To drill, or not to drill

The House Republican whip, Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, told reporters this week that ever since the GOP, led by President Bush, raised the issue of drilling for oil and gas on America's ocean shelf, "people are listening" to Republicans  for the first time in years.

However, the Democratic congressional leaders are not among those who are listening. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has ruled that there won't even be a floor debate on the issue of offshore drilling before Congress begins its month-long August recess at the end of next week.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., forbade offshore exploration amendments to legislation limiting the influence of commodity futures speculators on the prices of oil and gas. On Wednesday, Sen. Robert C. Byrd., D-W.Va., pulled an appropriations bill from consideration to prevent Republicans from amending it to permit offshore drilling.

With gasoline prices hovering over $4 a gallon, a majority of voters polled think that loosening restrictions on drilling might help relieve pump pain over the long run. Other polls indicate many voters think that oil companies, and not average Americans, would get the economic benefit from more exploration.

President Bush lifted the executive ban on drilling in many coastal areas. However, Congress has renewed the ban every year. The current prohibition expires Sept. 30.

The probable Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, sides with President Bush on allowing more coastal exploration, but McCain does not support tapping oil and gas reserves believed to be under the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Some believe this will help McCain in the presidential race.

McCain's Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, agrees with Pelosi, Reid and Byrd.

What do you think Congress should do?
                           

--- Douglas Turner

Comments

[gz]

This is a completely useless post. The merits of offshore drilling - or lack thereof - are not addressed at all.

The only thing cited (although without a link or reference to a source) is the number of voters who think - incorrectly - that "loosening restrictions on drilling might help relieve pump pain over the long run." (What kind of weasel-word is "might," anyhow?)

[MS]

The problem with this is that its only a election issue. If you drill the oil will not be refined by us and it will be sold to the highest bidder (china, japan etc..)

[BrutalHonesty]

Didn't the Republicans have control of Congress and the Executive branch from 2002-2006? Why wasn't it taken care of then?

[Dave Marx]

The weasel-word "might" is the same word used throughout the IPCC reports detailing the results of their computer models.

You're right about Republicans having control and not getting it done. Bush tried numerous times to get an Energy Bill passed and failed repeatedly. But there wasn't $4 + gas prices pushing them either. There hasn't been a real energy policy in this country for 35 years and the chickens have come home to roost.

This country desperately needs a comprehensive energy policy that actually includes production of energy. We need effective conservation, stringent cafe standards, alternative fuels, wind, solar, nukes, and yes oil. We cannot continue to import the majority of our energy from the mideast. Three quarters of our trade defecit is from purchasing oil from other countries, when we easily could be producing our own resources and keeping the money and jobs here.

[Mark]

For 35 years, since 1973 we have had opportunities to correct our energy policy through leadership on both sides of the aisle. We are in this boat now because no one took the lead. Offshore drilling is the least of the issues, we need to start laying the ground work through alternate sources etc. It will not happen over night but needs to happen. If gas gets back into the $3.50 range and we all start buying the big SUV's again, then we are all stupid.

[OP Mike]

Mark is correct. The Democrats and Republicans have both failed miserably. Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II have all failed to deliver a comprehensive energy policy with the strategic goal of making the US energy independent.

The correct policy must include three legs: Conservation, Production, and Technology.

When it comes to technology, the president and congress should expand, and redefine as necessary, the role of NASA to include the earth-based tasks of coordinating, developing and implementing new energy technologies. NASA is the only group that has the proven scientific, engineering and program management skills necessary to accomplish such a massive strategic mission.

[Dave Marx]

I completely disagree that NASA should be in charge! (That's like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.) We have an Energy Dept. now, why in the world would you give it to them? Yes they have the scientific background to pursue the technology, but they are filled with idealogues like Hansen. We need some common sense and realism here. Our problem for 35 years have been the idealogues on both sides of the aisle and it has to stop, or we'll be waiting another 35 years.

[Achai Kamau]

Why don't we use this opportunity to move beyond fossil fuels?

[Carl]

Over 75% of people say drill now, their wishes are being blocked by Pelosi and Reid. The elected officials that do not listen to the voters should be dragged out of office by the neck, it may be time for torches and pitchforks.
It's become common place for politicians to just ignore us the voters. I'm surprized the democratic party hasn't removed Pelosi and Reid by now, they both are an embarrasment to our political system.

[Texas Kid]

The last sentence says it all..What do you think Congress should do?? Well, they should get off their high paid a**es and start doing SOMETHING. I haven't seen a more useless Congress in my life. Rant and rave about the Iraq war, but keep on funding it. All about partisanship. The environmentalist lobby has the democrats all locked up in their pockets. The drilling lobbies ahve the Republicans. there's middle ground, they need to do things like they do in Texas. Both parties work for the benefit of the people. Look at the census and the cities with the fastest growing populations. NY is falling, Texas is rising. OP Mike has the correct solution, but just going away from fossil fuels will take awhile. I haven't heard anything about how to power airliners without fossil fuels. Technology is great, but takes years to develop and is a gamble for private entrepeneurs. Conservation..great, but watch out WNY people, that will cut back on state gas tax intakes and guess what, your NY government will not do with 4% less (Gas consumption down) despite your generous conservation efforts, they'll up the tax on gas..mark my words!!!

[MS]

why would the oil companies want to drill to lower prices. They would lose money. Also we have our reserves filled up to the max. Why not release some of them. Our refineries are performing at 95% capacity. The only way we can solve this would be to gurantee that the oil would stay in USA which it wouldnt because it would be sold to the highest bidder. They said the same thing when they built the alaska pipeline. Oh its gonna lower prices and we would get oil faster... its all BS. We need to have cars run on alcohol or electric..

[Martin Van Buren]

These question of drilling needs to be asked of all of our candidates for congress this year. I know Davis and Lee support drilling, I do not know how Powers and Kryzan come down on the issue. I had read that Powers was against drilling in the Arctic though.

[Art Klein]

Like everything else they do, our politicians are quick to point out pie in the sky answers to any problem they helped of form. In this case the current administration and some desperate Republican Congressman trying to find something to talk about besides the economy and Iraq, encourage that off shore drilling and Anwar would drop the price of oil next week.

Another of their dream projects is to use all the water west of the Mississippi River to develop the oil shale project. You can bet that California and Nevada will have some doubt about this project too.

The continental shelf will even be trickier. Oil leaks from the Brazil off shore drilling is killing off an entire species of penguins in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. With all the other messes affecting them that’s
all Florida, Louisiana and Texas need, is oil slicks drifting along their shoreline.

Jimmie Carter said where we were headed thirty some years ago and nobody paid any attention. He warned that we were using too much of our energy sources too fast and right wing America went bananas and insisted he was demented and we had all sorts of fuel.

Detroit blundered on, encouraged by Washington’s rosy city on the hill outlook to build, bigger and bigger vehicles with bigger and bigger engines. Now they join our other stupid dreams on the used car lots axross America.

The environmental groups like the Sierra Club advised that by using more oil and coal to satisfy our needs we were painting ourselves into a corner. Not only were we depleting the oil and coal but we also added pollution. American yawned. In the meantime asthma rates rose 30% and air quality declined.

Well now we must pay the piper. We learn we have to compete to share oil with the rest of the world and sharing a resource that is running out in many places drives up its price. So America will pay the price, politicians will paint rosy pictures of solutions that are unreal and unachievable and everyone will be unsatisfied mostly abut the wrong thing.

Sadly, conservation is not even mentioned except by California's Governor.

Our leadership in business and government ignored the obvious, sought fame and fortune rather than working for the long term good of this nation and as a result we could have some real catastrophic problems during the next decade.

Add to all this cheery stuff the fact that every American will pay over a thousand dollars a year for the next thirty years for the national debt we increased since we invaded Iraq. That would buy a lot of gas.

[carl]

The debate is over' the verdict is in' 75% of people say drill now. Even T Boone Pickins says drill, drill, drill. Call your congressman and tell them if they want to keep their job they better vote what the people are demanding. Everyday more democrats are getting religion and are jumping on the drill bandwagon.

[MS]

you have to be an idiot if you thik drilling will fix anything. Lets face it gas is around 4.50 a gallon and it will never EVER go back down... stop wasting time on drilling it will not put a dent into the price. Lets start with new ways like alcohol and electricity. Im sure in 20 years we will have this debate again when gas is at $10 a gallon. we never learn that is why we keep voting for the same bums from both sides of the isle.

[carl]

MS
Let me guess your a hopeium addict right ? The truth is gas has been dropping like a lead balloon the national average is $3,95. For anyone to think that millions of barrels of domestic oil a day added to our supply wouldn't drop prices is beyond help. AAA says it will keep dropping, at least another $.30 a gallon.

[MS]

Carl the problem is that the millions you are talking about will not go to us. It will be sold to the highest bidder (china, japan etc..) I will support drilling ONLY if it is going to coem to us and us only.

[Achai Kamau]

Carl:

You are completely missing the point. What will be the environmental consequences of further fossil fuel consumption?

[carl]

Achai
Every expert agrees we just can't flip a switch we will be oil dependent for at least another decade or longer. Our economy and national security depends on it. We can do it all, drill and explore all forms of alternative energy. To say we don't need oil now is just foolish.

[MS]

As much as people think we need to drill now we also need to focus on new methods now. Instead of putting all of our resources to drilling we could encourage these super rich oil and energy companies to work on new methods. Cars can run on Alcohol and electricity. Tesla has a all electric car that can go 300 miles on one charge. The technology is there but our government is too broke and too ignorant to invest in the infrastructure for it.

[Achai Kamau]

Carl:

Of course the transformation will not be instantaneous. But further drilling will only serve to delay our progress; it will provide Congress with an excuse not to invest in clean and renewable sources of energy. If we do not start now, we will never be free of our dependence on fossil fuels. This critical moment should spur us to move to a new energy economy.

Given rising demand around the world, costs will continue to rise. That gas prices have dropped (minimally) over the past week is not indicative of long-term trends. And all of this is to say nothing about the environmental consequences of our increasing carbon emissions. If the US refuses to take action on climate change, it will have no credibility when it asks other nations (such as China and India) to reduce air pollution.

[carl]

achai
I heard today oil prices may drop below $100.00 a barrel by labor day. Things are changing for the better we are using less oil now and the supply is high. Goodluck with China and India,,,,

[BobbyCat]

Drilling offshore and in ANWAR is more red meat thrown to the conservative-Christian-redneck, high- school voters. These are traditional GOP red herrings that appeases their base.

The polls show that they want to drill. Fine. These folk have been deluded into thinking that this oil will be used by Americans to reduce the price of gas. They don't understand that it will be sold on the open market to any and all bidders, especially China and India.

Exxon-Mobil announced the largest quarterly profits of any corporation in history. Do you really think they want they want to flood the market with an abundance of 'cheap' oil? Hardly.

It's cheaper and easier to save a gallon than to find a gallon. Conservation is the key.

[MS]

Bobbycat good point. Drilling may cause the speculators to bring the price down for now. Then we will forget about the issue until prices go back up. It would be better if we can gurantee that oil would be used in USA only but that wont happen. Our economy is very fragile and it depends on oil. We will have to truly commit to another (CLEAN) source of energy in the next few years and lead the world by example. We are supposed to be the most advanced nation but countries like Brazil are starting to pass us in advancements. This takes real leadership not people who are in bed with the energy companies.

[BobbyCat]

Thanks MS, but I was just repeating points that you and others have made - that more drilling is not the answer. The energy industry has spent millions manipulating a gullible segment of the populace with these hot button myths - blame it on ANWAR, blame the DEMS, blame Al Gore. These myths are repeated ad nausium in these blogs and everywhere.

The strategy of the oil companies seems to be: Give lip service to alternative energies, but do nothing. Don't rock the boat. These world record profits are like manna from heaven for the oil companies.