From The Emails For Friday 052308

Senator Bill Nelson on Drilling Our Own Oil

Hey folks,

As you know, this past week has been more show. That is all it is. A show. Congress has Big Oil up there talking about the oil prices. It really is easy to blame Big Oil. I really do not, but I know many of you do. I DO blame the speculators. I do blame those that will push the price, which is already far from supply and demand, to the breaking point. But I MOSTLY blame the environmental wackos and the LWL {Far Left Wing Loonies} that have prevented us from drilling our own.

Now I know you have already heard the fact that in just one place in our own country, we have more oil than the Saudis. That is just one location. There are MANY. We could be completely energy independent if we would just go get our own. But nope.

All through this show hearing, every Senator said the same thing. More oil lowers prices. So what is the problem with getting our own? I got this in the Emails on Wednesday

May 21, 2008

Dear Peter,

I wanted to share with you an op-ed I wrote that was published in today’s Tallahassee Democrat. Last week in the Senate, we fought off another attempt by the oil companies to end the ban on offshore drilling in Florida and other environmentally sensitive areas. I published this piece because I want to remind Floridians and all Americans just what’s at stake if we allow the oil companies to have their way.

OK, {Sigh} Here it is. I will comment after. I really will refrain until the end so you can get the full effect. Even though the very first paragraph is moronic. The third really Ticks me off. The forth is sheer BS. Never mind, just read.

Drilling off Florida isn't the answer

Bill Nelson
My View

May 21, 2008

Start drilling. Put those oil rigs off the protected beaches of Florida and in the preserved wilds of Alaska.

In essence, that is what Washington Post columnist Robert J. Samuelson urged in an April 30 column.

Drilling, right away, in environmentally protected areas was a centerpiece of Samuelson's solution to rising gasoline prices. To oppose drilling in protected areas, he said, is "sheer stupidity" and "prejudice against oil companies."

That's the same thing the oil companies say every time there is a spike in gas prices. They cling to their own long-term remedy that would expose Florida's entirely beach-and-tourism-driven economy to ruination.

Last week, the oil companies made two new end-runs in the Senate, trying to bust the long-standing ban on coastal drilling. Once again their supporters cited the high gasoline prices. Even though we stopped them by a half-dozen votes, they'll certainly be back — and, soon.

Against this backdrop I want to make clear that any oil still deep in the ground has no direct link — none — to today's pump prices. Any oil in the ground won't be in the marketplace for some 10 years. Further, the oil companies that want to drill much closer to our shores already have leases on 33 million other acres where they haven't even started drilling yet.

More importantly — no matter what anybody says or writes — the U.S. has only 3 percent of the world's oil reserves while it uses 25 percent of the global supply.

In other words — and I'm using Samuelson's terminology here — it's "sheer stupidity" to think the U.S. can drill its way out of an energy crisis. We as a nation are hooked on oil; and, drilling along our shores or in wildlife preserves won't break the habit.

By the way, one of the main reasons oil prices have gone up sharply in recent years is volatility in major producer nations, such as Iraq and Iran.

History reflects similar spikes circa 1973 with an OPEC oil embargo related to the Yom Kippur War, 1979 with the Iranian revolution, 1990 with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the first Gulf War, and since 2003 with the war in Iraq concomitant with increasing Asian demand.

More drilling along protected U.S. coasts and in bays and harbors won't stabilize Iraq or guarantee Saudi Arabia's long-term friendship. Nor will it end the unregulated speculation that has driven the price of oil to more than $126 a barrel — when the price based on present supplies and demand should be no more than $55 per barrel, according to an industry leader's testimony before Congress.

That means the law of supply and demand has been broken; and, we're paying an extra $71 per barrel that enriches speculators.

So, what to do?

Well, the U.S. failed in the 1970s to enact a real energy program to get us off oil. Result: Brazil runs on ethanol today, not the U.S.; Germany leads the world in solar power, not the U.S.

Meantime, the oil companies are awash in record profits — more than $155 billion last year alone — and not spending enough on refineries or alternative energy, while consumers are getting gouged at the pump.

Even worse, it took the U.S. more than 30 years to raise mileage standards on cars and trucks to a paltry 35 miles per gallon. Most of Europe — and the cars that U.S.-based manufacturers sell there — already averages 43 miles per gallon. Japan is approaching 50 miles per gallon.

In other words, we are wasting billions of gallons of oil.

So, again, what to do?

Fifty percent of the oil we use goes into our transportation. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to realize this is where we must focus.

First, we must enact serious conservation measures, such as 40 miles per gallon for our vehicles, and, provide bigger tax breaks for hybrid cars.

Second, the government — led by the next president — must enact a national energy program to transition us from gasoline to alternative and synthetic fuels to power much of our transportation. President Kennedy led us to conquer the bounds of Earth within a decade.

We must act with the same urgency. And, while we are at it, we are going to have to make ethanol from things we don't eat.

And while we are at that, we are going to have to pay attention to how we power not just our cars and trucks, but our homes and industry. We are going to need to develop solar, wind and thermal energy, and safer nuclear power.

This is what our presidential candidates must pledge in place of drilling in protected areas.

Start drilling? Sheer stupidity.

THIS WHOLE THING IS NOTHING BUT SHEER STUPIDITY!

I do not even know where to start. I know this is going to go long but this NEEDS to be addressed.

First, the Senator wrote "Put those oil rigs off the protected beaches of Florida and in the preserved wilds of Alaska." Off the protected beaches IS the point. WAY off them. They will not be effected at all. I know he would probably give you the same old "What if" argument. What if there is an accident? A leak? ETC. What if an asteroid hit us tomorrow? As for Alaska. We are not even talking about a space big enough to matter. In reality, the Caribou are THRIVING because of the "evil" Pipeline that was put there. They LOVE it. Lets start putting things into perspective Senator.

Then this. "To oppose drilling in protected areas, he said, is "sheer stupidity" and "prejudice against oil companies." Yes, it IS sheer stupidity. To have resources that we can use, yet still refuse to use them, creating the situation we have now, then complaining about it, IS sheer stupidity. It is not prejudice against big oil, it is putting the myth of saving the wild life ahead of taking care of HUMAN BEINGS.

"They cling to their own long-term remedy that would expose Florida's entirely beach-and-tourism-driven economy to ruination."

What a pile of BS. HOW would getting our natural resources "expose Florida's entirely beach-and-tourism-driven economy to ruination?" It will not. Care to explain more?

"Against this backdrop I want to make clear that any oil still deep in the ground has no direct link — none — to today's pump prices. Any oil in the ground won't be in the marketplace for some 10 years." Then he wrote this. "History reflects similar spikes circa 1973 with an OPEC oil embargo related to the Yom Kippur War, 1979 with the Iranian revolution, 1990 with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the first Gulf War, and since 2003 with the war in Iraq concomitant with increasing Asian demand." 1973? Do the math. If we learned our lesson THEN, we would not be in the situation now. If we started the process back then. We would not even be using foreign oil at all. But we didn't because a few idiots decided that Americans are not worth it. Right?

"More importantly — no matter what anybody says or writes — the U.S. has only 3 percent of the world's oil reserves while it uses 25 percent of the global supply." Care to prove that? Seriously, this is a completely bogus statement.

"Well, the U.S. failed in the 1970s to enact a real energy program to get us off oil. Result: Brazil runs on ethanol today, not the U.S.; Germany leads the world in solar power, not the U.S." We could be going into our 40th year of using our own resources also. Are you really talking about technology that is not going to be effect nor affordable for another 10 to 20 years?

"First, we must enact serious conservation measures, such as 40 miles per gallon for our vehicles, and, provide bigger tax breaks for hybrid cars."

Raise taxes.

"Second, the government — led by the next president — must enact a national energy program to transition us from gasoline to alternative and synthetic fuels to power much of our transportation. President Kennedy led us to conquer the bounds of Earth within a decade."

Not for years. It will take longer to do this than drill. So THIS plan has NO direct link — none — to today's pump prices. So what do you suggest we do now?

"We must act with the same urgency. And, while we are at it, we are going to have to make ethanol from things we don't eat."

{Sigh} I know you are really not this ignorant Senator. Ethanol is causing riots. Ethanol is causing food prices to skyrocket. Ethanol is MORE of a pollutant than OIL. To say ethanol is the answer IS sheer stupidity.

"And while we are at that, we are going to have to pay attention to how we power not just our cars and trucks, but our homes and industry. We are going to need to develop solar, wind and thermal energy, and safer nuclear power."

Did you really just write that? "Safer nuclear power." We agree on that.

"Start drilling? Sheer stupidity."

No Senator, remaining dependant on those that hate us, and NOT taken care of our own when we can, THAT is sheer stupidity.
Peter




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