Keep Up The Pressure On Drilling

National Review: The Democrats Find Themselves On The Wrong Side Of The Energy Issue

(National Review Online)  This column was written by The Editors.

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To drill or not to drill? According to recent polls, two thirds of Americans think Congress should lift restrictions that prevent energy companies from exploring the outer continental shelf for oil and natural gas. President Bush, John McCain, most Republicans, and some Democrats support lifting the ban. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid find themselves on the wrong side of the drilling question, and it has thrown their party into disarray.

All three Democrats are tangled on the same tripwire: Their friends in the environmental movement want to stop oil exploration. Unlike most politicians, who face public outcry when gas gets pricey, environmental groups are willing to argue that gas should to be more expensive in order to make alternative sources of energy seem cost-efficient by comparison. It’s not just that they oppose new drilling; they also support a windfall-profits tax on the oil companies, new restrictions on current oil production, and the elimination of tax provisions that allow energy companies to write off the cost of expanding refinery capacity.

By making gas cheaper, increased domestic oil production would prolong what environmentalists see as America’s harmful dependence on fossil fuels. These groups would oppose offshore drilling even if it had no direct impact on the environment.

Obama echoed this thinking in June, when a reporter asked him if high gas prices could help wean the U.S. from its dependence on oil. Obama answered that they could, even though he “would have preferred a gradual adjustment.” That same month, he said that McCain’s drilling proposal “would only worsen our addiction to oil and put off needed investments in clean, renewable energy.”

That was then. In July, Rasmussen released a poll showing that 67 percent of Americans support lifting the ban on offshore drilling, and now Obama appears to have reversed his position. If “a careful, well-thought-out drilling strategy” were attached to “the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices,” he said in an interview with the Palm Beach Post, he wouldn’t “want to be so rigid that we can’t get something done.”

Obama’s reversal coincides with the news that Nancy Pelosi has given at-risk Democrats permission to publicly support offshore drilling, freeing them to take the popular position while she blocks any efforts to lift the ban. Pelosi refused to allow any votes on drilling before adjourning the House for a five-week August vacation. A number of House Republicans stayed in Washington to hold protest sessions, arguing that Congress shouldn’t be taking a vacation at a time when high gas prices have caused many Americans to cancel theirs.

In the Senate, Harry Reid (“Oil makes us sick, . . . It’s ruining our world. We’ve got to stop using fossil fuels”) also blocked energy legislation for fear that Republicans would offer drilling amendments and force Democratic senators (such as Barack Obama) to commit to positions. While their counterparts in the House are keeping the issue alive in Washington, Republican senators headed home to spend all five weeks talking about energy.

In both houses of Congress, the Democratic leadership has offered gimmicky solutions to distract the public from the drilling issue. First, Democrats argued that the oil companies had already leased millions of acres of public land that they weren’t using to produce any oil. That effort foundered when the oil companies pointed out that they weren’t producing oil on this land because they hadn’t found any when they explored it.

Then, Democrats pointed the finger at commodity traders, accusing them of driving up the price oil through “excessive speculation.” This effort didn’t gain any traction, either. Traders don’t conspire to drive up prices; they try to anticipate movements in supply and demand - so of course, as U.S. demand has slowed (and as an increasing number of U.S. policymakers have argued for increasing supply), the price of oil futures contracts has fallen.

The latest half-baked idea comes from a “gang of ten” senators - five Republicans, five Democrats - who have offered a compromise that would lift the ban on offshore drilling in exchange for $20 billion in new federal spending on alternative sources of energy. The list - ag-friendly guys like Saxby Chambliss and Kent Conrad, corn-staters like Ben Nelson and John Thune - smells of ethanol. The compromise bill includes $2.5 billion for biofuel research and billions more in incentives for automakers to make cars with ethanol-burning engines. There might be a smart way for Washington to subsidize research into alternative energy, but this isn’t it.

There is a simpler solution. The congressional ban on drilling has to be renewed each year, and the current ban expires in September, so congressional Republicans and President Bush should fight to stop the ban’s renewal. The Democrats are backpedaling like mad. Their presidential candidate doesn’t have a coherent position and has resorted to Carter-esque lectures on energy conservation. Meanwhile, the speaker of the House is telling vulnerable members of her caucus to support lifting the ban.

The Democrats find themselves on the wrong side of the most important issue to Americans right now. Now is not the time for a compromise. It’s time to keep applying pressure.

[noloyalisti]

YES, let''s get these greedy, corrupt oil companies to drill the leases they have. Let''s get them out of the government policies and start taxing their profits. Let''s hold them accountable to the people of the United States since they are profiting from us and the illegal wars for oil.

[ubrew12]

NRO: "two thirds of Americans think Congress should lift restrictions that prevent energy companies from exploring the outer continental shelf for oil and natural gas. President Bush, John McCain, most Republicans...support lifting the ban. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid find themselves on the wrong side of the drilling question."

Gosh, with 6 years of total Republican control of every aspect of the Federal gov''t, with knowledge that oil supplies were only going to tighten, and with knowledge that it takes 10 years after approval of drilling before oil starts flowing, why didn''t Republicans approve of offshore drilling when they had total control?

The same reason Republicans will wait until there''s a Dem Congress in power to ''demand'' that our national debt (which they created) be paid down.

Its all so incredibly fake, and NRO is definitely part of the fakery. Please, NRO, stop gaming America. You really are, by now, profoundly unAmerican.

[rkimball3]

pelosi hinted that an energy bill after recess is dead in the water & she will block efforts probably till after elections. the gop must work with pelosi & the dnc controlled house & senate & come up with a package suitable for everyone. the more the gop fights pelosi the more she will dig in her heels.

[lfitts1]

NRO: "two thirds of Americans think Congress should lift restrictions that prevent energy companies from exploring the outer continental shelf for oil and natural gas. President Bush, John McCain, most Republicans...support lifting the ban. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid find themselves on the wrong side of the drilling question."


Just because 2/3 of americans think it is a good idea, does not make it a good idea..what about the 70 million acres of land the oil companies now have leased to them that they have not yet drilled on..they are trying to use this "crisis" to lock up additional lands for their reserves--it is not about the US--it is about Exxon Mobil and their henchmen--drill on the 70 million acres first--then we will talk

[ramos937]

I am a former oil accountant that worked for two large oil companies and later for DOE auditing oil companies.

To me there are two basic fundamental issues that must be resolved before offshore drilling is allowed. First, our refineries are at capacity. So, we produce more oil than we can refine at present. What happens to the "new" oil? Second, crude coming from the Alaska Pipeline is sold mostly to Asian markets. What is to prevent new crude from offshore drilling from going to markets outside of the USA?
Until these two issues are resolved, why open our coasts to more offshore drilling?

If anyone is thinking of appealing to the oil producers, you can forget it. They do whatever brings the highest return to them and their shareholders.

[seafang]

" Just because 2/3 of americans think it is a good idea, does not make it a good idea..what about the 70 million acres of land the oil companies now have leased to them that they have not yet drilled on..they are trying to use this "crisis" to lock up additional lands for their reserves--it is not about the US--it is about Exxon Mobil and their henchmen--drill on the 70 million acres first--then we will talk "

Actually the idea of drilling is to drill where the oil is; not where it isn''t; It''s a lot like fishing; 90 percent of the water contains no fish at all, and the good fisherman knows how to tell which water the fish are in.

That''s why they want to drill in that barren desert wasteland up there in the frozen north; it isn''t any good for anything else; can''t even grow corn for ethanol or any other renewable green energy on it.

Have you tried drilling in your own backyard to see if you can get your own oil; it ought to be at least as good as that worthless 70 million acres the gummint let the oil companies lease.

[ubrew12]

Sometime next year, if Dems win the president and congress, expect NRO to be loudly protesting the ''democratic'' national debt of $10 trillion. Until then, NRO''s lips are sealed.

Drill for offshore oil? Where were NRO''s protests when their buddies the Republicans OWNED the federal gov''t? NRO doesn''t care about offshore oil. They dont care about the national debt. They care only to lobb grenades at one party to benefit the other, and scr*w the American people.

[bluestardad]

DEMS ARE NOT ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE DRILLING ISSUE!


THE REPIGS ARE THE ONES WHO SOLD OUT AMERICA TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND BIG OIL!

[Syndicate]

Nancy Pelosi - One reason not to ever vote for a woman.

[Syndicate]

The most important thing in this article is the fact that the congressional ban on drilling expires in September. Which means we get to drill in October.

[noloyalisti]

The ignorant sheeple of the US voted to have the oil companies run the government. In effect, they voted for fascism. Now because they are paying for it, they want to complain. Talk to those who voted for Butch-Cheney and let the oil corporations write the energy policy.

Only a rag as ignorant as the NRO would make themselves look SOOOOOO stupid and brainless and write that it is the Dems fault.

[samthetvcat]

Well this is where I get frustrated with Barack coasting as ''leader'' of the Democratic party - why doesn''t he just counter by saying that if all you land-locked states want off-shore drilling then they have to be willing to do their part and set up nukes in their state (or coal, or wind, solar, etc).

They''re all public nuisances . . . I think people will think twice about imposing the possibility of adverse consequences onto other people if to drill would mean having Homer Simpson in charge of controls of their local Three Mile Island . . .

[bckrd1]

NO NO NO NO NO!!!! If we do not get away from oil we will never break this cycle. Everytime something in the world happens that could disrupt the flow it brings us to our economic knees.
You are playing right into Cheney''s Energy Plan playbook. He thinks we are all idiots and won''t see what he is doing. He knew if him and his energy buddies got oil so high we dumb Americans would beg them to start drilling and it looks like he was right. 70% of the American idiots believe them. Why do you think he will not let the American people see the minutes of these meetings? Because he did wrong by the American people.
This is a gift for his new bosses. I say don''t give it to them and let''s start doing the right thing and get non food based energy alternatives developed.

[jimfinster]

"To drill or not to drill? According to recent polls, two thirds of Americans think Congress should lift restrictions that prevent energy companies from exploring the outer continental shelf for oil and natural gas."


That is because they have been lied to and misled by Bush and Big Oil. If the real facts were widely known, there would be tremendous opposition to this idea.


They are selling this based on lies, just like they did for Iraq.

[cfin5]

The dems, with their worthless socialist candidate (again), will cave into letting us drill for oil AFTER the election if Barack Obama wins. They need an issue to blame the republicans for the current economic demise we are in,.....and this is their pet for sure. We would not even be talking about this subject if both sides after 9/11, using some common sense wisdom, poured on the coal for our energy independence. How many middle east crisis''s do we need to go through before these oil stock holding "public servants" of ours give us a break? The more I see these cotton picking GLOBALISTS from either party sqrew us up all the time with needless stupidity, the more I''m gonna rail against them both here and in the voting booth. I wish that there was no democrats and republicans anymore,....just smart, honest, and LOYAL Americans in all things.

too many Americans are so self indulging in thier personal lifestyles they see no further than thier pocketbooks at any givien moment.. if gas goes back down to 3.00 many will rush to go by hummers again.. sad but true.. supporting terrorists doesn''t matter when the military establishment is there to spend billions with entertaining news at 6.

[kansas1946]

President Bush, John McCain, most Republicans, and some Democrats support lifting the ban. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid find themselves on the wrong side of the drilling question, and it has thrown their party into disarray.

***********************************************
Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, most Democrats, some Republicans, and 80pct of the American people support an Iraqi pull out.

President Bush, John McCain, some Republicans, and some Democrats support the wrong side of the Iraqi issue and it has thrown their party into disarray.

[ubrew12]

What NRO won''t tell you is that if Bush hadn''t doubled our national debt (to $10 trillion), gas would be HALF what it is today. Thats because the dollar wouldn''t have fallen. All the smart money that could see that Bush was making America insolvent left dollars and bought barrels of oil. And so those of us who pay for oil in dollars have seen a huge increase. Bush increased the price still further by invading Iraq and threatening to invade Iran. So now Bush, and the NRO, are betting the American sheep will bah-bah for offshore oil since the price is so high, and its worked.

BTW: three-fourths of the economic gains made by America when Bush cut taxes (and doubled the debt, leading to high gas prices), went to the richest 1% of Americans. The question is: how many times and in how many ways are the American people going to allow themselves to be gamed in this way? We''re the laughingstock of the world, and NOT over Iraq!

[txgrouch2006]

The 1970''s oil crisis ended because:

1) Americans stopped driving gas-guzzling big cars

2) We developed more source of oil in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico

Today we have

1) People driving Hummers and monster SUV''s

2) Restrictions on oil drilling where there are KNOWN deposits

ANY QUESTIONS????

[txgrouch2006]

Alternative energy sources take about ten years to develop.

What alternative energy sources were being developed ten years ago?

How many Hummers were on the road ten years ago?

DRAT THAT CLINTON!

Well, that didn''t happen, so DRILL AWAY!!!

[jimfinster]

The 1970''''s oil crisis ended because:

1) Americans stopped driving gas-guzzling big cars

2) We developed more source of oil in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico

Today we have

1) People driving Hummers and monster SUV''''s

2) Restrictions on oil drilling where there are KNOWN deposits

ANY QUESTIONS????

Posted by txgrouch2006


Yeah, where is your brain?

1) The oil crisis was caused by an embargo. It ended when the embargo was listed.

2) Drilling in "known" deposits will do little to ease the pain.

Bottom line: Finite amount of oil + increasing demand = high prices. Ya know, supply and demand?

BETTER GET USED TO IT !

[noboundary]

Do you need relief now? By adopting a few simple measures, our family has cut back gasoline consumption 45%. How you ask? We leave the SUV parked in the garage and use a Ford Focus for most driving (stick with 38 mpg on hwy). I carpool 2X a week and ride my bike once a week to work - AND I could still do more. If America would cut back 45% (and it can), OPEC would collapse and we wouldn''t need to use our own oil just yet - instead we can save it for our children to use. More wisely than we have, I hope.

[noboundary]

Do you need relief now? By adopting a few simple measures, our family has cut back gasoline consumption 45%. How you ask? We leave the SUV parked in the garage and use a Ford Focus for most driving (stick with 38 mpg on hwy). I carpool 2X a week and ride my bike once a week to work - AND I could still do more. If America would cut back 45% (and it can), OPEC would collapse and we wouldn''t need to use our own oil just yet - instead we can save it for our children to use. More wisely than we have, I hope.

[noboundary]

Do you need relief now? By adopting a few simple measures, our family has cut back gasoline consumption 45%. How you ask? We leave the SUV parked in the garage and use a Ford Focus for most driving (stick with 38 mpg on hwy). I carpool 2X a week and ride my bike once a week to work - AND I could still do more. If America would cut back 45% (and it can), OPEC would collapse and we wouldn''t need to use our own oil just yet - instead we can save it for our children to use. More wisely than we have, I hope.

[noboundary]

Do you need relief now? By adopting a few simple measures, our family has cut back gasoline consumption 45%. How you ask? We leave the SUV parked in the garage and use a Ford Focus for most driving (stick with 38 mpg on hwy). I carpool 2X a week and ride my bike once a week to work - AND I could still do more. If America would cut back 45% (and it can), OPEC would collapse and we wouldn''t need to use our own oil just yet - instead we can save it for our children to use. More wisely than we have, I hope.

[noboundary]

Do you need relief now? By adopting a few simple measures, our family has cut back gasoline consumption 45%. How you ask? We leave the SUV parked in the garage and use a Ford Focus for most driving (stick with 38 mpg on hwy). I carpool 2X a week and ride my bike once a week to work - AND I could still do more. If America would cut back 45% (and it can), OPEC would collapse and we wouldn''t need to use our own oil just yet - instead we can save it for our children to use. More wisely than we have, I hope.

[kazoodan]

I wonder, after the McCain campaign''s ''Obama Tire Gauge'' giveaway, how many dittoheads and neocons ran out to their cars and purposely let some air out of their tires. Just wondering.

[txgrouch2006]

1) The oil crisis was caused by an embargo. It ended when the embargo was listed.
Posted by jimfinster at 09:29 PM : Aug 07, 2008

By 1987, we were importing ZERO oil from the Middle East. The embargo was IRRELEVANT.

We were getting ALL our imported oil from the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. THOSE SOURCES DIDN''T EXIST IN 1980.

[txgrouch2006]

I wonder, after the McCain campaign''''s ''''Obama Tire Gauge'''' giveaway, how many dittoheads and neocons ran out to their cars and purposely let some air out of their tires. Just wondering.
Posted by kazoodan at 09:37 PM : Aug 07, 2008

I did, you betcha. And I disconnected a sparkplug, and I adjustd the choke so that there''s good smoke comin'' from the tailpipe ALL THE TIME!

I''m not gonna let Obama tell me what to do. I''m voting for him, so HE WORKS FOR ME!!!

LOL!

[jayblrdi]

The oil companies already have land that was available for drilling that they haven''t even touched in the U.S. They want to use this opportunity to get more, but they already have it waiting for them. Drilling won''t ease the price maybe until 7-10 years down the road and the relief we do get will be barely noticeable.

I say drill on the land you''ve got first then you can start asking for more. Why would they let the oil available to them go untouched? Because they don''t need it right now. They have enough oil supply to met the demand(there''s no shortage0 and they are making top dollar on the supply they have.

[jayblrdi]

Plus a good portion of the oil we produce in the U.S is exported. And then we import oil from other places to create a global oil economy. Because the more we ship it around the more oil it takes to distribute the oil therefore increasing the profits for the oil industry. Less dependence on foreign oil? It won''t even happen if they can drill any piece of land they want.

[ubrew12]

The world powers are starting the battle for ownership of the HUGE amount of oil once locked under the Arctic ice. The U.S., norway, iceland, Russia, and Canada are all gearing for this battle for oil rights. And yet, at best, this HUGE amount of oil would feed the worlds oil needs for a mere 3 years.

ALL THE OIL, in all the world, will run out some time in the next 20-30 years. NRO wants you to forget alternative energy sources, forget global warming. But NRO is NOT your friend, they are your enemy. They speak for Big Oil and Big Money, and these powerful interests have no interest in energy sources whose fuel comes, literally, for FREE.

Should WE be the same way???

[jimfinster]

1) The oil crisis was caused by an embargo. It ended when the embargo was listed.
Posted by jimfinster at 09:29 PM : Aug 07, 2008

By 1987, we were importing ZERO oil from the Middle East. The embargo was IRRELEVANT.

We were getting ALL our imported oil from the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. THOSE SOURCES DIDN''''T EXIST IN 1980.

Posted by txgrouch2006


Your "facts" are wrong. The OPEC embargo began Oct 1973, ended March 1974. So you seem to have your dates mixed up.

You are also wrong about 1987. Look it up! In 1987, the U.S. imported 6.5% of our crude from the Persian Gulf.

[jimfinster]

ALL THE OIL, in all the world, will run out some time in the next 20-30 years. NRO wants you to forget alternative energy sources, forget global warming. But NRO is NOT your friend, they are your enemy. They speak for Big Oil and Big Money, and these powerful interests have no interest in energy sources whose fuel comes, literally, for FREE.

Should WE be the same way???

Posted by ubrew12


Good words. I would add that we have already plateaued on global production. Within 10 years max we will see declining production, at the same time as increasing demand. The sticker shock has just begun, folks.

[ausus-2009]

Many here seem to see this as an issue in black and white, when there are a lot of shades in between. Only 1.6% of America''s oil is used for power generation. That can be replaced without too much disruption. Bigger users of oil are heating and transportation. Public transport using trains and buses are still oil users, not as much but still in most cases it is impractical to use alternatives. Electric buses cannot go great distances. Electrification of train lines would be a huge and in some cases near impossible task. People use oil to heat their homes because in many cases it is all they can afford. Conservation is a must, replacement of oil where possible is also a must. That said, we are still going to need oil for many decades yet. Drilling must not end and refineries must not be shut just to appease some ideological argument.

[irliberal]

Solar, wind, hydro, nuclear. These renewable energy sources (well nuclear might not be considered purely renewable but it might as well be for practical purposes) along with additional work in battery technology is the future of our planet. More oil just postpones the problem. It''s time we faced facts and started working on solving it.

[irliberal]

Oh, I forgot - where regionally applicable - geothermal.

[lmartink]

It doesn''t matter whether we drill or not. All of our oil from OCS and ANWR would not last more than a year at our current consumption rate of 21 million barrels annually.

It might briefly reduce our imported oil from nealy 70% down to 66%.

Like a heroin addict, it would be one more quick fix, and after it was gone, we sould still be a nation of addicts looking for the next fix.

Are we that pathetic?

Plus, none of our oil is easily accessible like it is in Iraq, Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, etc etc. In other words our own oil would be way more expensive.

And even that assumes our own oil companies won''t export "our" oil overseas to people who may be willing to pay a lot more.

The party is over folks. It''s over. Cheap prices are not coming back.

It''s 2:00 AM, the bar is closing and the bright lights are coming on. And that sweet little blonde left with that other guy 2 hours ago.

It''s time to go home, sleep it off, and wake up to a new day --- and move on. The past is past.

[lmartink]

As for oil under the Arctic Ocean, forget it.

Can you imagine how hard it would be to drill for that oil? The area is predicted to be free of ice in the summer, within as little as 5 years. But in the Winter it freezes fast and hard.

Can you imagine putting up an oil platform under those conditions. The ocean is 300 feet or so deep. Can you imagine a 200 mile long slab of wind-blown winter sea ice, 5 feet thick, 150 miles long, bearing down on an oil rig?

Good luck finding a crew to work on that one.
And even when they do develop that technology, if they do -- that oil will not be cheap.

I wish people would quit talking about oil under the Arctic Ocean as if it were some sore of cure-all for high prices at the pump.

[andor3]

"Keep up the Pressure" = more political theater to distract from real solutions and allow petrobiz and Republicans to shrug off their responsibility, and channel peoples anger at fuel prices in the wrong direction.

[andor3]

"Keep up the Pressure" = more political theater to distract from real solutions and allow petrobiz and Republicans to shrug off their responsibility, and channel peoples anger at fuel prices in the wrong direction.

[oneworldusa]

Drill NOW. Who cares if it takes 10 years to see the benefits. That''s 10 years sooner than it will be if we don''t. Also, if production is severely interrupted by our current providers, we will be on our way to a supply already, rather than after the fact.

Additionally, remember what happened with Hurricane Katrina. A few more of those, and what supply we do have now without options will be severely interrupted and the prices again will skyrocket overnight like they did before.

We need to drill now while we reinvent our transportation systems.

[yongamerica]

The oil industry has hundreds of millions of acres on land and in the Gulf of Mexico, but none of it has been exploited. The oil industry is raping America. It is taking the oil that belongs to every American and sells it back to them at $4.00 a gallon.

If the government can''t see this they are Zombies controlled by the oil industry.

[rkimball3]

it is best probably not to drill. to do so will enrage pelosi yet more. the gop needs to work with her not against her. to do so will only cause more gridlock with nothing accomplished on the hill.

[jjp735i]

"The Editors". What a joke!This story is nothing more than more Republican spin. "The Editors" left out the FACT that it will take until 2030 to get any oil from off shore drilling and "The Editors" left out the FACT that any new oil will only bring in about 3% of what we use anyway.

"The Editors" are nothing more than Bush/McCain spin doctors.

[rkimball3]

"if oil compamnies acted on these lands years ago that they had arleady leased & had built some new refineries when offered,we would be seeing the benefits now of lower gas prices" rafterman1.


very true. maybe it''s time to nationalize the oil industry & pay the oil ceos a civil servant''s wage without any bonuses.

[atheismwins]

Do the liberals here support votes in Congress on this issue?

[tejasdemo]

Total BS

[talkingham]

There is No oil shortage. I know this is true because they are literally giving gas away at $3.79/gal this morning. We all know demand has doubled or tripled in the last year alone right? just like the price.

Neocon Mission Accomplished!

[atheismwins]

Apparently Democrats are now against voting.

Unfortunately for them, there are still laws that we hold elections.