Bush, Democrats bicker over soaring energy prices

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

President Bush on Saturday tried to pin the blame on Congress for soaring energy prices and said lawmakers need to lift long-standing restrictions on drilling for oil in pristine lands and offshore tracts believed to hold huge reserves of fuel.

(snip)
"Americans are fed up every time they go to fill up and they're right to demand action. But instead of a serious response, President Bush and his allies simply repeat the same old line more drilling," Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said in the Democrats' radio address.

"Democrats support more drilling," he said. "In fact, what the president hasn't told you is that the oil companies are already sitting on 68 million acres of federal lands with the potential to nearly double U.S. oil production. That is why in the coming days congressional Democrats will vote on 'Use It or Lose It' legislation requiring the big oil companies to develop these resources or lose their leases to someone else who will."

"But we know that drilling by itself will not solve the problem of high gas prices," Van Hollen said. "We cannot drill our way to energy independence."



Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j057jBReERcsF-FcZRSWe0h1gaXQD91SDESO0

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Congressman Chris Van Hollen Delivers the Democratic Radio Address
http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/07/congressman_chr_1.php

[Deja Q]

1. Okay everybody. Stop bickering and do something!

Plenty of compromises we can get on along with.

And drilling is a short term solution, to put things on keel until transport alternatives or made or zoning laws changed -- having a store 1 mile from home is great but we need more of them and encourage walking instead! (Work can be done from home too; telecommuting.)

[LaurenG]

2. It's about time someone started talking about the oil companies

decisions not to drill. It's costly and it's hard work and we all know how bush republicans feel about that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSKKBDELcao

[Robb]

9. Yep. This would dramatically change the picture

...I'm sure decisions on leases now don't take into account much but the cheap bid price and paperwork costs.

[BearSquirrel2]

14. As I recall ...

As I recall they got a bunch of tax breaks with the specific intent to drill. Not tax credits for drilling, just tax breaks.

And ... no drilling.

[jwirr]

3. Regarding the rights they already have and are not using: Wouldn't

it be smart to only give rights to drill with a deadline? If they do not use it they lose it. That would stop speculation.

[Ghost Dog]

4. Umm. All our energy; life itself, comes from our local Star:

And I think we have by now become intelligent enough (if we could only stop fighting amongst ourselves) to recognise, and work with, the facts.

Maybe some of the extraterrestrials are right now attempting to point out the same. What I just said.

I live in the Atlantic Canary Islands, where we enjoy almost pristine night skies. We have observed new lights, approaching, up there...

[benld74]

5. 55 mph mandated speed limit would be a start,,,

anything would look like they are at least trying to do something! We all already know if they drill, the outcome of the drilling won't be felt for a good number of years. And with the price of oil, the owners of the wells will just sell it on the world arket the way they did with the alaskan pipeline! Doubling oil production won't help since the capacity to change the oil into gasoline is restricted by the number of refineries currently available. Their number was reduced in the 90's.
Mandate Detroit get off their collective asses and coe up with better gas mileage vehicles, mandate 4 day work weeks, nationalize the oil companies, anything would be better than the same ole talking heads going back and forth!!!

[DirtyDawg]

6. What about refining capacity?...

If, as has been said, one of the main issues is the current capacity to refine the crude into gasoline, et. al., and that the oil companies not only won't build more capacity, they look for excuses to shut down, even temporarily, those that are already in service. Well, in addition to giving 'big oil' ultimatums on current lease arrangement - 'use it or lose it', why doesn't Uncle Sam start building refineries. We build dams, highways, port facilities, then why don't we provide our own refining capability? And while we're at it, we should dedicate a portion, if not all, of the oil pumped out of government-owned land, to our own refineries. If 'big-oil' doesn't like it I've got some suggestions about what we should do about that as well.

[Gman]

8. No! There is no refining capacity problem

it there was the oil companies would not keep refineries off line as much as they do. You would think they would want to refine and sell all they could at $4.50 a gallon for gas. This is the only stage where there is a supply "problem", albeit an artificial one.

The problem with gas prices is 1) speculation on the price of oil and 2) a third world level dollar

[TheFarseer]

19. I was just reading that we are exporting a record number

of gallons of gas and diesel to foreign countries. That's because domestic usage is down.

[Gman]

7. What pisses me off the worst

is how Bush et al talks down us and calls it a supply and demand problem. We know the problem is two-fold being 1) oil futures traders and 2) the dollar at third world currency levels while oil is priced in dollars. There are no lines at the gas pump, therefore, there is no shortage.

[dipsydoodle]

10. Use or lose it

is the right approach IMHO.

Mind you - Bu sh seems to have lost it long ago.

[bulloney]

11. Isn't if funny that the parties that tout the virtues of the free market

conveniently forget that oil extracted from Alaska does not guarantee it will be consumed in the U.S.? We're in a global market, dominated by trans-national corporations. If these companies can make more money selling that ANWR oil to other countries, they'll do it in a heartbeat.

Earlier this week, a report came out that said the U.S. exports of gasoline are up this year.

The sad thing is, there are too many knuckle-draggers in this country listening to the Rush Limpballs and Sean Insanitys and not getting the real picture.

[BootinUp]

12. Use it or Lose it eh? Not a bad play by the Dems. nt

[BearSquirrel2]

13. Then blame the Republican 2000-2006 congresses ...

Because if what Bush says is true, it is they who would have had a shot to open up leases in a way to "increase production" and make it count anytime soon.

[NC_Nurse]

15. The key word here is "bickering".

Useless bullshit, not realistic discussions about what is BEST for us.

The fact that Big Oil and other lobbyists own 1/2-3/4 of Congress and 90% of the admin couldn't have anything to do with that,
COULD THEY????

How about a REAL argument about REAL solutions, fer chrissake?

[PSPS]

16. Leave it to AP to turn a serious issue into a story about "bickering"

This makes the entire article nothing more than a "he said - she said" waste of ink. Of course, no other MSM outlet cares to actually look into the issue either, but AP trivializes its own article right there in the headline. To them, the "bickering" is the story, not the actual gouging and the forces behind it.

[Maureen1322]

17. I think Rachel Maddow was on to something last night.

Our refineries are at capacity and many are outdated.

[trthnd4jstc]

18. End the Tyranny of Fascism

Have the Federal Government itself drill for Oil, or better have it contracted out to small, and medium sized business, and fuck the large companies. Keep those asshole, lier, theives, murderers away. Fuck the Big Corporations. Those leases should be jerked away from Exxon-Mobil, and Conoco-Phillips, etcetera. They intentionally do no drill, helping to create the so-called shortages to drive the price up. They are Economic Traitors. They are partly responsible for our decline. They were against regulation, a balanced budget, etcetera, helping to increase the Federal Deficit. The 14 Trillion in Federal Debt, and the Trillions in Consumer debt are the primary reasons the dollar is worth less than half of what it was worth in 2000.

One good thing about Pres. Clinton was his stable dollar policy. We would not be on the verge of another Depression if Bushco didn't have to run up the Federal debt to 14 Trillion from less than 9 Trillion. And if fuel prices had not gone up so much, less bankruptcies, and defaults on loans.

Both Parties are guilty, the Republicans are worse than the Dems. But look at how half of the Dems. vote conservatively on economic issues. Most Dems. in office are Millionaires. Both Parties serve the rich over the poor. The Dems. just do a little bit more for the Poor and Working-Class. Anyone ever notice that many Dems. mention Middle Class more than Working Class or Poor. But the Middle Class is a much smaller group than the Working Class and the Poor.

End Fascism. Restore the Republic. Vote out every Fascist Senator, Representative, and President/Vice President. End the Tyranny of the Rich over the rest of us!