Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, but not myself or my nieces and nephews and your children and grandchildren and yourself.
Finally, the big oil companies already hold a significant number of leases on Federal Lands and offshore seabeds where they are now allowed to drill, and which they have not yet fully explored. Why then would they seek more drilling rights? Because they want more leases now, when Bush & Cheney are still in office.
Ownership of these parcels would serve to to pump up their balance sheets even if no oil is pumped.
So don't buy this strategy. Like WMD's....this is just another scheme by the administration and party that brought you the Iraqi War. Theres no exit strategy for this either!
They're talking about this now on Larry King Live. Same old same old, pointing fingers, "if we had drilled in ANWR 7 years ago like we wanted we'd have enough oil for today!" growls Haley Barbour. What a dinosaur.
- I can't seem to post unless I reply to my own post...weird
By Denise in San Mateo County on Aug 5, 2008 12:30 AM EDTThis T Boone Pickens is quite a character and is making alot of sense on LK tonight. I like how he said that dependence on foreign oil is a non partisan issue.
The fact that said dependence is bankrupting this country is not news, but somehow coming from him it just sent a chill through me.
And that is the one Obama said he supports. It worries me because drilling will be within 50 miles of our gulf coast.....and get this. Florida has no choice according to this bill. The Carolinas and GA and VA have a choice, but not Florida. The drilling would be on both coasts in the paths of nearly every hurricane that approaches the US.
The plan of the Senate Gang of 10...5 Dems and 5 Republicans
Obama also said, in a separate statement issued by his campaign, that he supported the bipartisan energy plan offered by 10 senators Friday.
The proposal would end most of the ban on drilling. It would allow a 50-mile buffer on the East Coast, as well as Florida's Gulf Coast. Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina would be permitted to start oil and natural gas exploration outside the buffer"
Florida would have no choice. It's a done deal for us.
I blame "maverick?" governor Crist. When he caved, that was it for Florida. At least Schwarzenegger is still against lifting the ban on offshore drilling.
I want oil prices to drop (I'm fed up with $ 4.80 a gallon for heating oil) but lifting the 1991 ban is NOT going to solve the problem soon.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-sheppard/governors-stand-in-way-of_b_116709.html
Kate Sheppard
Governors Stand in Way of Offshore Drilling, Even if Congress Approves
<!-- Chicklets --><!-- /Chicklets -->Posted August 4, 2008 | 09:05 AM (EST)
President Bush keeps repeating his call for Congress to lift the moratorium on offshore drilling. Republican presidential candidate John McCain is consistently drilling home the same message.
...Some 10 billion of that is in Californian waters, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) wants it left alone. He has aggressively challenged his partymates on the issue, saying anyone who suggests that offshore drilling would lower gas prices is "blowing smoke."
...
is what Obama endorsed. The idea of getting to 60 Senators through putting together a comprehensive renewable plan that takes us forward and then doing the minimum amount of backsliding required to compromise with the recalcitrant Republicans to add a few and get it passed.
... Drew, echos Al G:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/17/tech/livinggreen/main4270123.shtml
Al Gore: Energy Crisis Can Be Fixed
Says Situation Is Dire, But Not Irreversible If Americans Start Rigorous Green Plan Now
WASHINGTON, July 17, 2008
(CBS) <!-- sphereit start -->Former vice president Al Gore laid down a green gauntlet Thursday, challenging the nation to produce all our electricity from renewable sources, such as wind mills and solar panels - and do it within a decade.
...
Gore: We've got to end our dependence on oil and coal.
...
the new demand for oil and coal from China ... means that the only way we're going to escape the rising prices, and the dependence on foreign sources is by switching to renewable sources.
And now that … the coal and oil's gone up so high and the engineers have brought down the cost of solar and wind and geothermal.
...
if we make a big commitment ... to renewable sources, then the cost will come down more quickly.
...
http://www.sbwcn.org/spill.shtml
Santa Barbara's 1969 Oil Spill <!--BEGIN PAGE CONTENT-->
On the afternoon of January 29, 1969, an environmental nightmare began in Santa Barbara, California.
...
- First we get him elected along with a Dem Majority in Congress
By Denise in San Mateo County on Aug 5, 2008 8:39 AM EDTThen we tackle the hard issues the way we want to, with hopefully collaboration from both sides of the aisle. This is a non-partisan issue. The answer is not one size fits all - and we are all responsible for the amount of oil we consume - and not just in our cars. How much plastic is in your home that can be replaced by natural materials and fibers?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20080731/pl_bloomberg/ay0vk5vbqcqa_1
Republicans in Congress Grab Oil Drilling as Political Lifeline
Laura Litvan and Daniel Whitten
Thu Jul 31, 12:01 AM ET
July 31 (Bloomberg) -- Congressional Republicans, confronted with a slowing economy, an unpopular president and ethics embarrassments that threaten a wave of voter wrath, are clinging to a political lifeline: drilling for oil.
...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080730/pl_nm/usa_oil_exports_dc_1
Bush pushes oil drilling, but more fuel exported
By Tom Doggett
Wed Jul 30, 5:23 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday made a new push for expanded offshore drilling to help lower fuel prices, days after new government data showed American petroleum product exports hit record levels.
...
... geez, Louise !
http://www.cfr.org/publication/16616/
Will Opening Restricted Federal Lands and Waters in the United States Ease Oil Prices?
| Discussants: |
Sara Banaszak, Senior Economist, American Petroleum Institute
Morgan Gray, Professional Staff, House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
|
|---|
Updated: July 3, 2008
...
Morgan Gray
The essential question for our energy future is this: where will the policy decisions that we make today lead us in the next century?
What if instead of discussing how to make new drilling areas available, we were discussing how to make new plug-in hybrids available? What if we were discussing how the tax breaks that we currently give to the oil industry to subsidize more drilling, could instead be used to develop the next generation of biofuels, to deploy renewable energy ubiquitously throughout our country?
At what point do we decide, as a nation, that the fossil fuel status quo is not sustainable? When will we look OPEC in the eye and say ‘enough’?
Our era of oil needs to come to an end because it is not working—for our economy, for American families, and for our environment. We need to start making smart policy choices, not rash decisions, to shift us away from the fuels and technologies of the last 100 years, and look instead towards the opportunities of the next 100.
The oil industry’s myopic focus on opening up our wilderness areas and coastlines benefits no one but themselves. It will not lower prices for consumers and it is not necessary when oil companies are sitting on 68 million acres of public land and already have access to 80 percent of our nation’s oil and gas reserves.
...
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- They wanna drill our coast for oil
By Denise in San Mateo County on Aug 5, 2008 12:10 AM EDTAnd we said no, no, no
Howard is first (apologies to Amy W)