Thompson: Arctic Oil Can Lower Gas Prices

GOP Presidential Candidate Supports Drilling To Reduce Dependence On Middle East

(AP)  Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Wednesday that tapping oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) would help lower gas prices.

“We've got this silly battle going on about ANWR,” said Thompson, who voted in favor of drilling the refuge as a former Tennessee senator.

“We've got the reserves up there that can be tapped,” he told a crowd of about 50 people packed into a small café in this early voting state. “They're not going to solve our problem, but it's one step we can take.”

Thompson's remarks came a day after environmental and Native Alaskan groups asked a federal appeals court to block Royal Dutch Shell PLC's plans for exploratory oil drilling near the refuge. The U.S. Mineral Management Service decided this year to allow the energy giant to drill up to 12 exploratory oil wells in the Beaufort Sea off the northern coast of Alaska.

Thompson argued the United States can become less reliant on oil-based energy and pursue nuclear and clean coal development. The country must reduce its dependence on fuel from unstable partners in the Middle East, Russia and Venezuela, he said.

“So much of it is coming from problem areas in the world, and it's making us a hostage, in many respects,” Thompson said in response to a question from the crowd. “What we've got to do is not be so dependent on the wrong places in the world.”

Thompson also said maintaining a strong military could help global stability, which would keep oil prices consistent.

“That does more to keep oil prices under control, probably, than anything else,” he said.

Thompson planned to talk with voters at an Anderson restaurant later Wednesday before making an appearance in Lexington.

[denn034]

You go Thompson!

[sgtrds]

Drilling in ANWR will not result in a single penny of savings for the American consumer and Thompson knows it. The Congress has long held out the right to the oil companies to allow them to drill in ANWR saying that they could drill for oil there IF they would agree to one condition. That the oil pumped there be destined for only the US and not be sold to China like the bulk of Alaskan oil pumped is now. The oil companies won''t agree to keep American oil only for Americans because they know they''ll make more money pumping American oil and selling it to oil starving China for more money.

[kansas1946]

Hey scumbag. We need to be looking for alternatives, not messing up an American treasure. I think Americans can tolerate these gas prices as long as we know that research and development is moving forward for another way to travel. The internal combustion engine was great, be we need to be moving towards not only new fuels for those, but new technology to replace them. So shut up Fred. You haven''t had a new idea since you have showed up in this parade.

[cfin5]

Posted by SgtRDS at 06:32 PM : Dec 05, 2007--------------------I agree that the oil should go here instead of China. However, I really don''t think that the lower 48 needs the arctic oil as there has been reports of approx. 2 Trillion barrels of oil underneath the Rockie Mountains. That''s over six times the amount of oil that the Saudis ever had. Here''s another thing,.....all of the pump jacks around here are silent with oil at 90 something. What does that tell ya?.......Yep, we''re just getting gypped as usual.

[sgtrds]

cfin5

I agree. When challenged on it the oil companies always say they''re already processing oil into fuel as fast as they can, but refuse to build more refineries because they have a vested interest in keeping gas supplies artificially low here in the US. For now we''re the biggest animal for the bloodsucking oil companies to feed off from, so they want to suck us until almost, but not quite dead, for as long as they can.

[prinzowhales]

They could lower gas prices if they wanted to tomorrow. This is not a shortage driven price rise, this is an administered price rise.

[rowdytexan2]

Here''s another JERK that does not want to listen to the people whose land he wants to mess up with fricking oil pumps!

The oil companies have no intention of bringing down the price of oil in the US. Why do you think they''re they''ve set out to get control of it ALL! They want to be able to charge whatever they want to.

Let''s dump the dependence on oil and get to making engines that don''t need it. I still like my tongue in cheek idea that the only vehicles allowed on streets in the city limits are hybrid golf carts that can be recharged with a plug in. People don''t need to go 120 mph in the city limits. Just think how much money we could save on traffic cops if nobody could speed! And they don''t need behemoth cars to drive one person a half a mile to ten miles to work.

We''ve got some of the greatest engineers and technicians in the world! Let''s put ''em to work and make this one of the country''s HIGHEST priorities. We could offer someone a billion dollars who comes up with the most innovative, manufacturable vehicle of our time. And think of all the JOBS putting people to work to build them hard and fast so we can get rid of the OIL!

[realpatriot1]

Earth to Fred! Come back home, you''re family is worried!

Let''s go one step further and end our dependence on Exxon. Whether the oil comes from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Russia, the Artic, or Fred''s Tennessee mountain home it''s still the oil conglomerates setting the price while their former lobbyists/current "regulators" look the other way!

Let''s drill for gas in those Hummers that global warming denying a holes are driving around!

[allkenz]

Check''s in the mail, right Fred?
The next time an American oil company sells its oil to American consumers will be the first time.