House Votes to Keep Offshore Drilling Ban

[Jolie Rouge]

House Votes to Keep Offshore Drilling Ban
By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The House rejected an attempt late Thursday to end a quarter-century ban on oil and natural gas drilling in 85 percent of the country's coastal waters despite arguments that the new supplies are needed to lower energy costs.

Lawmakers from Florida and California led the fight to maintain the long-standing drilling moratorium, contending that energy development as close as three miles from shore would jeopardize multibillion-dollar tourism industries.

"It's a grievous assault on Florida and other (coastal) states," declared Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., of attempts to end the drilling prohibitions that Congress first imposed in 1981 and has reaffirmed every year since.

The moratorium bars oil and gas development in virtually all coastal waters outside the western Gulf of Mexico, where most of the country's offshore oil and gas wells are concentrated.

A measure, offered by Putnam and Rep. Lois Capps D-Calif., to continue the prohibition on drilling for natural gas — which some lawmakers argued was less of an environmental threat than oil — was approved 217-203 and inserted into a $25.9 billion Interior Department spending bill.

Earlier, the House, by a 279-141 vote, rejected an attempt by Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, to lift the long-standing moratorium as it applies to oil drilling.

The offshore drilling issue dominated much of the debate over the Interior spending legislation. The overall bill was approved 293-128 and sent to the Senate.

Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., argued that developing the offshore gas resources would produce none of the environmental risks — mainly the threat of a spill — associated with oil drilling. He won a victory when the drilling ban as it applies to natural gas was stripped from the Interior bill in committee.

"This country has an energy crisis," said Peterson, arguing that access to supplies of gas beneath the waters of the country's outer continental shelf will help drive down the cost of the fuel used widely by industry and for home heating.

"This is about the economy of America," said Peterson, noting that the chemical industry and makers of fertilizer as well as other industries are talking of moving operations overseas because of high U.S. natural gas prices.

But lawmakers from Florida, California and other coastal states attacked the attempt to end a 25-year prohibition. They said an oil spill could devastate their states' economies, especially tourism.

"Drilling for natural gas means drilling for oil," argued Capps, citing industry views that where there is gas, often oil is found and probably would be developed. "Drilling three miles off our coast will not lower gas prices today or anytime in the near future."

Peterson insisted that lifting the congressional moratorium wouldn't mean drilling right away. A separate drilling ban on offshore areas outside the western Gulf has been put in place by President Bush and would not be affected by the congressional action, he said.

But Capps said if Congress lifts its ban, there would be growing pressure on the White House to do the same.

The House, by a 252-165, approved a measure that would bar oil companies from receiving new oil leases unless they renegotiate past contracts that allowed them to avoid federal royalty payments even when oil prices soar.

The measure is aimed at correcting a mistake by the Interior Department that led to oil and gas lease contracts being issued in 1998-99 that allowed a suspension of royalty payments even after crude prices went beyond a set level. Since then, prices have soared well beyond that ceiling, but these companies still have been exempted from royalty payments, costing the government as much as $7 billion in lost revenues.

The House directed the Interior Department to try to renegotiate those contracts. While it does not require oil companies to renegotiate, the measure would put pressure on them to do so, its supporters said. "Energy companies have been taking oil and gas from the American people for free and then selling it back to them at record prices," said Rep. Maurice Hinchey (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., sponsor of the amendment.

In other action on the Interior bill, the House:

• Approved a restriction on road-building in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

• Barred the Interior Department from selling wild horses for slaughter as part of its wild horse and burro adoption program.

• Told the Environmental Protection Agency not to implement a 2003 directive the environmentalists contend reduces wetlands protection.

Separately, an attempt to debate climate change — and for the first time bring up for a vote the idea of mandatory caps on greenhouse gases — was averted when a "sense of Congress" resolution on the subject was ruled out of order as part of the Interior spending bill.

The climate provision offered by Rep. Norman Dicks (news, bio, voting record), D-Wash., would have put lawmakers on record as agreeing that human actions were contributing to global warming and that carbon emissions into the atmosphere should be limited.

The Senate approved a similar sentiment as part of an energy bill last year, but it was removed in negotiations with the House on the bill.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060519/ap_on_...congress_energy

[Jolie Rouge]

Despite Oil Crisis, Democrats AGAIN Block US Firms from Drilling!

This is just unbelievable and irresponsible!

Despite the fact that Castro announced last week that Cuba had stepped up work on 36 new oil wells in partnership with Chinese, among others, off the coast of Florida, Democrats blocked US firms again from drilling there!

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7050/620/1600/oil.jpg

So, instead of allowing the most environmentally responsible companies to operate there and increase our domestic supply, China, who has a dismal environmental record, is sucking close, lucrative oil reserves dry!

Unreal!

Democrats voted at 9:50 PM on Thursday May 18, 2006 to block US companies from drilling off the coastal United States. This vote passed even though China, with an awful environmental record, will be drilling for oil within 50-100 miles of America's shores. Cuba announced last week that 36 oil wells are in the works, already.

Here's the final vote results for Roll Call 170
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7050/620/1600/oil%20vote.jpg

(To kill the use of funds to drill in violation of the moritoriam on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf)

Democrats also led the House (279 to 141) to reject a provision that would lift a 25-year ban on oil drilling in coastal areas outside the western Gulf of Mexico. Roll Call 164

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Surprise!! voted against the drilling. This is the same Nancy Pelosi who said:

* On September 21, 2005- "Gas and oil prices are sky rocketing in our country. They are hurting consumers and they are hurting our economy, yet the Bush Administration is doing nothing to help."

* On November 8, 2005- (to House Speaker Dennis Hastert) "I hope you will join me and House Democrats in insisting that the House take three concrete measures that will provide Americans with relief from skyrocketing gas and home heating prices."

* Wednesday April 26, 2006- "Where have you been, Mr. President? The ... middle class squeeze is on, competition in our country is effected by the price of ... energy and of oil ... and all of a sudden you take a trip outside of Washington, see that the fact that the public is ... outraged about this, come home and make a speech. Let's see that matched in your budget, let's see that matched in your policy, let's see that matched in your separating yourself from your ... patron, Big Oil. Cut yourself off from that anvil that is holding ... your party down and this country down. Instead of coming to Washington and throwing your Republican colleagues under the wheels of the train, which they mightily deserve for being a rubber stamp for your obscene, corrupt policy of ripping off the American people."

Despite the crippling oil dependency of this country where we find ourselves bowing to the likes of the Marxist Hugo Chavez on a weekly basis

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7050/620/1600/oil2.jpg

the Democrats continue to block oil drilling and exploration by US firms!

The next time you see Speaker Pelosi's forehead shining from ranting about "throwing Republicans under the wheels of a train", let it remind you of the oil slicks washing up on the Florida Keys from the environmentally irresponsible Chinese companies drilling off our coast.

And , the next time you hear "Speaker" Pelosi blast the Bush Administration unchallenged by the media, be reminded of the consistent democratic history of blocking energy initiatives in this country!

Previously:
Thanks to Democratic "No Zones", the US Is in Grave Danger
It's Official, Cuba Hires China to Drill Oil Off Florida Coast

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2006/05/despite-oil-crisis-democrats-again.html

[Jolie Rouge]

But it should be noted that the Dems were joined by 59 Republicans.

Find 'em here. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll170.xml

[Jolie Rouge]

Cynicism, not altruism, is behind Chavez' oil 'gift'
Fri Jan 19, 8:23 AM ET

If not for his nation's mammoth oil reserves, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez would be just another in a long line of petty Latin American tyrants.

Chavez relishes the role of loud-mouthed international populist and provocateur. He attacked President Bush as "the devil" at the United Nations last year and calls regional leaders who disagree with him thieves and idiots.

In his drive for dominance over every aspect of Venezuelan life, Chavez wants to nationalize telecommunications, electricity and energy companies. He's jailed opponents, crushed press freedom and plans to withdraw the broadcast license of the nation's oldest television station. Re-elected last month, he wants the National Assembly to grant him the power to rule by decree and the right to rule indefinitely after his term expires in 2012.

Venezuela's oil wealth is the main reason the world pays much attention to this Fidel Castro acolyte. The fifth-largest oil exporting country, Venezuela supplies about 15% of U.S. oil imports. Chavez uses his nation's oil as a political weapon. He's "donated" billions of dollars to other nations in a campaign to export his socialist revolution and score propaganda points.

Chavez's behavior creates an image problem for Citgo, the U.S. arm of Venezuela's state-run oil company. So Citgo has offered 100 million gallons of discounted heating oil to help poor Americans get through the winter, much of it to be distributed through Citizens Energy Corp., a company run by former congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II.

Almost as cynical as the subsidized oil is the Citgo-funded advertising blitz featuring Kennedy as a self-promoting shill for the Chavez government. The TV commercials say the oil is made available "with help from our good friends in Venezuela" and tell people to call "1-877-JOE-4-OIL."

It's not entirely clear which "good friends" Kennedy is referring to. Chavez, who has called Bush "a genocidal murderer and a madman"? The Venezuelan people, whose natural resources Chavez is squandering?

Along with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Chavez lobbied unsuccessfully this week for cuts in Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries oil production. He'd happily drive up the price everyone pays, including millions of poor people who don't benefit from his discount heating oil.

The USA doesn't need handouts from Chavez, who acquires undeserved credibility by associating himself with the Kennedy name. In September, leaders of four Alaskan villages rejected an offer of free heating oil from Citgo. They saw Chavez's "gift" for what it is - a transparent effort to embarrass the United States.

For poor people struggling to heat their homes, alternatives are available. The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program spent $3 billion last year to help 4 million American households.

With any luck, Chavez will eventually implode from his megalomania and discredited economic policies. Meanwhile, his P.R. ploy underscores the need for the United States to wean itself off imported oil, which finances several of the world's worst regimes.

If the nation ever gets serious about energy independence, there will be another number for Chavez and his ilk: 1-800-GET-LOST.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20070119/cm_usatoday/cynicismnotaltruismisbehindchavezoilgift



Chavez to U.S.: 'Go to hell, gringos!'
By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER, Associated Press Writer
Sun Jan 21, 5:18 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez told U.S. officials to "Go to hell!" on his weekly radio and TV show Sunday for what he called unacceptable meddling after Washington raised concerns about a measure to grant Venezuela's fiery leftist leader broad lawmaking powers. The National Assembly, which is controlled by the president's political allies, is expected to give final approval this week to what it calls the "enabling law," which would give Chavez the authority to pass a series of laws by decree during an 18-month period.

On Friday, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said Chavez's plans under the law "have caused us some concern."

Chavez rejected Casey's statement in his broadcast, saying: "Go to hell, gringos! Go home!"

Chavez, who was re-elected by a wide margin last month, has said he will enact sweeping reforms to remake Venezuela into a socialist state. Among his plans are nationalizing the main telecommunications company and the electricity and natural gas sectors.

The president's opponents accuse him of using his political strength to expand his powers.

Relations between Caracas and Washington have been tense since Chavez was briefly ousted in a 2002 coup that he claimed the U.S. played a role in. The Bush administration has repeatedly denied being involved, although it recognized an interim government established by coup leaders.

Since then, Chavez has consistently accused the U.S. of conspiring to oust him and often asserts the CIA is working to destabilize his government. U.S. officials have denied trying to overthrow Chavez, but they have labeled him a threat to democracy.

Criticizing excessive consumption and self-indulgence, Chavez also announced plans in his broadcast to raise domestic gasoline prices and approve a new tax on luxury goods such as private yachts, second homes and extravagant automobiles.

He did not give details on the gas price hike, which he said would not affect bus drivers who provide public transportation, or the luxury tax. He said revenue from the new measures would be put toward government social programs. Venezuela is one of the world's leading petroleum exporters and gasoline now costs as little as 12 cents a gallon due to government subsidies.

In typical style, Chavez spoke for hours Sunday during his first appearance on the weekly program in five months. He sent his best wishes to the ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro, his close ally and friend who has been sidelined since intestinal surgery last summer.

Chavez also remarked on the hanging of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein: "They took out Saddam Hussein and they hanged him, for good or worse. It's not up to me to judge any government, but that gentleman was the president of that country."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070121/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_us

[Jolie Rouge]

Bush to lift executive ban on offshore drilling
By BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writer
3 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Putting pressure on congressional Democrats to back more exploration for oil, President Bush on Monday will lift an executive ban on offshore drilling that his stood since his father was president. But the move, by itself, will do nothing unless Congress acts as well.

The president plans to officially lift the ban and then explain his actions in a Rose Garden statement, White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

There are two prohibitions on offshore drilling, one imposed by Congress and another by executive order signed by former President Bush in 1990. The current president, trying to ease market tensions and boost supply, called last month for Congress to lift its prohibition before he did so himself.

But Perino said Bush no longer wants to wait. She pinned blame on the leaders of the Democratic Congress, noting that no action has been taken on this issue. Congressional Democrats, joined by some GOP lawmakers from coastal states, have opposed lifting the prohibition that has barred energy companies from waters along both the East and West coasts and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. A succession of presidents, from Bush's father — George H.W. Bush — to Bill Clinton, have sided against drilling in these waters, as has Congress each year for 27 years. Their goal has to been to protect beaches and coastal states' tourism economies.

"This proposal is something you'd expect from an oil company CEO, not the president of the United States," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Senate Environment Committee. "The president is taking special-interest government to a new level and threatening our thriving coastal economy."

Environmental groups, too, blasted Bush's move. "President Bush has once again ignored the wise precedent set by his father and taken reckless action that has neither hope of reducing gas prices nor concern for long-term consequences," said Gene Karpinski, president of The League of Conservation Voters.

Asked if Bush's action alone will lead to more oil drilling, Perino said, "In terms of allowing more exploration to go forward? No, it does not."

The president, in his final months of office, has turned to increased oil exploration among other options amid record gas-prices. None would have immediate impact on prices at the pump, according to White House officials, who say there is no quick fix. But starting action now would help, they say.

Bush's proposal echoes a call by Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, to open the Outer Continental Shelf for exploration. Democrat Barack Obama has opposed the idea and instead argued for helping consumers with a second economic stimulus package including energy rebates, as well as stepped up efforts to develop alternative fuels and more fuel-efficient automobiles. "If offshore drilling would provide short-term relief at the pump or a long-term strategy for energy independence, it would be worthy of our consideration, regardless of the risks," spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "But most experts, even within the Bush administration, concede it would do neither. It would merely prolong the failed energy policies we have seen from Washington for thirty years."

Congressional Democrats have rejected the push to lift the drilling moratorium, accusing the president of hoping the U.S. can drill its way out a problem.

Bush says offshore drilling could yield up to 18 billion barrels of oil over time, although it would take years for production to start. Bush also says offshore drilling would take pressure off prices over time. In addition, the president has proposed opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, lifting restrictions on oil shale leasing in the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming and easing the regulatory process to expand oil refining capacity.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other lawmakers have backed legislation to allow off-shore exploration. Their measure would pursue other ways to expand energy sources, too. "Now the only thing standing between consumers at the pump and the increased American energy they are demanding is the Democrat leadership in Congress," McConnell said. "We should act and act now."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080714/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush;_ylt=AkmxitsLvcqjwHxLAgmURFms0NUE

[Jolie Rouge]

President Bush Discusses Outer Continental Shelf Exploration
Rose Garden
1:27 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. Across the country, Americans are concerned about the high price of gasoline. Every one of our citizens who drives to work, or takes a family vacation, or runs a small business is feeling the squeeze of rising prices at the pump.

To reduce pressure on prices we must continue to implement good conservation policies, and we need to increase the supply of oil, especially here at home. For years, my administration has been calling on Congress to expand domestic oil production. Unfortunately, Democrats on Capitol Hill have rejected virtually every proposal -- and now Americans are paying at the pump. When members of Congress were home over the Fourth of July recess, they heard a clear message from their constituents: We need to take action now to expand domestic oil production.

One of the most important steps we can take to expand American oil production is to increase access to offshore exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf, or what's called the OCS. But Congress has restricted access to key parts of the OCS since the early 1980s. Experts believe that these restricted areas of the OCS could eventually produce nearly 10 years' worth of America's current annual oil production. And advances in technology have made it possible to conduct oil exploration in the OCS that is out of sight, protects coral reefs and habitats, and protects against oil spills.

Last month, I asked Congress to lift this legislative ban and allow the exploration and development of offshore oil resources. I committed to lift an executive prohibition on this exploration if Congress did so, tailoring my executive action to match what Congress passed. It's been almost a month since I urged Congress to act -- and they've done nothing. They've not moved any legislation. And as the Democratically-controlled Congress has sat idle, gas prices have continued to increase.

Failure to act is unacceptable. It's unacceptable to me and it's unacceptable to the American people. So today, I've issued a memorandum to lift the executive prohibition on oil exploration in the OCS. With this action, the executive branch's restrictions on this exploration have been cleared away. This means that the only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil resources is action from the U.S. Congress.

Now the ball is squarely in Congress' court. Democratic leaders can show that they have finally heard the frustrations of the American people by matching the action I've taken today, repealing the congressional ban, and passing legislation to facilitate responsible offshore exploration. This legislation must allow states to have a say in what happens off their shores, provides a way for the federal government and states to share new leasing revenues, and ensure the environment is protected.

This legislation should also take other essential steps to expand domestic production: Congress should clear the way for our nation to tap into the extraordinary potential of oil shale, which could provide Americans with domestic oil supplies that are equal to more than a century's worth of current oil imports. Congress should permit exploration in currently restricted areas of northern Alaska, which could produce roughly the equivalent of two decades of imported oil from Saudi Arabia. Congress should expand and enhance our domestic refining capacity, so that America will no longer have to import millions of barrels of fully-refined gasoline from abroad.

The time for action is now. This is a difficult period for millions of American families. Every extra dollar they have to spend because of high gas prices is one dollar less they can use to put food on the table or send a child to school. And they are rightly angered by Congress' failure to enact common-sense solutions. Today, I've taken every step within my power to allow offshore exploration of the OCS. All that remains is for the Democratic leaders in Congress to allow a vote. The American people are watching the numbers climb higher and higher at the pump -- and they're waiting to see what the Congress will do.

Thank you.

Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/07/20080714-4.html



[b]Fact Sheet: Allowing Offshore Exploration to Help Address Rising Fuel Costs
President Bush Lifts An Executive Ban On Oil Exploration In America's Outer Continental Shelf And Calls On Congress To Lift Its Legislative Ban

Today, President Bush lifted an executive ban on producing oil from the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This means that the only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil resources is action from the Democratically controlled Congress. To reduce pressure on prices, President Bush recognizes the need to increase the supply of oil – especially here at home. For years, his Administration has called on Congress to expand domestic oil production. Unfortunately, Democrats on Capitol Hill have rejected virtually every proposal – and now Americans are paying the price. When Members of Congress were home for the Fourth of July recess, they heard a clear message from their constituents: take action now to expand domestic oil production.

Increased Access To Offshore Exploration In The OCS Is One Of The Most Important Steps To Expand American Oil Production

Experts believe that OCS areas under leasing prohibitions could produce about 18 billion barrels of oil. We will not know for certain until exploration is allowed. The problem is that Congress has restricted access to much of the OCS since the early 1980s. Since then, advances in technology have made it possible to conduct oil exploration in the OCS that is out of sight, protects coral reefs and habitats, and protects against oil spills. With these advances – and the dramatic increase in oil prices – these Congressional restrictions have become outdated and counterproductive.

Last month, President Bush asked the Democratic Congress to lift this legislative ban and allow the exploration and development of offshore oil resources. He committed to lift an executive restriction on this exploration if Congress did so, tailoring his executive action to match what Congress passed. However, it has been almost a month since he urged Congress to act – and the Democratic leadership has done nothing. They have not moved any legislation, and as Congress has sat idle, gas prices have continued to increase.

This failure to act is unacceptable to American citizens – and it is unacceptable to President Bush. So today, he has issued a memorandum to lift the executive prohibition on oil exploration in the OCS. With this action, executive branch restrictions on this exploration have been cleared away, except for areas within existing marine sanctuaries. Areas near Florida are also off limits until 2022 under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act.

This is a difficult period for millions of American families. They are rightly angered by Congress' failure to enact common-sense solutions. Today, President Bush has taken every step within his power to allow offshore exploration of the OCS. All that remains is for Democratic leaders in Congress to allow a vote.

The Time For Democrats In Congress To Act Is Now

Democratic leaders can show that they have finally heard the frustrations of the American people by matching the action President Bush has taken today, repealing the Congressional ban, and passing legislation to facilitate responsible offshore exploration. This legislation must allow States to have a say in what happens off their shores, provide a way for the Federal Government and States to share new leasing revenues, and ensure the environment is protected.

Republicans in Congress have proposed several promising bills that would lift the legislative ban on oil exploration in the OCS. President Bush calls on the House and Senate to pass such good legislation as soon as possible.

This legislation should also take essential steps to expand domestic production from oil shale and in Alaska and to increase refining capacity. Congress should clear the way for our Nation to tap into the extraordinary potential of oil shale – which could provide Americans with domestic oil supplies that are equal to more than a century's worth of current oil imports. Congress should permit exploration in currently restricted areas of northern Alaska – which could produce roughly the equivalent of two decades of imported oil from Saudi Arabia. Finally, Congress should enable the expansion of our domestic refining capacity – so that America will no longer have to import millions of barrels of fully refined gasoline from abroad.

These Proposals Will Take Years To Have Their Full Impact, So We Should Move Quickly

For the long run, we are dealing with the demand for oil by promoting alternative energy technologies. President Bush's Administration has worked with Congress to invest in gas-saving technologies like advanced batteries and hybrid vehicles, mandated a large expansion in the use of alternative fuels, and raised fuel efficiency standards to ambitious new levels. With all these steps, we are bringing America closer to the day when we can significantly reduce our reliance on oil.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/07/20080714-7.html

[Jolie Rouge]

McCain promotes drilling for oil off US coast
By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer
27 minutes ago

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Republican John McCain said Monday that drilling for oil off the U.S. coast is an essential part of any plan to lower gas prices and reduce dependence on foreign sources, and he criticized Democrat Barack Obama for opposing it. "We all know that a comprehensive solution is wind, tide, solar, all the other things all of us believe in," McCain told reporters after touring San Joaquin Facilities Management, an oil company in the California desert that yields 1,100 barrels a day. "In the meantime, as we develop all of these alternate sources of energy, it will be vital that we continue oil production at a high level, including offshore drilling."

McCain called Obama the "Dr. No" of energy. But McCain once was too.

Just last month, McCain reversed himself after years of opposition and called for lifting the federal ban on oil drilling off the U.S. coast. The Arizona senator promotes energy development as a way to boost the economy, and a recent poll found many voters are open to offshore drilling as a way to ease gasoline prices.

But McCain's views could be troublesome in California, which has seen its share of catastrophic offshore oil spills. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a McCain ally, opposes such drilling and in a television interview indicated he would be open one day to serving as the "energy czar" in an Obama administration.

Obama opposes drilling in U.S. coastal waters, and says allowing exploration now wouldn't affect gasoline prices for at least five years. Spokesman Hari Sevugan said Obama's energy program would, among other things, force oil companies to drill in areas they've already leased from the government.

McCain also insisted the technology exists to quickly bring oil produced offshore to market, even as the federal government has estimated it would take years for new offshore oil exploration to yield results.

McCain has said governors should have the right to veto proposed drilling off their state coasts. Some, including Republican Charlie Crist of Florida, have said they would support such drilling.

Last week, McCain's campaign scrapped a visit to an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Dolly bore down on Louisiana. The campaign cited weather for the cancellation, which also came after a Liberian tanker spilled 419,000 gallons of oil into the Mississippi River outside New Orleans.

At a campaign fundraising luncheon Monday, McCain said a comprehensive energy plan, including his proposal to suspend the federal gasoline tax for the summer, would bring the greatest relief to low-income citizens hardest hit by high gas prices.

McCain was in California to attend several fundraisers.

In San Francisco, he reiterated his support for an Arizona ballot initiative overturning the state's affirmative action programs. And he straddled the question of whether he would support a California measure banning same sex marriage.

McCain said he opposed same sex marriage but believed it was up to states to establish marriage laws. Last month, the California Supreme Court cleared the way for gay couples to marry in the state. "I do not believe what is decided in California should be imposed on my state of Arizona," McCain said.


On the Net: McCain: http://www.johnmccain.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_energy;_ylt=Ajjho6KMMCDiUSVWIwOgT4.GOrgF

[Jolie Rouge]

Obama shifts, says he may back offshore drilling
By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 56 minutes ago

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling if that's what it takes to enact a comprehensive policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and develop alternate energy sources.

Shifting from his previous opposition to expanded offshore drilling, the Illinois senator told a Florida newspaper he could get behind a compromise with Republicans and oil companies to prevent gridlock over energy.

Republican rival John McCain, who earlier dropped his opposition to offshore drilling, has been criticizing Obama on the stump and in broadcast ads for clinging to his opposition as gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon. Polls indicate these attacks have helped McCain gain ground on Obama.

"My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post.

"If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage — I don't want to be so rigid that we can't get something done."

Asked about Obama's comment, McCain said, "We need oil drilling and we need it now offshore. He has consistently opposed it. He has opposed nuclear power. He has opposed reprocessing. He has opposed storage." The GOP candidate said Obama doesn't have a plan equal to the nation's energy challenges.

In Congress, both parties have fought bitterly over energy policy for weeks, with Republicans pressing for more domestic oil drilling and Democrats railing about oil company profits. Despite hundreds of hours of House and Senate floor debate, lawmakers will leave Washington for their five-week summer hiatus this week with an empty tank.

"The Republicans and the oil companies have been really beating the drums on drilling," Obama said in the Post interview. "And so we don't want gridlock. We want to get something done."

Later, Obama issued a written statement warmly welcoming a proposal sent to Senate leaders Friday by 10 senators — five from each party. Their proposal seeks to break the impasse over offshore oil development and is expected to be examined more closely in September after Congress returns from its summer recess.

The so-called Gang of 10 plan would lift drilling bans in the eastern Gulf of Mexico within 50 miles of Florida's beaches and in the South Atlantic off Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia, but only if a state agrees to the oil and gas development along its coast. The states would share in revenues from oil and gas development.

Drilling bans along the Pacific coast and the Northeast would remain in place under this compromise.

The plan also includes energy initiatives Obama has endorsed. "It would repeal tax breaks for oil companies so that we can invest billions in fuel-efficient cars, help our automakers re-tool, and make a genuine commitment to renewable sources of energy like wind power, solar power, and the next generation of clean, affordable biofuels," Obama noted.

"Like all compromises, it also includes steps that I haven't always supported," Obama conceded. "I remain skeptical that new offshore drilling will bring down gas prices in the short-term or significantly reduce our oil dependence in the long-term, though I do welcome the establishment of a process that will allow us to make future drilling decisions based on science and fact."

Nevertheless, Obama said the plan, put forward by mostly moderates and conservatives led by Sens. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., "represents a good faith effort at a new bipartisan beginning."

Earlier in the day, Obama pushed for a windfall profits tax to fund $1,000 emergency rebate checks for consumers besieged by high energy costs, a counter to McCain's call for more offshore drilling.

The pitch for putting some of the economic burden of $4-a-gallon gasoline on the oil industry served a dual purpose for Obama: It allowed him to talk up an economic issue, seen by many as a strength for Democrats and a weakness for Republicans, and at the same time respond to criticism from McCain that Obama's opposition to offshore drilling leads to higher prices at the pump.

In linking McCain to the unpopular President Bush, Obama struck a theme from Ronald Reagan's successful 1980 campaign against President Jimmy Carter by asking a town-hall audience in St. Petersburg: "Do you think you are better off than you were four years ago or eight years ago? If you aren't better off, can you afford another four years?"

Obama primed the crowd by noting new government figures showing 51,000 jobs lost last month and citing 460,000 jobs lost over the last seven months. He tied other bad economic news from the Bush administration to McCain and offered his energy program as one route to relief.

"This rebate will be enough to offset the increased cost of gas for a working family over the next four months," Obama said during a two-day campaign swing in Florida. "It will be enough to cover the entire increase in your heating bills. Or you could use the rebate for any of your other bills, or even to pay down your own debt."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080801/ap_on_el_pr/obama;_ylt=Ai7PL_QLNsgdcBtXcmpkuYSs0NUE

[Jolie Rouge]

Ready to Rule on Day One!
November 10, 2008 Posted by John at 7:58 PM

So says Valerie Jarrett, co-chair of Barack Obama's transition team. Part of Obama's "ruling" will be a quick succession of executive orders, news reports indicate. High on the list will be an order reversing President Bush's order that cleared the way for expanded offshore drilling.

The price of gasoline and heating oil has dropped off the radar screen somewhat as a political issue, but blocking the development of domestic energy reserves is absurdly short-sighted. As soon as the economy rebounds, so will the price of petroleum, and the high cost of energy will brake the recovery that is sure to come in the next 12 months. The Democrats must know this, but to the victors go the spoils, and the Dems have little choice, apparently, but to reward the interest groups who financed their victory.

Still, poll data indicate that even most Democrats favor more offshore drilling, so Obama's order will be a sop to the hard environmental left, not the Democratic base as a whole. Which explains why Obama will issue the order: in September, before the financial crisis took center stage and when John McCain was making energy a centerpiece of his campaign, Congressional Democrats let the statutory ban on offshore drilling expire.

By issuing an executive order banning development of this critical source of domestic energy, Obama will take the Democrats in Congress off the hook. They won't have to take the blame for the economic havoc wreaked by their party's fealty to the hysterical wing of the environmental movement. Obama figures, perhaps, that in four years no one will remember the implicit tax that he placed on everyone who drives a car, heats a home, or buys products in stores.

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2008/11/022047.php

[SurferGirl]

Sometimes you would think these politicians are getting a great big kickback from the Arab countries. it's not just the oil drilling, it's now they don't want wind energy because it will spoil their view. They seem to be against anything that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

I wonder if Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid get big kickbacks. I sure don't trust either one of them. All they want to do is turn us into a socialist country.
They don't care if the average person can afford to drive to work as long as they can fly around in their private jets.

[gmyers]

Makes you wonder doesn't it. I bet the oil industry lobbies them big time. Thats why they never go for anything that would help us be less dependent on oil.

[DrHolliday]

Sometimes you would think these politicians are getting a great big kickback from the Arab countries. it's not just the oil drilling, it's now they don't want wind energy because it will spoil their view. They seem to be against anything that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

I wonder if Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid get big kickbacks. I sure don't trust either one of them. All they want to do is turn us into a socialist country.
They don't care if the average person can afford to drive to work as long as they can fly around in their private jets.

I understand where you are coming from. Sometimes you'd prefer that they were corrupt and not moronic. However, I think it is the latter.