Republicans Defeat Gas Price Relief Bill

Democrats Claimed Releasing 70 Million Barrels Of Oil Would Loosen National Stockpile And Bring Down Prices

(AP)  House Republicans on Thursday scuttled a bill that Democrats hoped would help lower gasoline prices by forcing the Energy Department to release 70 million barrels of oil - about a three-day supply - from the national stockpile.

Democrats promised that the action would have produced immediate relief at the pump, as was the case with similar releases in 1991, 2000 and 2005. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve now holds about 700 million barrels.

Despite winning a clear 268-157 majority, the measure still lost. Democratic leaders had brought the proposal up for debate under rules requiring a two-thirds vote to pass.

But passing the bill by just a majority would have meant allowing Republicans to force a vote on new offshore drilling leases.

"They're hiding from a vote," said GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio. "They're scared to death to allow us to ... force their members to vote on drilling."

Democrats said the release from the oil reserve could provide relief at the pump within two weeks, though they would not say how much it would help $4-per-gallon gas. Earlier releases, such as a 34 million barrel drawdown in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War, caused prices to fall.

As debate began, the White House threatened a veto. "Rather than drawing down a strategic reserve intended to protect our nation's energy security from a severe supply disruption, Congress should pass legislation to increase domestic oil supply," the White House said in a statement.

Across the Capitol, political squabbling promised to doom a Senate bill that would curb the kind of speculation in the oil markets that many people believe is partly responsible for the increases in oil prices.

Republicans appeared unlikely to agree to cut off debate and move the measure to a final vote. They complained that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had blocked them from offering amendments.

The result of all of the political maneuvering is that Congress will adjourn for a five-week vacation without having passed into law any response to high gas prices since legislation in May that required President Bush to suspend filling the reserve.

Republicans believe they are gaining the political upper hand because of Democrats' refusal to allow new drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf. Democrats said they have not seen any erosion in their standing with voters and say it allows them to cast Republicans as doing the bidding of big oil companies.

"This is an issue that the Republicans have latched onto in the absence of any other issue they have to talk about," said the House's second-ranking Democrat, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland. "Not the economy, not Iraq, not foreign policy ... it's the only issue they have."

[actornaught]

McCain was right about the surge...
Posted by omega39 at 09:13 AM : Jul 28, 2008

How can you be right about something you can''t define what it is, when it started and when it''s supposed to end?

John can''t remember his own record, and has no business being in the White House, except to collect a medal or ribbon.

[omega39-2009]

Let me get this straight, the Democrats don''''t want us to drill for our own oil in our own country but they do want the president to tap the strategic reserves which are for emergencies in the event of shipping disruptions. The Democrats don''''t even act like grown ups they''''ve become nothing but activists.

Posted by standlee5 a

Tell you what, when they nationalize the oil industry and can guarantee that every drop of oil pulled out of our soil will go to America''s need we will consider it. Until then it will continue to be sold on the world markets with us trying to purchase it using worthless "Bush bucks" and losing to stronger more stable currency.

[omega39-2009]

McCain was right about the surge, but a broken clock is right twice a day. Like McCain, it is wrong at all other times.

[omega39-2009]

Post tour bounce, Gallup Obama by 9

[yongamerica]

The only thing that will bring the price of oil down to a fair price is eliminating the speculators. The same crowd that drove the housing market to skyhigh prices and then jumped ship leaving the market to crash from a high earth orbit. Those left foreclosed proprerties are speculators and banks that didn''t get the message from the GOP ripoff train.

[tryhonesty]

The RepubliCON crooks at it again. McSAME selling out to the oil companies with another flip-flop on allowing drilling. Now the oil companies are flooding his campaign with big bucks, those same bucks that have been raped from the American consumer in record billion dollar profits...The same Greedy OLD Party (GOP)RepubliCONs never change...

[standlee5]

Let me get this straight, the Democrats don''t want us to drill for our own oil in our own country but they do want the president to tap the strategic reserves which are for emergencies in the event of shipping disruptions. The Democrats don''t even act like grown ups they''ve become nothing but activists.

[lucasnico]

Democrat congress - 9% approval rating (lowest in American history.) Once word of their lame-assed 3 day releae plan gets out, it should take them down to around 5%.

Keep up the good work, dems. You''''re making it real easy come November.

Posted by LibH8er

Everything congress has sent to Bush he has vetoed.... everything. Lowest approval rating of any president in history...... thanks, Bush, you piece of ***!

[chabsentia]

Nevada has lost State Revenue big time and Hotel and Entertainment Revenue are down and 75% of the people want drilling but Senator Reid of Nevada has prevented a Vote in the Senate. Just keep re-electing them and Invest in Oil Stocks and tou will be sure and make Money while the price of Gas is rising. Release 3 days of Oil in a Global Economy that uses that much in a few hours. Give me a break

[chabsentia]

You have to love these Democrats. When Diane Finestein was the Mayor of San Francisco she started the Sanctuary policy which has been associated with the Death of a whole Family a few days ago. She was rewarded by being elected Senator. Pelosi who is from the same area has prevented a vote on drilling in the House even though the Goveernor of Florida and Bush have approved it. Nevada has lost State

[fiberglass3]

Posted by actornaught:
drilling was openly described as only "psychological". They''re against real solutions, like tapping the reserve.

So tell me actornaught, how much did you think that tapping the stock pile would have saved us?
Last week I watched as oil prices fell and I actually watched the price at the pump go up a penny.

[libsluv2spit]

what should our economy worry about? this allegation of we ''are going to spoil the environment'' or keeping both conservatives and LIBERALS happy by giving them oil??

we cant have it both ways..you want a nice place to live in..SACRIFICE...

[gopack443]

Both parties stink! Wile they play politics to try and make themselves somehow look different than the "other" party we all lose and the game goes on!

[libsluv2spit]

"AP) House Republicans on Thursday scuttled a bill that Democrats hoped would help lower gasoline prices by forcing the Energy Department to release 70 million barrels of oil - about a three-day supply - from the national stockpile."

******************a 3day supply and indeed an immediate BUT SHORTLIVE relief....

CAN THESE DEMOCRATS PLAN ANYTHING PAST A FEW DAYS???????????????whenever they plan ANYTHING..its only good for a few years a few days..SHORTSIGHTED..

[actornaught]

...The Republicans were right to block this...
Posted by fiberglass3 at 11:21 AM : Jul 25, 2008

Excuse me? The ''pubs are total hypocrites to block this. They''re debate over off-shore drilling is phony, only served up to cause more divisive squabbling. Remember, drilling was openly described as only "psychological". They''re against real solutions, like tapping the reserve.

btw, everybody take note of the loss in revenue from the gas tax, due to lower sales. Some roads and bridges won''t be fixed...

[fiberglass3]

posted by unmunificent: What the heck do you think you drive on?

Answer: Hybrid electric with the E-85 conversion.
12 gallons of E-85 fuel contains contains only 1.8 gallons of gasoline.

[grandesign]

This is in our future, we just need to end or addiction to petrochemicals as the mainline source, and quickly transition to better technologies. If you might think its tough to break an addiction to heroin, or tabacco, alcohol, coffee, or fast food--try thinking how difficult it will be for our nation''s population to embrace this concept of saying no to petrochemicals for energy. 350,000,000 users say they can''t quit.

[grandesign]

There is an equation used to determine how carbon emission either increase or decrease over time. The components of the equation include: Population growth, GDP growth, and Emission Intensity. During the time period since the Kyoto protocol (1997) measurements were taken to determine the casuality of these components in certain nations, whereby, carbon emissions changed over time. You can focus on any aspect of these components, and by decreasing the population, GDP, or emission intensity there would be a draw down of pollution. But what realistic approach would include limiting population of a nation, or decrease the GDP for that matter. But decreasing the emission intensity would be the efficient method. So by creating an economic environment where GDP is increased by creating technology that decreases the emission intensity--this would be effective. Sort of like making a smaller microchip that uses less energy to proces information and works exponentially faster and better (Moore''s Law), a technology would be created that has less emission intensity for every increase in power generation and consumption.

[fiberglass3]

unmunificent: We are only talking about transportation here.


The Republicans were right to block this. Less expensive gasoline only continues our usage of it.
T. Boone Pickens and Al Gore have been showing us a picture of what the future holds for transportation. Pickens is even willing to use his own money to bring about change.

Everything I own runs on electric except for my car.

[beamer297]

I understand that there is currently over 90 million acres availaible for drilling to the oil companies within 48 states area, but they are not drilling in those areas, but want addionional acres offshore so that they can can control even more acreage and the price of oil. The Demoractics are telling them to go and drill in the available 93 million or more acres before they are given additional off shore lease. Does this not make sense?. The Democrats as usual are not explaining this to the typically ignorant American public.The Republicans know that about 85% of the public are too lazy to find out facts for themselves and will always exploit it through their properganda machine. The Republican motto OF greed has Exxon Mobil racking in billions of dollars in profit while the average American scrambleS to put food on the table. The dollar is slowly becoming worthles. The country is in debt for 10 Trillion dollars. Thousands are being laid off, the stock market has tanked, Bush has squandered the surplus taking uS to war in IRAQ with lies, lies and deception. I hope that everyone can see that the Republicans have run this country to the groung and that it is time for a chnge if ou care for America. If you don''t, vote Republican this fall.