Dems Ready to Cave on Offshore Drilling... In Face of What Pressure?
| Thu Jul. 10, 2008 7:43 AM PDT
This feels like a compromise in search of a conflict. The Democrats in Congress are ready to pass an energy bill that, in exchange for "investments in clean and renewable energies, a crackdown on oil speculators, and proof that the oil and gas companies are fully utilizing land that is already leased for exploration," will legalize additional offshore drilling.
Really? Am I just out of touch? Has there been a public outcry in support of offshore drilling? There was a media war on the subject a while back, and I thought we were able to prove the idea is a useless pander — it won't lower gas prices substantially, it won't put any additional oil on the market for seven to 10 years, it distracts us from serious and long-term energy solutions, etc. And after all that, congressional Dems are just going to cede the issue? Maybe they need to include offshore drilling as a sop to the Republicans in order to get renewable energy provisions in this upcoming bill. Those better be some pretty substantial provisions...
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Don't you think it's time you admit to yourself that the Democratic Party is hopeless? For seven long years they have been a cowardly, irrelevant party in opposition, and I don't have much hope for them as a majority either.
I have just ended a decades long membership in the Democratic Party because I couldn't look at myself in the mirror every day and realize that I was identified with such a meaningless enterprise.
I think both parties should (and possibly will) implode because they don't serve the people of this nation. I hope there will be a realignment of political forces into two parties with a structure and a desire to do the people's business.
Until then I will support and vote for the lesser of two evils and hope for the day I can really vote with a full hear for someone I truly respect and believe in.
If your "lesser of two evils" is either a Democrat OR a Republican, they will simply interpret your vote for them as one of confidence.
To them, it'll mean you LIKE the way they're operating, and would like to see more of that approach.
I was where you are politically a few years ago.
I decided I'd do better by voting for just about ANY 3rd party or independent who was on the ballot, to show BOTH the 'bigs' that Neither One had my confidence, and if there was no 3rd party or independent in a race, I simply don't cast a vote in that contest.
Crap like this is why the Congress has a lower approval rating than Bush's. We don't want WAR (aka don't fund it, you idiots!) and we don't want offshore drilling! Jesus, is that so difficult to comprehend?
I truly think the government is hopeless, completely and totally.
I agree that both parties have been failing us....but the Dems are definitely the lesser of the two evils this year.
Also, I think the compromise is a reasonable one. In seven to ten years this nation is going to need that oil to survive.....even if it is a "small" amount....remember that is relative to what the market is feeding.
Peak oil (we are probably riding the crest right now) is going to crush this country. We might as well have some oil pumping here when in 5 years from now the world supply starts to decline and more countries start to nationalize.
We need compromises and to take the best of what both parties offer (but more of the dems and the greens for long term) if this country is going to survive the changes of the next 20 years.
Yes, yes, let's drill away. Brilliant thinking! Let's devastate our coastlines some more so that we can create future jobs in the eco-cleanup industry. How's that for visionary thinking? Plus, the oil companies are just being crushed right now, so let's throw them another bone. This time I am CERTAIN that they will act responsibly. Oh, and let's forget about wind, solar, geothermal, etc. I'm sure that Exxon-Mobil will be telling us any day that we're on the brink of "Peak Solar" and that the sun is going dark shortly.
Just when you thought the Dems couldn't be any stupider or more craven...
This has nothing to do with caving to the Republicans. The Dems are just as beholding to the big oil companies as the Republicans. They're all swine feed from the same trough.
The American voters need to vote every imcumbant out of office and vote 3rd party whenever possible.
Submitted by Texas Cowboy (not verified) on Thu Jul. 10, 2008 4:51 PM PDT.
I do somewhat disagree with the majority (and yes I am a Democrat). My opinion is that it would be prudent to begin to drill for oil in our own country ...the Chinese have bought the rights to drill off the coast of Florida and they have leases to begin at any time. As their consumption grows do not be suprised to see them start developing these leases.
And Cuba could use the money...
Not, drilling in our own back yard as opposed to continue to get oil from the middle east doesn't seem logical to me personally. I kinda think it's like voting, if you don't vote don't complain. If you don't do all you can in your own back yard, stop complaining about the cost of oil imports. That said more drilling in the U.S. will not make a dent in the short term, but it should be part of an overall energy plan. We have to start somewhere. Living in Texas, there are over 1300 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, off the Texas shores. These derricks are a couple of hundred miles from the shoreline and they cannot be seen. Even with hurricane Katrina, there were no major oil spills even though all these rigs were evacuated. I'd rather see big oil invest money in our own country than send it all overseas. {ok let the dart throwing start!]
The Dems are responsible for the high price of gas because Clinton vetoed drilling for more oil, which would be on line today. Alaska has more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia. The lifting costs are more, but there is still plenty of profit in each barrel. Offshore, same story. Look at Norway. You see, Norway, unlike the United States, has successfully avoided the "everywhere versus nowhere" trap when it comes to drilling offshore for oil and gas.
The "everywhere versus nowhere" trap results when aggressive energy developers demand the unconstrained right to drill everywhere while environmental extremists assert that drilling can occur nowhere. This is the stalemate we currently have in the United States, with disastrous consequences. Emotion trumps science. Regulation blocks innovation. And sound methods of achieving energy independence are overlooked and underdeveloped. And gas prices go up, up, up. Norway is a country that has made itself the 10th largest oil and gas producer in the world by doing something that is virtually off limits in the United States: Drilling offshore for oil and gas. Norway's annual output of 1.6 billion barrels of oil comes exclusively from offshore drilling. Oil and natural gas are transported through a network of sub seafloor pipelines. Norway is the home to the world's largest natural gas drilling platform.
And the truly remarkable fact is that Norway has built this robust offshore oil and gas drilling industry alongside large and thriving fishing and tourism industries.
In Norway, strong environmental protections were part of exploration, drilling and transportation of oil and natural gas from the outset. This initial environmental emphasis has built the sense of trust necessary to allow Norway to move to a cooperative, performance-based model rather than a regulation-based model like we have in the U.S.
The Dems took control of both houses of Congress in 2006 on a platform of:
A - Getting us the hell OUT of Iraq.
B - Making Bush & Cheney answer for their crimes misdeeds.
and
C - Doing something about the ridiculously high price of fuel in 2006.
If we'd ONLY vote them to a majority, they'd see to it these things got done.
How many of us can remember back that far??
2006??
Someone...?
Someone...?
Anyone...?
Bueller...?
Bueller...?
So how we doin' folks?
Have they produced enough on those promises to justify a bigger majority + the Oral Office?
Or do we buy the cock & bull story that the MINORITY party has consistently outvoted them?!?!
Do we really think that what we're about to do will bring about "Change"??
in exchange for "investments in clean and renewable energies, a crackdown on oil speculators, and proof that the oil and gas companies are fully utilizing land that is already leased for exploration,"
The oil and gas companies simply cannot satisfy these terms, and I'd like to think the Dems have already considered that. How many acres are going unutilized at this time?
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