Fracking: An existential threat to green dogma

Misleading claims about shale gas development serve dogma but not the public interest

The Sierra Club and other environmental pressure groups are redoubling their efforts to “stop fracking in its tracks.” No wonder. The technology is an existential threat to fundamental “green” dogmas.

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing is a true “game changer.” In less than two years, this proven but still rapidly advancing technology has obliterated longstanding claims that we are running out of petroleum. Instead, the USA now finds itself blessed with centuries of oil and gas.

Thankfully, much of it is on state and private lands, which cannot easily be locked up by federal diktat.

Poland and Estonia are using it, China has invited companies to the Middle Kingdom, Britain, Israel and Jordan are evaluating their shale deposits, and other nations are following suit – coaxing oil and natural gas from shale and other rock formations that previously had refused to yield their hydrocarbon riches.

By making more natural gas available, fracking has reduced the US price for this clean-burning fuel to under $3 per thousand cubic feet (or million Btu), compared to a peak of $8 a few years ago.

Natural gas is also supplanting coal for electricity generation. Due to excessive, mostly unnecessary new Environmental Protection Agency regulations, many US coal-fired power plants are shutting down. Replacement plants are far more likely to be gas-powered than nuclear, especially in the near term.

Natural gas makes heating and electricity more affordable for families, hospitals, government buildings and businesses; feed stocks less expensive for makers of plastics, paints, fabrics and other petrochemical products; and the prospect of natural gas-power vehicles more enticing, without mandates or subsidies. That translates into thousands of jobs created or saved.

Companies are keeping chemical plants open that were slated to close, due to soaring prices for oil that they now can readily replace with cheap natural gas. Shell plans to build a $2-biillion ethane “cracking” plant near Pittsburgh – creating 10,000 construction jobs and 10,000 permanent jobs – thanks to abundant gas from Marcellus Shale. Louisiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and other states are reporting subsidy-free employment and revenue gains from shale gas development. More are likely to follow, as companies seek new ways to capitalize on access to abundant, inexpensive, reliable gas.

Natural gas also provides essential backup power for wind turbines. Without such backup, electricity generation from these projects would plummet to zero 70-80% of the time, affecting assembly lines, computers, televisions, air conditioners and other electrical equipment dozens of times every day.

Even harder for environmentalists to accept, cheap natural gas also makes it harder to justify building redundant wind turbines that require large subsidies to generate far more expensive electricity only 5-8 hours a day, on average, while killing large numbers of raptors, migratory birds and bats. It makes more sense to simply build the gas turbines, and forget about the mostly useless wind turbines.

Fracking is also unlocking oil in the vast Bakken Shale formations beneath Montana, North Dakota and Saskatchewan. Oil production there has shot from 3,000 barrels a day in 2006 to nearly 500,000 today – creating thousands of jobs … and a growing need for the Keystone XL pipeline to Texas.

In response, eco-activists are spreading unfounded fears about this proven technology. Using words like “reckless,” “dangerous” and “poisonous,” they say unregulated fracking companies are operating with little concern for ecological values and causing cancer, earthquakes and groundwater contamination.

The claims have fanned borderline hysteria in some quarters and prompted Maryland, New York and other states to launch drawn-out studies or impose moratoria that will postpone drilling and the benefits it would bring. Facts are sorely needed.

Drilling and fracking have been carefully and effectively regulated by states for decades. As studies by the University of Texas and various state agencies have documented, there has never been a confirmed case of groundwater contamination due to fracking. Even EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson acknowledged that to a congressional panel.

These analysts, drilling companies and even an Environmental Defense expert now say fracking has not played a role in any of the rare cases where methane has gotten into drinking water.

Instead, the cause has generally been a failure of “well integrity” – the result of improper cementing between the well borehole and the steel “casing” and pipes that go down through aquifers and thousands of feet deeper into gas-laden shale formations. Similar failures occur in water wells drilled through rock formations containing methane (natural gas).

The solution is straightforward: better standards and procedures for cementing vertical pipes in place, and testing them initially and periodically to ensure there are no leaks.

Similarly, fracking fluids fail to match the “toxic” and “cancerous” opprobrium alleged by anti-drilling campaigns. Over 99.5% of the fluids is water and sand. The other 0.5% is chemicals to keep sand particles suspended in the liquid, fight bacterial growth and improve gas production.

Although industrial chemicals were once used, almost all of today’s are vegetable oil and chemicals used in cheese, beer, canned fish, dairy desserts, shampoo, and other food and cosmetic products.

As to “earthquakes,” barely detectable “tremors” have occasionally been measured near fracking operations and wastewater disposal injection wells. However, calling these snap, crackle and pop noises and movements “earthquakes” is akin to screaming “Earthquake!” when a cement truck goes by.

Despite these facts, EPA is nevertheless trying to invent problems and inject itself into already vigilant and responsive state regulatory efforts. The agency has conducted a roundly criticized study in Wyoming and is conducting water tests in Pennsylvania, where state officials view its activities as unnecessary meddling.

Additional over-reach and over-regulation would be hugely detrimental to US and global well-being. Fracking could help create numerous jobs and provide a far more secure, affordable, dependable and lower-pollution future than would ever be possible with wind or solar power.

By expanding oil and gas development, it could make North America the world’s new energy hub. Middle East sheiks, mullahs and OPEC ministers would lose economic, political and strategic power. Threats of Russian pipeline closures would no longer intimidate Eastern European countries. Politicians everywhere would waste less money on “renewable” energy T-Boonedoggles.

Unfortunately, though, fear campaigns are preventing some of America’s poorest counties and families from enjoying the economic benefits of Marcellus Shale development.

Baltimore’s Sage Policy Group calculated that fracking in western Maryland could reduce energy costs, create thousands of jobs, and generate millions of dollars annually in revenue for the state and Allegany and Garrett Counties. Similar studies in New York and elsewhere have reached similar conclusions.

Hydraulic fracturing technologies are proven. Regulations to protect drinking water are in place and improving steadily, as cementing and other legitimate concerns are recognized and addressed.

North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Poland and Israel are showing the way forward.

Communities that have not yet opened their doors to responsible drilling, fracking and production need to replace anti-hydrocarbon agendas and fears with facts, optimism and science-based regulations.

Paul Driessen

We Have It, They Admit It, However, We Can't Use IT.

This is a GREAT Article.

Hey folks,

Happy Tuesday to ya. This is a GREAT Article. It really is. Just one problem, which it even admits. It's by News Chief - What U.S. energy crisis? Published: Monday, March 26, 2012 at 6:28 a.m.

Every election year, the politicians take malicious delight in panicking Americans with lurid predictions of an imminent energy crisis: We're running out of oil. We're running out of natural gas. The oil sheikhs will be dictating how we run the country.

The solution, of course, is always to elect the politicians making the charges. It's all nonsense.

OK remember this. To say we need to Elect a Politician to CHANGE Obama's Energy Policies is nonsense? We will look at this again in a few seconds.

A March 20 Wall Street Journal commentary by Citi's top commodities researcher, Ed Morse, contends that "in energy, North America is becoming the new Middle East."

That might have been an overstatement, but not by much.

The U.S. and Canada's proven reserves of oil and natural gas are increasing at rates that would have been considered fantasy only a few years ago.

The conservative calculations of the Energy Information Administration said oil reserves increased 8.6 percent from December 2008 to December 2009 and natural gas reserves rose 11.3 percent — and those were economically down years when exploration would presumably slow down.

Natural gas reserves reached their highest level since 1971.

Proven reserves are those that the EIA deems reasonably recoverable given existing technology and economic conditions.

Of course, the technology is constantly improving and high demand makes the recovery profitable.

And then there are new discoveries, like the Bakken Field underlying almost all of North Dakota and parts of South Dakota and Montana. It is estimated to hold 481 billion barrels of oil.

Indeed, because of our refining capacity, the United States became a net petroleum exporter last year for the first time since 1949.

In The Wall Street Journal, Morse writes, "The United States has become the fastest-growing oil and gas producer in the world, and it is likely to remain so for the rest of this decade and into the 2020s."

Now this is true. However, a bit misleading. This is IN SPITE of Obama's War on Energy. His outright hostility to anything Oil, Natural Gas, and Coal. IN SPITE of Obama standing in the way, we have been able to do this. Imagine what we could do if he would get OUT of the way.

Canada is enjoying a similar boom in production and explorations. And one can hope that the overregulation and underinvestment restricting production in Mexico and Venezuela won't last forever.

We would profit greatly from and WITH them if Obama would allow the Keystone Pipeline to be fully built. He is NOT. HE is standing in the way of this also.

In the United States, it would help if the federal government wouldn't get distracted by uneconomic and wasteful incentives for ethanol, electric cars, wind mills that chop up great numbers of birds for tiny contributions to the electricity grid and schemes for extracting fuel from random plants.

OBAMA!

The government's efforts should be directed to research, investment and regulation to insure that this energy, which our economy must have, is extracted cleanly and safely.

The "new Middle East" sounds pretty good energy-wise, but we'd just as soon skip the political turmoil. With the coming election, we have a surplus of our own.

OK, so? "The solution, of course, is always to elect the politicians making the charges. It's all nonsense?" THAT is nonsense. It is OBAMA that said the Coal Industry would go Bankrupt, and he was proud about that. It is Obama that said he likes $4.00 plus a gallon Gas. It is HIS Administration that said we need to find a way to INCREASE our Gas Prices to those of Europe. They have of course backed off that. It is OBAMA that put into place Moratoriums both actual and de facto, that have cost America hundreds of thousands of Jobs. It IS Obama standing in the way of the Keystone Pipeline. Oh, he attempted to take credit for that of which he could not stop if he wanted to, and what he has no say on, but he IS blocking the Majority of it for no other reason than Politics.

It IS OBAMA who keeps throwing hundreds of Billions of Dollars into Companies that do nothing but line the Pockets of their CEO's, fire Employees, produce NOTHING, and go out of business. No folks, it's NOT nonsense. It's FACT! We need someone in Office that understands REALITY, and is committed to doing what we need to do. Forget the Gas Prices, that we KNOW from History WILL go down. Forget the new Jobs it WILL create, that we know from History. We are talking nearly if not more than a TRILLION dollars in NEW REVENUE that it WILL generate. We have a President that just says no. While saying NO, continues to spend more money. Think about that.
Peter

Obama Administration Continues to Lie About Gas Prices

This is plain Pathetic.

Hey folks,

This really is just plain pathetic. It really is. Obama comes out and outright LIES about his Energy Policy. I mean completely LIES about it. According to Obama on WHO-TV, Eyeball 13 news, Monday night, said this...

Our oil production right now is higher than at any time in the last eight years. We've seen more new rigs go up. We're opening up millions of acres to oil exploration, and so the issue here is not that we're not drilling enough.

NONE of this is TRUE. You Mr. President, are the one the imposed a ridiculous and pointless Moratorium in the Gulf. Rigs packed up and went home. Well, elsewhere. Causing hundreds of thousands of lost Jobs. YOU Mr. President, are the one that continues to STALL the Permitting Process, and STILL refuse new Drilling where we KNOW Oil is. YOU Mr. President, are the one that has been attacking Oil, Coal, Natural Gas, and YOU are the one Mr. President, that just said no to the Keystone Pipeline that would have created Tens of, if not Hundreds of Thousands of NEW JOBS. YOU blocked the Decrease of Dependency, and INCREASED Revenue. Not to mention bringing Energy Costs DOWN. YOU did all these things.

The problem is we only have 2% of the world's oil reserves and we use 20% of the world's oil.

Patently Absurd and an outright Lie.

Obviously what we want to do is to get gas prices as low as we can, as quickly as we can, but the most important thing in order to do that is to reduce our demand on oil.

This one is just convoluted to say the least. We are doing all we can to increase Oil Production but this is BAD and we need to get AWAY from Oil? Does that make any sense to you whatsoever? He continued..

I think the American people understand that, you know, we don't have a silver bullet when it comes to gas prices, but they're hurting right now.

No Mr. President. The American people KNOW we CAN do something about it. YOU are the one standing in the way.

You know, it's like a tax on your paycheck every time you fill up. And so what I've instructed my team to do, we're looking at every single thing we can do from relieving bottlenecks to try to see if we can impact internationally how the oil markets are operating. Ultimately, though, the single most important thing we can do is reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and the fact that we've reduced our dependence by about a million barrels a day, that over time is gonna have a big impact.

Alright, I'm done with the Liar and Chief on this issue. They are NOT looking for ways to reduce our Dependency on FOREIGN Oil. The way you do that is produce more DOMESTIC Oil. There is NOTHING to switch to. All your so called GREEN Energy Jobs are going away, because there is NOTHING to switch to. From Wind Companies, to Solar, to now even Battery Companies, once the Federal Money dries up and goes away, so do they. After the Executives line their pocket and contribute some back to Obama and Crew.

Then you have Chu. Remember him? He said we need to find a way to RAISE Gas Prices to EUROPEAN Prices. He is the US Energy Secretary. Remember, back in 08, Obama said he LIKES $4.00 a gallon gas. Just wished it got there slower. Then his Energy Sec. said we need to find a way, even if through Taxation, to raise Gas Prices. Well, now he changes his tune. According to

CNS News - Energy Secretary Renounces Call For Higher Gas Prices By Craig Bannister March 13, 2012

Under questioning by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) today, Energy Sec. Steven Chu renounced his previous call for higher gas prices.

“Since I walked in the door, as secretary of energy, I’ve been doing everything in our powers to do what we can to reduce these gas prices,” Sec. Chu told the Senate hearing.

As we know is a COMPLETE Lie.

Sen. Lee then asked Chu: “Are you saying that you no longer share the view that we need to figure out how to boost gasoline prices in America?”

“I no longer share that view,” Sec. Chu said.

Because Obama slapped me upside my head and said you better not tell the truth about this. It's an election year. Now go lie. We're dying here.

Sen. Lee then followed up: “But, you did then, but you don’t now?”

“When I became secretary of energy, I represented the U.S. government, and I think now in this economic very slow return, these prices could well affect the comeback of our economy and we’re very worried about that,” Chu replied.

NO they are not. What they are very worried about is your VOTE!

“So, of course we don’t want the price of gasoline to go up; we want it to go down,” Chu concluded.

Earlier, Sen. Lee questioned Chu’s ability to empathize with the average American’s plight at the pump:

“I don’t know how much driving you, personally do, yourself. So. You may not personally be feeling the gouge at the pump. But, I assure you that hundreds of millions of hard-working Americans do feel this.”

Chu, of course, is chauffeured to and from work on the taxpayers’ dime.

It's an election year. Obama is hurting. 41 percent approval rating is the lowest of his Presidency. The majority of Americans, no mater what Political affiliation, Race, Status, or Sex, all say it's the Economy Stupid. One of the BIGGEST Chucks bringing the Economy down is Energy Costs. This is just FACT. So of course the Administration is going to come out and try to convince you that "They feel your Pain." and that they "Are working hard to find a way to help you." When we KNOW this couldn't be farther from the Truth. This is all BS. There is no other way to say it. It's not distortion. It's not exaggeration. It's not false assumptions. It is complete BS. Outright lies. It really is just this simple.

Listen to me folks. Hear what I am telling you here. I wish I had time to find it, but remember that report a while back that told us, no matter what, I think it was about Solar, even if completely successful, we would still get something like 60 percent of our Energy from Oil in the next 50 years? There will never come a day, here me, there will never come a day, EVER, that we will flip a switch and never use another drop of Oil. NEVER.

Problem is, Solar is not successful. Wind, NOT successful. Batteries, NOT a suitable switch. There is NOTHING. So we need to, and the only way to, reduce our dependency on foreign Oil is to produce more of our own. In doing so, we will create a SAFER America, boost the Economy, create hundreds of thousands of Jobs, and bring down the Price of Gas. There is NO other solution. Period.
Peter

Senate Fails to Expenite Keystone

"Why don't they get it?"

They DO get it. They just do not care. That's the point.

Hey folks,

So why does it seem that those in the Senate don't get it? Why do they not see Gas going up again, heading to $5.00 if not $6.00 a gallon? Why do they not see this will DESTROY the Economy? Why do they not see this for what it is? A Loss of Jobs, Increased Costs on EVERYTHING, and a decrease in National Security in these very dangerous times we live in? They DO. They just do not care.

Look, the sad little Truth is this. They are all MILLIONAIRES. Then again, they do not even PAY for their Gas. They think this will not effect them. What about the rest of us? They do not care. Obama needs the LWL {Left Wing Looneys} The Far Left Wing Kook Fringe. The Environmental Wackos. The "Chicken Little" GWBS Crowd. He NEEDS their Votes.

He feels that he already lost the Votes of those who are complaining about High Gas Prices. Those not, he can lie to them and they will simply believe whatever he says. In his mind, and the mind of Reid and the Kooks in the Senate, if they OK the Pipeline, they will loss the LWL Vote and guarantee Obama's defeat in November.

Here is the Link: The Washington Post - Senate rejects expediting Keystone pipeline By Juliet Eilperin and Ed O’Keefe, Published: March 8

In the wake of lobbying by President Obama and Senate Democratic leaders, the Senate Thursday defeated legislation to speed up construction of a U-S.-Canadian oil pipeline.

The White House victory came after the president started personally calling Democratic senators Wednesday night. The vote underscored the extent to which rising gas prices and energy supply have become a central political issue.

I want you to read that again. "The White House Victory." $5.00 to $6.00 a gallon gas. HUNDREDS of thousands of Jobs LOST in just this ONE industry. DECREASED National Security. And Higher Prices for all in this hurting Economy. "The White House Victory."

We have talked about this many times folks. We could be, right now, using nearly 100 percent of our OWN Energy, produced here and from our friends in the North. We would need not worry about the Middle East. We would CREATE HUNDREDS of Thousands of NEW, long lasting, well paying Jobs. We WOULD lower costs on EVERYTHING. We would INCREASE REVENUE to nearly a TRILLION Dollar. Obama CALLED Democrats and said "you better not Vote for this!" "The White House Victory."

You can read the whole thing if you want. But that is all you REALLY need to know. "The White House Victory." The only way we are going to reduce our dependency on Foreign Sources for our Energy. The only way we will reduce Price. The ONLY way to get this Country back to heading the right direction, is NEW LEADERSHIP in the White House and Senate. PERIOD. We can not afford another 4 more years of this. You NEED to go out and VOTE in November. That is the ONLY way we can save this Country.
Peter

Who's to Blame for Gas Prices?

A compilation of FACTS heard here over the years.

Hey folks,

Happy Tuesday to ya. I got two for ya. First up? BG sent this in. It was from Yesterday on the Rush Limbaugh Radio Show. None of this is new. But he put it all together like no one else could. It was a great Segment. A compilation of FACTS heard here over the years. Here he is. Ladies and Gentalmen, Rush Limbaugh.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Michael Janovsky at the New York Times, April 24th, 2006, about six years ago: "Democrats Eager to Exploit Anger Over Gas Prices." This is back in 2006. The Democrats were running for office in the midterm elections trying to talk us into a recession. This is after they had failed at trying to talk us into failure in Iraq. "Democrats running for Congress are moving quickly to use the most recent surge in oil and gasoline prices to bash Republicans over energy policy, and more broadly, the direction of the country. With oil prices hitting a high this week and prices at the pump topping $3 a gallon in many places..." We're now over $5 in California. In 2006, with "prices at the pump topping $3 a gallon in many places Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic Senate candidate in Minnesota, is making the issue the centerpiece of her campaign. Ms. Klobuchar says it 'is one of the first things people bring up' at her campaign stops. To varying degrees, Democrats around the country are following a similar script that touches on economic anxiety and populist resentment against oil companies."

Yep!

"'It's a metaphor for an economy that keeps biting people despite overall good numbers,' said Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York..." What else do we have, Chuck-U? Oh, Chuck-U is in the news today, folks. Chuck-U tells Clinton to pressure Saudi Arabia to pump more oil. Senator Chuck-U Schumer "wants Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to press..." She's got her own section in the program today for her own rampant hypocrisy. (We'll get to that in due course.) Chuck-U Schumer "wants Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to press Saudi Arabia to boost output as rising prices are hitting consumer at the gasoline pump." Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Wait a minute. More oil? Chuck-U wants more oil? Is that what asking the Saudis to do, pump more oil? Is that right? Is that what that means? Senator Schumer tells Clinton to pressure Saudis to pump more oil? He wants more oil? Then how come this regime vetoes the Keystone pipeline and has a drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico and makes fun of/mocks the concept of producing more oil in the United States? So Senator Chuck-U Schumer is asking Senator Clinton to make us more dependent on foreign oil! That's what he's doing when he's asking her to pressure the Saudis, pump more oil. He wants us to be more dependent. He doesn't want to use our own oil. Obama doesn't want to use our own oil.

How come Chuck-U is not out there saying, "Everybody go buy a Volt?" How come Chuck-U's not saying, "Hey, everybody go buy a Prius, go buy a hybrid"? How come Chuck-U's not out there saying, "Get your tire gauge out and make sure the pressure is right and get a tune-up"? That's what Obama do. So the Democrats want more oil. They want the price to come down with more supply. Funny how that never works domestically. So 2006, New York Times: "Democrats Eager to Exploit Anger Over Gas Prices" -- at $3 a gallon. From BigGovernment.com Wynton Hall with the story: "Seven Gas Facts Obama Cannot Escape -- 1.

"In September 2008, Barack Obama’s 'Nobel-prize winning physicist' of an Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, told the Wall Street Journal: 'Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe,'" which is much higher than what we pay. Obama has said he wants high prices. Why don't these guys come out and say, "This exactly what we want"? Steven Chu, the energy secretary, Nobel-prize winning physicist has advocated for higher prices. So has Obama. Now they're getting higher prices. You know why? They want higher prices so you'll have to go out and buy a Volt or a hybrid or get on a bus or get on a subway or take mass transit and become like a number.

A robot. An interchangeable part of the system, like a Chinese citizen taking orders and dictates from the state and their command-and-control economy. The truth is, they want higher prices. The problem is it's an election year. Can't advocate for higher gas prices in an election year. "2. In 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama admitted that, like his future Energy Secretary Mr. Chu, he believed that high gas prices would be a good thing because they would force Americans to ween [sic] themselves off of oil, but that he would have 'prefered [sic] a gradual adjustment.'" We had the sound bite last week. We reminded you of it when gasoline hit four bucks and Obama said: It's okay; it's okay. I'm just a little upset how fast it got there. 3. On January 19, 2009, the day before Barack Obama [immaculated] gas prices were $1.84 a gallon. As of February 20, 2012 a gallon of gas cost $3.59," and now it's close to $5 a gallon. And don't forget, in 2006 it was $3 a gallon, and the Democrats are out exploiting it and trying to turn it into a big political issue. "4. As Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson points out, 'Offshore drilling permits are being issued at less than half the rate of the previous administration. The average number of leases issued on public lands is less than half than during President Clinton’s term.' 5. In 2008, Barack Obama seemed perfectly comfortable with soaring energy prices if they meant curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

"As Mr. Obama confessed: 'Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.'" In their hearts and minds, Obama and the left are LOVING gas prices go up. They just can't say so. But they love it. And that's why there's not a huge effort to bring them down. There's a huge effort to make you think they want to, but how many stories have you seen where Obama says, "Ah, there's really not a whole lot the president can do"? And Jay Carney says, "Well, there's not a whole lot the president can do." In 2006, don't forget, Chuck Schumer and John F. Kerry (who, by the way, served in Vietnam) were mocking Bush for asking the Saudis to pump more oil! Arabs producing more oil makes prices go down, but somehow the US pumping more oil won't make any difference.

That's what they tell us. "Nah-nah-nah. That's the stupidest thing we ever heard of! That's a tired, worn-out cliché. 'Drill, drill, drill,' and for 30 years they've been saying that. That's what the Republicans always say. Just drill, drill. That's gonna take us two to three years!" Well, where would we be if 30 years ago we had just started drilling, drilling, drilling? Chuck-U Schumer in 2008: "Schumer to Bush: Stop 'Coddling' Big Oil, Saudis," and get on 'em and make 'em pump more. And Chuck-U wants Hillary to do the same thing now. Obama, he can lower the sea level but he can't lower the price of oil. "7. Try as he might, President Obama’s campaign will try to distance themselves from the fact that a central pillar of Mr. Obama's 2008 campaign was a pledge to reduce the 'pain at the pump' caused by high gas prices."

We can go back and we can get all of that audio that was a centerpiece of his campaign, a pillar, to reduce pain at the pump. But missing no opportunity to invoke class warfare, Obama said, "For the well-off in this country, high gas prices are mostly an annoyance, but to most Americans they're a huge problem, bordering on a crisis. Here in Indiana gas costs $3.60 a gallon," he said in 2008. Now it's 2012, we're over $5 a gallon, and there's not much we can do about it.

And from MSNBC: "8 Reasons Why Gas Will Hit $5 a Gallon This Year." I'll just read through them. Not gonna give you details. Number one, Strait of Hormuz. Number two, Iran. Number three, refiners raising prices. Number four, other geopolitical risks. Number five, the European Union may save itself. Number six, the US economic recovery means higher oil prices. Number seven, summertime. Number eight, supply risk. In all eight of these reasons, not one of them mention Obama or his energy policies. So we have every effort in the world being made to shield Obama from any relationship to high gasoline prices, despite what the Democrats did all during '05, '06, '07, and '08. We even have some Republicans now saying, "We really don't want to try to tie the president to this, market forces no president can control."

We said back in 2006 there's nothing Bush can do about it. The president does not have a magic wand. Releasing from the strategic reserves doesn't make a significant long-term difference in the price of oil. And people who said that back then want us to say something consistent now. "Well, come on, let's not jump on Obama for this. We all know honestly that presidents can't do anything about it." Bush was not choking the supply, however. Obama is. Obama is a factor in the price of gasoline. See, that's the difference, Obama is a factor in the price of oil. Obama wants higher oil prices, his energy secretary and he have both said so. They want higher oil price. This is not making it up. They want higher oil prices. It's less freedom. It's less mobility. It forces you into alternative buying decisions when it's time to get a new car. So Obama does have something to do with high oil prices.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

Eric in Glenn Arbor, Michigan, you're next on the Rush Limbaugh program. Hello, sir.

CALLER: Hi, Rush. Long-time listener from the early Clinton years.

RUSH: Thank you, sir.

CALLER: The reason why I'm calling is about the oil prices and what we're paying at the pump. Lots of news about it, and if we go to five, six-dollar-a-gallon oil, that's gonna sink the economy, and I think it's time to fight back, and I think we can fight back by several perspectives. One, we as a consumer can cut back slightly on our fuel usage. And, two, instead of just releasing 30 million barrels of oil from the strategic energy reserves, we need to do it in a strategic manner. For example, release seven million barrels of oil at, say, $89 a barrel. It's about 109 bucks a barrel today. Release it at below the market price and then make several subsequent releases without telling anybody --

RUSH: There's not enough oil there to make any difference. The real question is what is the rice of algae by the gallon because Obama has suggested pond scum as the next alternative fuel for oil. We cannot, by the way, and I appreciate the big-heartedness here in wanting to conserve, but there's gonna be forced conservation at five dollars a gallon. There was a four. People will drive less because they can't afford it. By the way, the economy's already sinking. But you get to five or six dollars a gallon, the choice to conserve will not be something you have to force on people, it'll be happening naturally. But even at that, conserving is not growth, and growth is what our economy needs. Growth and supply, growth in expansion, demand, all these things, that's what this country and this economy needs. We can't conserve our way to growth of anything.

END TRANSCRIPT

That was from the Rush Limbaugh Show yesterday. Be right back with Obama's NEW answer for Energy.
Peter

Sources:
Rush Limbaugh Radio - The Democrat Gas Hypocrisy
New York Times: Democrats Eager to Exploit Anger Over Gas Prices - Michael Janovsky - 04.24.2006
The Hill: Sen. Schumer Tells Clinton to Pressure Saudi Arabia to Pump More Oil
BigGovernment: 7 Gas Facts Obama Cannot Escape

Reg, High Tech, Super, Pond Scum?

Pelosi was ahead of her time.

Hey folks,

OK, I have to issue an apology. Wait, did you catch this? Yup. Another "Green Energy Company," propped up by YOUR money, lays off 150 people, is failing, yet? That's right, they are paying themselves, the Executives, BIG bonuses and pay raises. Not kidding folks, According to Free Public - After Layoffs, Execs Get Big Raises at Taxpayer-Funded A123 (Makes batteries for Fisker) National Legal & Policy Center ^ | February 16, 2012 | Paul Chesser

A taxpayer-funded electric vehicle battery company, that is considered in great danger due to its dependency on troubled EV company Fisker Automotive, has awarded its top executives big salary increases despite a steep downward trajectory in its stock price.

Massachusetts-based A123 Systems -- which received $279.1 million in stimulus money from the Department of Energy, and up to $135 million in incentives from the State of Michigan -- boosted the base salaries of two vice presidents and its chief financial officer on February 8.

Chief Financial Officer David Prystash was bumped 27 percent to $380,000; VP of Energy Solutions Robert Johnson’s base salary increased 51 percent from his 2010 level to $400,000; and VP of Automotive Systems Jason Forcier saw his pay rise 32 percent from 2010, to $350,000. The news was first reported by the Boston Web site of Citybizlist.com, which obtained the information from an A123 SEC filing.

Now this report says 125 employees, but I saw another that said 150. Regardless, they took YOUR money and they are paying themselves HUGE salaries, and the company is failing. They are laying people off. When the money, YOUR money, is gone, they will go the way of Wind and Solar Companies. Bankrupt.

So lets have a conversation with the President. "Mr. Obama. Wind, Solar, now Battery Companies, that YOU gave Hundreds of Billions of Tax Payer Money to, are failing all over the place. There is NO MARKET. They are producing NOTHING. Can we pretty please, Drill, get more Natural Gas, allow the Pipeline? Can we now do what we should have been doing all along?"

President Obama "Uh, no. There is a new hope. Yes. A new answer. We will not Drill, get more Natural Gas, and I'll allow a little part of the Pipeline, it is an election year, to be built. But that is not the answer. No. we have a new hope. You should get excited about it."

"Yeah? OK. What is it?"

President Obama "Well, it's Pond Scum."

"Excuse me?"

President Obama. "Yeah, yeah. Pond Scum. You know Algae."

Here is an actual quote. This is a REAL quote from the President of the United States.

We're making new investments in the development of gasoline and diesel and jet fuel that's actually made from a plant-like substance, algae. You got a bunch of algae out here, right? If we can figure out how to make energy out of that, well, we'll be doing all right.

Uh? "If we can figure out how to" FLY, "well, we'll be doing all right." as well. We could just fly, like Superman, to Work, School, whatever. Not sure about the Store. How to carry all that stuff. But hey, if we learned to Fly, uh, no Farting though, that would be like driving, greenhouse gas as such, so fart free flying, and "we'll be doing all right." I know, I know. But he really said this. According to CSN News - Obama's Energy Plan -- Algae By Susan Jones February 24, 2012

(CNSNews.com) - "The American people aren't stupid," President Obama said on Thursday -- as he insisted that drilling for more oil on U.S. territory is "not a strategy to solve our energy challenge."

The president's solution? Algae, for one.

There are no quick fixes to the nation's energy problem, the president said, dismissing Republican calls for more drilling as a "bumper sticker."

"We’re making new investments in the development of gasoline and diesel and jet fuel that’s actually made from a plant-like substance -- algae," the president said at a campaign stop in Florida. "You've got a bunch of algae out here, right? If we can figure out how to make energy out of that, we’ll be doing all right."

Obama said the nation could replace up to 17 percent of the oil it imports for transportation with "this fuel that we can grow right here in the United States. And that means greater energy security. That means lower costs. It means more jobs. It means a stronger economy."

{Sigh} More OIL means greater NATIONAL Security. It means lower costs. It means more jobs. It means a stronger Economy. Just saying YES to the Keystone Pipeline means greater NATIONAL Security. It means lower costs. It means more jobs. It means a stronger Economy. Talking about Pond Scum? Means NOTHING. It will simply continue the DECREASE of National Security, HIGHER Costs, LESS Jobs, and damaging the Economy even further.

Even some of his supporters are out there saying, what the? This is completely ridiculous. It really is. Do NOTHING to actually FIX the Problem that Liberal Policies over the Years have CREATED, just issue Speeches and ask people to Dream. $5.00 to even $6.00 a gallon gas is coming folks. But fret not, while you are paying that, just think how wonderful it will be when we learn how to turn Pond Scum into Energy,,,,,OH WAIT!!!! I forgot about my apology. No I have to apologize.

Look folks, I was wrong. Yup. For years I thought Nancy Pelosi was loosing it. That she was getting a bit kooky. That perhaps it was time for her to retire. But I was wrong. One example I used of this was what she said back in 2006. Yup. She was not being kooky. She was not even talking about Politics. No sir. I was just too ignorant to understand she was WAY ahead of her time. When she said, she wanted to "drain the swamp," she was talking about GREEN ENERGY... Now I get it. Sorry MS Pelosi. {Smile}
Peter

Sources:
Free Public - After Layoffs, Execs Get Big Raises at Taxpayer-Funded A123
CSN News - Obama's Energy Plan -- Algae

Why We NEED To Increase Our Own

If we had started, non of this would matter.

Hey folks,

It get frustrating when discussing this. It really does. It WILL effect every Man, Woman, and Child in this Country and it WILL effect the price on everything. I really do not understand how some just do not seem to get it.

If we had, start to do what then President Bush said, finding ways to increase OUR Energy Production, and using more of our own, we would not care right now, from and Energy Standpoint, about any of the current events going on in the World. We would have increased our Supply, in which, we would have decreased Demand, bringing DOWN Energy Prices. This would have decreased Prices on EVERYTHING. It would have boosted the Economy, Created Hundreds of Thousands of new Jobs. It would have INCREASED Revenue to every form of Government from Local to Federal. It would have INCREASED our National Security.

However, we did the exact opposite. Which of course means, we GET the exact opposite reaction. The Price of Energy has Skyrocketed. We have LOST Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs. We have decrease Revenue to Government, we have DECREASED our National Security. We MUST care what is going on in the World today. It will effect EVERY American.

We now have an Administration that is playing Politics with the lives of EVERY American. Those the most effected are those with fixed incomes, and those who make less. No matter what you make, the Price on EVERYTHING is going up. If you do not have the means to increase you financial out put, you WILL have to make tough choices on what to cut out, just to fill your tank, heat you home, and buy FOOD.

A simple solution, even after the Moratorium, de facto Moratorium, attacks by this Administration on Coal, Oil, Natural Gas, a Pipeline was offered. A Pipeline that could supply 92 percent of all our liquid fuel needs from right here and our friends in the North Canada was denied by this Administration. They just said No.

Now take a look at the World. According to Reuters - Iran stops oil sales to British and French firms

(Reuters) - Iran has stopped selling crude to British and French companies, the oil ministry said on Sunday, in a retaliatory measure against fresh EU sanctions on the Islamic state's lifeblood, oil.

"Exporting crude to British and French companies has been stopped ... we will sell our oil to new customers," spokesman Alireza Nikzad was quoted as saying by the Ministry of Petroleum website.

The European Union in January decided to stop importing crude from Iran from July 1 over its disputed nuclear program, which the West says is aimed at building bombs. Iran denies this.

Iran's oil minister said on February 4 that the Islamic state would cut its oil exports to "some" European countries.

The European Commission said last week that the bloc would not be short of oil if Iran stopped crude exports, as they have enough in stock to meet their needs for around 120 days.

And what happens AFTER the 120 days? Then you have THIS. According to CNBC News - Saudi Arabia Cuts Oil Output, Export: Industry Report Published: Sunday, 19 Feb 2012 | 7:32 AM ET By: Yousef Gamal El-Din CNBC Anchor

The world’s top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, appears to have cut both its oil production and export in December, according to the latest update by the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI), an official source of oil production, consumption and export data.

The OPEC heavyweight saw production decline by 237,000 barrels per day (bpd) from three-decade highs of 10.047 million bpd in November, the JODI data showed on Sunday.

The draw-down was sharper for the actual amount exported, declining by 440,000 bpd, or 5.6 percent, to come in at 7.364 million bpd, the data also showed. The level would still be similar to exports after a steep ramp-up last June.

In its monthly report on February 10, the IEA put Saudi Arabia’s production number for December slightly lower at 9.55 million bpd, a disparity of 260,000 bpd versus the JODI data.

Iran appeared not to have filed data in time for the latest release, providing no additional clues about how many export barrels were already lost in December, as some reports have suggested.

JODI, an initiative coordinated by the International Energy Forum (IEF), depends on participating member states for data collection. The IEA estimated Iran’s oil supply in December to have been 3.45 million bpd, marking a drop of 100,000 bpd.

For the third month in a row, no details were available for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Libya, the immediate reasons for which are unclear.

Together with other Gulf oil exporters, the UAE has been in focus as a possible source of alternative supply for at least some of Iran’s crude. Widening sanctions have seen several Asian clients of Iran’s oil, including top importer China, send high-level delegations to the region in the last few weeks.

Iraq, another frequently-cited supplier to make up for part of the Iranian oil shortfall following European Union sanctions, reported no major changes to its supply and export regime. Authorities there are pursuing an ambitious production expansion plan with the aim of reaching 12 million bpd by 2016.

So Iran playing games, and the Saudis are cutting their Oil Production. What does this all mean? $5.00 a gallon gas. If not more. It means decrease, ON PURPOSE, of Supply, which means, and INCREASE in Demand, which of course means and INCREASE on Price. Once again, an INCREASE in the Price of Oil, MEANS and INCREASE in the Price of EVERYTHING.

This is not difficult to understand folks. It really isn't. WE NEED TO START USING OUR OWN!!!! We need to stop playing Politics with the very LIVES of every American. We need to STOP relying on Foreign Governments that HATE us for our very Basic Needs. We need the Keystone Pipeline. We need to Drill more. We need to Refine more. We need more Natural Gas. We have the answer right here. It's not too late. YET. We need new leadership in this, and all areas. It IS just that simple.
Peter

Sources:
Reuters - Iran stops oil sales to British and French firms
CNBC News - Saudi Arabia Cuts Oil Output, Export: Industry Report

It's Coming Folks, $4 Plus a Gallon

Sad thing is, it never had to.

Hey folks,

Really? You do not need me to add anything to this. It's by the AP - Gas prices are highest ever for this time of year By CHRIS KAHN AP Energy Writer

At $3.53 a gallon, prices are already up 25 cents since Jan. 1. And experts say they could reach a record $4.25 a gallon by late April.

"You're going to see a lot more staycations this year," says Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research. "When the price gets anywhere near $4, you really see people react."

Already, W. Howard Coudle, a retired machinist from Crestwood, Mo., has seen his monthly gasoline bill rise to $80 from about $60 in December. The closest service station is selling regular for $3.39 per gallon, the highest he's ever seen.

"I guess we're going to have to drive less, consolidate all our errands into one trip," Coudle says. "It's just oppressive."

The surge in gas prices follows an increase in the price of oil.

Oil around the world is priced differently. Brent crude from the North Sea is a proxy for the foreign oil that's imported by U.S. refineries and turned into gasoline and other fuels. Its price has risen 11 percent so far this year, to around $119 a barrel, because of tensions with Iran, a cold snap in Europe and rising demand from developing nations. West Texas Intermediate, used to price oil produced in the U.S., is up 4 percent to around $103 a barrel. That's 19 percent higher than a year earlier.

Higher gas prices could hurt consumer spending and curtail the recent improvement in the U.S. economy.

A 25-cent jump in gasoline prices, if sustained over a year, would cost the economy about $35 billion. That's only 0.2 percent of the total U.S. economy, but economists say it's a meaningful amount, especially at a time when growth is only so-so. The economy grew 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter, a rate considered modest following a recession.

Gas prices are already an issue in the presidential campaign. Republican candidate Newt Gingrich spoke several times this week about opening up more federal land to oil and gas drilling as a path toward U.S. energy independence - and lower pump prices.

"Our goals should be to get gasoline to $2.50 or less so that working families can actually get to work and retired families can travel," Gingrich said at a campaign event in Los Angeles Thursday.

High oil and gas prices now set the stage for even sharper increases at the pump because gas typically rises in March and April.

Every spring, refiners suspend operations to switch the type of gasoline they make. Supplies of wintertime gas are sold off before March, when refineries need to start making a new formula of gasoline that's required in the summer.

That can mean less supply for service stations, resulting in higher gas prices. And summertime gasoline is more expensive to make. The government mandates that it contain less butane and other cheap organic compounds because they contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, a primary constituent in smog. That means more oil, a costlier component, is needed to produce each gallon.

The Oil Price Information Service predicts that gasoline could peak at $4.25 a gallon by the end of April. That would top the record of $4.11 in July 2008.

The national average for gasoline began the year at $3.28 a gallon. The average price for February so far is $3.49 a gallon. That's up from $3.17 a gallon last February, a record at the time. Back in 2007, before the recession hit, the average for February was $2.25 a gallon.

Prices are higher on the East and West Coasts, where gasoline has risen above $3.70 in Connecticut, New York, Washington D.C. and California. This isn't unusual - states on the coasts charge some of the nation's highest gas taxes.

High gas prices put a strain on many people's budgets.

Americans spent 8.4 percent of their household income on gasoline last year when gas averaged an all-time high of $3.51 a gallon. That's double the percentage a decade ago. They could pay even more this year, even though demand is the lowest in 11 years as people drive fewer miles in more efficient cars, says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at OPIS.

Gary Goodman commutes into Manhattan from Edgewater, N.J., because gas, tolls and parking make the cost of driving prohibitive.

Goodman, an accountant, commutes by bus. He uses his car mostly for trips to the grocery store or for occasional nights out. He says he has no choice but to eat the higher gas costs.

"I already drive as little as possible," he says.

Paul Dales, a senior economist at Capital Economics says it would take a bigger shift in the global economy - say, a deep recession in Europe or a slowdown in Asia's manufacturing - for pump prices to drop noticeably. Either event would slow oil demand, depressing prices.

But experts expect demand to keep rising. World oil demand is expected to increase by another 1.5 percent to 89.25 million barrels a day in 2012, according to the Energy Information Administration.

In the short term, tensions with Iran are feeding fears that oil supplies could be blocked.

The U.S. and Europe are tightening economic sanctions against Iran over what the West believes is Iran's attempt to build a nuclear bomb. World leaders fear Israel may be planning a strike against Iran, the world's third largest oil exporter.

In response, Iran has threatened to withhold its own oil deliveries and to block the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway along its coastline through which one-fifth of the world's oil flows.

On Friday, an international banking clearinghouse crucial to Iran's oil sales said it is prepared to discontinue services to Iranian financial institutions being targeted by the EU and U.S. sanctions. That could ratchet up the pressure on Iran, but also send oil prices soaring.

The price of Brent crude fell 53 cents on Friday to $119.58. WTI gained 93 cents to $103.24.

---

Reporter Beth Fouhy in Atlanta contributed to this report.

If we only did what we said we were going to do during Bush. If only Obama didn't start an all out War against Energy. If only Obama said Yes to the Keystone Pipeline. None of this would be about to happen. Yet, here we are. As a DIRECT RESULT of Obama and his Liberal Agenda. Period. Get ready folks. It IS coming.
Peter

That jobs thing sure didn’t last long

That jobs thing sure didn’t last long

Obama rejects Keystone XL jobs, promotes more wind and solar subsidies. What to do now?

President Obama “is focused like a laser on putting people back to work,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) assured us last fall – echoing repeated statements by President Obama and Administration officials who “can’t wait” for Congress or others to take action and create jobs.

The jobs thing didn’t last long, however. The President soon vetoed TransCanada’s application for permits to build the Keystone XL pipeline. Approving them “would not be in the national interest,” he declared.

It is hard for most Americans to understand how it is contrary to the national interest to create 20,000 construction and manufacturing jobs, increase US gross domestic product by an estimated $350 billion, and bring 830,000 barrels of oil per day via pipeline from friend and neighbor Canada to Texas refineries. It’s hard for us to grasp how pipelining Canadian oil is worse than importing oil in much riskier tankers from unstable, unfriendly places like Venezuela and the Middle East – or how it’s better for the global environment to transport Canadian oil by tanker to China, where it will be burned under far less rigorous pollution laws and controls.

It’s equally hard for average citizens to comprehend how more than three years of careful environmental studies are insufficient, especially after the State Department had issued several reports concluding that the pipeline would have only “limited adverse environmental impacts” in areas that are already dotted with oil wells and crisscrossed with oil and gas pipelines.

To suppose, as the President insisted, that Keystone would generate “a lot fewer jobs than would be created by extending the payroll tax cut and extending unemployment insurance” is simply baffling.

In view of White House intransigence, what should Congress and TransCanada do now?

The 1,660-mile-long Keystone XL pipeline would begin in southeastern Alberta, Canada and end in Port Arthur, Texas. Although it would incorporate the existing Keystone Cushing pipeline through Kansas and part of Oklahoma, most of the US portion (from Canada through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska, and from Cushing, Oklahoma to Port Arthur) would be new. Keystone XL would create 20,000 jobs manufacturing and installing 36-inch pipe, valves and other components to build that addition.

Environmentalists predictably went ballistic. Surface mining Alberta’s oil sands damages lands and habitats, they railed. Never mind that this technique is being replaced by in situ “steam-assisted gravity drain” processes, that mined lands are being restored to forest and grass habitats, or that blocking Keystone XL will neither end oil extraction nor prevent crude or refined product shipments to China.

Mining, processing and using this oil will increase greenhouse gas levels and global warming, activists vented. Never mind that total “greenhouse gas” emissions would amount to an almost undetectable portion of annual global GHG emissions. That “dangerous manmade global warming” is an exaggerated scare that has little basis in truly peer-reviewed science. Or that there has been no warming for a decade, UN IPCC “science” is crumbling at its foundation, and increasing numbers of climate experts are publicly dissenting from IPCC orthodoxy.

Mr. Obama needs environmentalists in his camp, if he expects to be reelected. Radical greens have made Keystone XL the latest symbol of their intense hatred of anything hydrocarbon – and a centerpiece for fundraising. Like the President, they are intent on ending our “addiction to oil” and “fundamentally transforming” the energy, economic and social fabric of America.

Jobs, GDP, tax revenues and national security will therefore have to take a backseat.

As he suggested in his State of the Union speech, President Obama seems willing to generate expensive electricity for three million homes by blanketing a million acres of public lands with taxpayer-subsidized, bird-killing wind turbines, habitat-smothering solar panels, high-voltage transmission lines, and gas-fired backup units. Anti-Keystone “environmentalists” seem to have few objections to such “eco-friendly” energy. But for them a pipeline is intolerable.

Faced with these facts, TransCanada could do as Mr. Obama suggested – and reapply for permits, after the fall elections and after changing its intended pipeline route to avoid allegedly sensitive areas. In the meantime, it could continue trying to win friends and influence people.

Yes, it could. But doing so has significant pitfalls.

It would drag the process out, leave the company in the “kill zone” of media and environmentalist attacks, in a political no man’s land, amid deadly crossfire from savvy and well-funded activists, journalists and bureaucrats. It would also set the stage for anti-pipeline lawsuits in courts of their choosing – perhaps in “friendly” lawsuits between “green” plaintiffs and EPA or State – when and if permits finally are granted.

A further drawback is that focusing on the State Department and White House ignores the Interior Department, Fish & Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency and many other federal and state regulatory and judicial agencies and processes that will still stand in the way of final project approval, and will likely take years to navigate.

There is a better way.

TransCanada could and should work closely and cooperatively with farmers and farm bureaus, state governors, agencies and legislators, mayors and other affected parties, to address concerns and compensate landowners for the use of their property, unavoidable impacts and damages in the unlikely event of an accident. The company should emphasize that Keystone XL will create thousands of jobs; generate billions of dollars in private, local, state and national revenue; use the best and safest pipeline technology; and bring oil from a friendly country to American refineries, motorists, farmers and manufacturers.

TransCanada should also take legal action, in state and/or federal courts of its choosing, over causes of action of its choosing. The company’s permit application has been rejected – for specious environmental and overtly political reasons. The Administration’s decision is clearly “ripe” for litigation.

The company may be reluctant to sue. Litigation over such matters is not as common in Canada as in the lawsuit-happy USA; the judicial territory may be unfamiliar; and the outcome is not certain.

However, in the United States environmentalists often win in the courts of media and public opinion, especially in an election year, especially with hundred-million-dollar anti-oil campaigns, laden with emotional rhetoric.

On the other hand, companies frequently win in US courts of law, where they are able to compile complete judicial records with solid scientific facts supporting their projects – something that is virtually impossible to do in a sound-bite-driven (and often biased) news media. The factually bankrupt rhetoric of environmentalist campaigns is no match for sound science, when claims and arguments are scrutinized at the trial and appellate level. Faced with defeat, the green wolf packs often go off in search of easier prey.

The anti-pipeline, anti-oil sands groups will not disappear. They will most assuredly sue TransCanada and multiple government agencies if permits are ultimately issued. They will also do all they can to shut down any Pacific Gateway pipeline, any exports to Asia, and ultimately all oil sands operations.

This better way forward has strong probabilities for success. It is clearly in the national interest of both Canada and the United States that it be taken, and that it succeed.
Paul Driessen
____________

Paul Driessen is senior policy advisor for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow and Congress of Racial Equality, and author of Eco-Imperialism: Green power - Black death.

Projected Cost of $4.60 A Gallon

Are you ready for the Show?

Hey folks,

Have you seen the Projected Forecasts? It's coming. The Politics, the phony Outrage, the SHOW. Do you remember a few years back when gas hit $4.00 a gallon? We learned that this was pretty much the tipping point. EVERYTHING went up. Food, Merchandise, the cost to Power your Home. The Cost to HEAT and COOL your Home. EVERYTHING went up.

We learned during this time that THIS is pretty much the Price where people change their Lifestyles. Where people start traveling LESS. Buying LESS. Working harder at saving, just to pay their Home Bills.

Who was the hardest hit? Those on fixed Incomes. The Poor and the Elderly. Single Moms had to get second Jobs, just to pay for the Gas to go to their main Jobs. Pay more for Childcare. EVERYONE had to pay more for EVERYTHING.

Then came the Show. Liberals in Congress showed their Phony Outrage. They blamed "Big Oil" and said they were going to steel their Profits and give the money to you. They held Phony Hearings and attempting to get you all upset with those supplying the Energy.

Then something happened. An American President stood up and said enough is enough. We will open up new areas here in this Country. We will Drill more HERE. We will start using our own. So what happened? OVER NIGHT, literally, it's a fact, look it up, over night the price of a Barrel of Oil Plummeted. Fell like a rock. The Prices at the pumps started to fall precipitously.

Why? Because everyone knew, without a doubt, this American President was serious. We WERE going to do it. Then comes along another American President. This one says, NO. We will not Drill at all. The Rigs left. The Energy Companies took their Ball and went elsewhere. Then he says OK, you can continue but only if you jump through the hoops I tell you to. Putting into place a de-facto Moratorium. Then he started an outright ASSAULT on anything Energy. He SAID he will bankrupt the Coal Industry. He will NOT allow Drilling. He SAID he LIKES high Gas Prices. He just said NO to the Keystone Pipeline that would provide us with 92 Percent of all our Liquid Fuel Needs. What happened? You got it. The Prices starting on their way back up. They are going to KEEP going.

Why? Because just like the first President, people KNOW he is serious, and they know he will not reverse course no matter how much REAL Outrage is out there. They KNOW he doesn't care. So? Have you seen the Projections? $4.60 a gallon by May. THIS YEAR!

It's coming folks. Get ready. The Politics, the phony Outrage, the SHOW. Obama and the Liberals in Congress will be calling for investigations. They will be blaming "Big Oil." They will be telling you how "Big Oil" doesn't care about you. They will call for more "Regulations" and such. Oh it's coming. But remember who is REALLY to blame here. It's NOT the Energy Companies. It IS totally Obama and Crew. TOTALLY.

Who will be hardest hit? Will Obama? Nope. He's a Millionaire. Will Mikey Moore? Nope, he's a Millionaire. However, who knows, maybe he'll make another Movie calling Oil Companies evil and make even MORE money. Will Congress? Nope, Most in Congress are Millionaires. Will people like Rush? Nope. HE is a Millionaire. No folks, make no mistake about this either, those hardest hit over $4.60 a Gallon, will be those on Fixed Incomes. Those Living Paycheck to Paycheck. But it WILL effect ALL of us together.

And what are you going to do about it? NOTHING! What are you going to switch to? NOTHING. There is NOTHING to switch too. You are going to Pay it. You do not have a choice. It is, and has been, the Environmentalists that have brought us the Environment where this is possible. No new Refineries, Nuke Plants, for like 40 plus years. No new Drilling where we KNOW the Oil is. No Keystone Pipeline. No NOTHING. Just continue to rely on foreign Governments that hate us, to meet our very basic, and fundamental needs.

All I can say to you, get ready for the Show. Get ready for the Elections. Get ready to Vote for REAL Hope and REAL Change. Imagine another 4 years of all this? Imagine another 4 years with NO recourse? He will not be worried about being re-elected. Look around. Do you WANT another 4 years of THIS?
Peter

Energy Means American Security

I'm going to attack you. I know you can beat me. I take your Ammo.

Hey folks

Lets try it this way, shall we? I do not like you. I have something you need. I do like your money. I sell you what you need, and I charge you whatever I choose to. You pay it. You do not have a choice. I have it. You need it.

So this relationship goes on for a while. Then I say, you know what? If you wish to keep getting what I have, you better start doing this. You say no. OK. You are cut off. You say? What?

So I decide that this is not good enough. I decide to teach you a lesson. I'm going to attack you. I know you can beat me. I know you have a lot of Guns. But I'm the one that has the Ammo you need for those guns. So? I take your Ammo. Kinda hard to fight back if your guns are empty.

This is how we have been operating in the World. The World runs on Oil. Right, Wrong, or Indifferent, that is just a fact. We need Oil for our daily lives, our Economy, and to heat our homes. Why do you think that the Oil Sanctions are place on Iran. To disrupt their daily lives, and to attempt to get them to do something we want them to do. It's effective to a degree.

However, Iran has others helping them out. Russia and China are two that are helping them. There are a few others. But lets say the UN decides that we have to start doing something, or that what we are doing is against their Will. Imagine if Countries put and Oil Sanction on us.

Now picture someone like Iran wishing to attack us. All they have to do is stop our supply of Oil. Not only do we need Oil to drive our Cars, Heat our Homes, and supply Power to all, we need it for our Machines of War as well. Like taking Ammo from Guns, a Tank or a Jet is nothing without Oil.

So for years we have foolishly relied on the good will of those that do not like us to begin with. For years, for solely Political reasons, we have ignored our own resources. Now, as the World grows more and more dangerous, we are decreasing our own production and increasing our dependence on these outside entities. We have to be concerned with what is going on all over the World. We have to intervene in some cases, for no other reason, than we need the supply of Oil to continue to flow.

If we have started Drilling when President Bush said we would, we would long since started seeing the benefits of it. If we did not place a moratorium on ALL Drilling based on a freak accident, or whatever, we would not have seen some on the negative effects we have now by not doing anything. If Obama would just say Yes to the Keystone Pipeline, we could have up to 90 percent of our Liquid Energy from right here, and from our friends in the North.

If we were using our own resources, we would have the luxury of picking and choosing what battles to fight outside our own Boarders. We would not have to listen to those that do not like us. We would not have to worry if we could defend ourselves if needed.

Sometimes when talking about American Security, you must realize that this does not always mean flying Planes into Buildings. It could be as simple as blocking our Supply of Oil. Rising the prices to levels that hurt our Economy. Or just saying NO to us.

What would you call someone who chooses not to fix National Security, costing America zero, and increasing Jobs, and Revenue along the way? Think about that..Be right back.
Peter

Energy Means Revenue

Look at Canada. So much revenue that Canadians get free money.

Hey folks,

Our National Debt is what? We are spending what? We are throwing away how much money on what? Truth is, with any business and or individual, more regulations, taxes, and interference, means less revenue. It just does.

If I'm making 10 Billion a Quarter, and someone says, I'm going to tak,,,wait a second. Did you see Apple's numbers? Seriously? Over a hundred million IPhones sold at $500.00 a pop? something like 25 million IPads? At what a pop? How much "Windfall Profit" is Apple making and why is there no outrage over this? {Sigh} I know, I know. Anyway, where was I, oh yeah, I make 10 Billion in a Quarter and someone says to me, "That's too much. You do not deserve it. We are going to take everything over, say 5 Billion. And look at all the good that will do." You will never see it. I will do whatever I have to do, to keep my profit margin under that 5 Bil..

If you Tax me? I will raise my Prices for my Customers and will find Legal Loopholes to hide my money. If I have to, I'll take my Business elsewhere where I do not have to worry about all that. Fact is, higher Taxes and Oppressive Regulations mean LESS revenue. Not more.

Now we have talked about American Security and Jobs. Now lets talk about new and nearly guaranteed Revenue. I'm not talking peanuts here. I am talking Hundreds of Billions, if not a Trillion Dollars a year. Increased Revenue for EVERY Local, State, and Federal Governments. Look at Canada. So much revenue that Canadians get free money. Every year they get a check for Thousands of dollars, plus, whatever they may get in tax refunds. How would YOU like to get free money for no other reason than the Government made too much money dealing with our own Energy resources? This is not a Dream. It could be a Reality.

Think about that Reality. No more worries about $4.00 a gallon Gas. No more wondering how Grandma will heat her home. No more concerns over what is happening in the Middle East. Nope. None. Not when talking Energy at least.

Folks, JUST the Keystone Pipeline could give us the Reality of 92 percent of all our Liquid Fuel being drawn from our own resources, and our friends in the North. Couple that with the Shale Energy revolution, and possible new Drilling? We are now talking revenue in the Trillions. Jobs in the Millions. American Security fortified due to the fact ONE HUNDRED PERCENT self producing and usage of Energy. We can get there.

I will ask again. What do you call a person that rejects Hundreds of Billions into the Trillions of Dollars in NEW Revenue in an Economy where we have seen our debt rise to uncontrollable levels? What do you call a person that CAUSES hundreds of Thousands of Job Losses in a Country with record high Unemployment? With Tens Of Thousand of new Unemployed, meaning no paycheck, meaning they can no longer pay Mortgages, meaning even more Home Foreclosures. What do you call a person that increases Energy Cost for every Man, Woman, and Child in this Country? As we already know, increased Energy Costs MEAN Increased EVERYTHING Costs.

More importantly, what do you call a person that does all these things, on purpose?!? Intentionally?!? With a Plan? Somehow ignorant, and or Stupid, just doesn't cover it. We have such a person in this Country that has done all these things, and continues to do all these things, his name is Barack Obama. President Barack Obama.

I really do not get it. Someone came to me and said, you know Pete, we know that you are looking at losing your House. We know you are in Debt beyond your ability to pay, and we want to help you. All you have to do is allow us to operate in your back yard. We will come in, give you free money, make sure you no longer have to rely on anyone else to meet your needs in area Y. Oh, did we mention that on top of all that, we will give you what you need and already pay too much for? When we leave, you will not even know we were there. It would be a no brainer for me. I would not be saying NO. I would be saying Welcome. Do your thing.
Peter

Energy Means JOBS

How many Billions have we thrown away?

Hey folks,

When you look at this, you have to see the Reality of the situation. This Administration is doing the exact opposite of what needs to be done to create Jobs. Remember our friend Paul Driessen? This is from his Post OPNTalk- American energy can jump-start US recovery Paul Driessen

Even businesses on the leading edge of the “green revolution,” crony capitalism and lobbying for dollars are faring poorly. After lapping up $1.5 billion in government red-ink subsidies and loan guarantees, three US solar companies filed for bankruptcy and fired over 2,000 workers. And still the Energy Department shoveled more billions of tax dollars into more wind and solar projects, despite voter objections. DOE also sponsored programs that cost $20 million to create 14 jobs and weatherize four Seattle houses in a year. It spent $80 billion to create 225,000 “clean energy” jobs – at $356,000 apiece. It shells out $6 billion a year to grow corn on an area bigger than Indiana, and convert it into ethanol that gets a third less mileage per gallon than gasoline.

There is now a Battery Company going bye-bye. This means even more Jobs lost. More money wasted. How many Billions have we thrown away? Green Company after Green Company going Bankrupt and out of Business. Taking with them JOBS. I love this. "DOE also sponsored programs that cost $20 million to create 14 jobs and weatherize four Seattle houses in a year." {Laughing} If it were not so serious, that would be funny. "$80 billion to create 225,000 “clean energy” jobs – at $356,000 apiece." That most of end up going bye-bye themselves. How would you like to make $356,000?

Now Obama is spending Money that should be paying off the Debt. For failed Policies and Agendas. He is adding to it. Truth is, if we were not giving these Green Companies Hundreds of Billions, they would all be gone. Most anyway.

Obama is also killing Jobs by his outward and open attacks on anything Natural. Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas. Hundreds of Thousands of real, well paid, Benefit giving, American Jobs. Hundreds of Thousands of Oil Jobs gone via Moratorium. More with the de-facto Moratorium. He just said NO to the Keystone Pipeline that would create Tens of Thousands of jobs, nearly overnight. NO to new Exploration and Drilling that would create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs. NO to Coal. Costing Thousands of more Jobs lost. He is openly seeking to stop Shale Energy Production by attempting to stop Hydraulic Fracturing. If successful, more Thousands of Jobs will be lost yet again.

In contrast to the "Green Energy Industry?"

The petroleum industry alone currently supports some 9.2 million jobs, but could do much more. Recent studies by Wood McKenzie, ICF International and other analysts conclude that opening currently off-limits onshore and offshore areas could generate an additional $800 billion in government revenues and another 1.4 million jobs, by 2030. That includes primary jobs for roughnecks on rigs; secondary jobs in steel making, construction, pipelines, refineries, transportation and other sectors; and indirect jobs in hotel, restaurant, retail and other sectors that benefit from the increased energy, payrolls and economic activity. We could do likewise with coal, nuclear and hydroelectric projects.

But this Administration seems little interested in actually creating Jobs. They seem more bent on furthering agendas. Playing Politics.

Don't be fooled by Obama coming out and saying he was going to auction off Leases. He does not care about new Oil. He is just attempting to get Votes. He says he will do this, yet there are so many strings attached that it will not be worth it for anyone to do it. Not to mention, if there is no Oil? It's like this. Someone tells you that you can go dig for Gold in Area A. So you buy that right. You go and scan the area, you find little to nothing. However, all indications are that Area B does contain Gold. So you go back and they say, "Sorry. We gave you a lease for Area A, So unless you spend a few Million on the Lease you already have, we will not give you one for B." Ask yourself, would you throw that money away KNOWING that there is no Gold? Or at least not enough to make up the cost of going to get it? Of course not. That is what the Government is doing. They KNOW that there is no Oil in these areas, or the Companies WOULD be Drilling as we speak.

No folks, Energy really does equal Jobs. The right Energy equals Hundreds of Thousands of real, well paid, Benefit giving, American Jobs. Not shells. Not phony. Not show. Not Temp. Real, well paid, Benefit giving, American Jobs.

We have record high Unemployment. If you are not working, you are not buying a new Home. You are not buying that new Car. You are not buying that new Monster Big Screen TV. If you are not working, you are not generating and injecting revenue into the Economy. More Jobs lost means more damage to an already hurting Economy.

All we ever hear is how brilliant Obama is. Then let me ask you this. If this is true, then he is doing all this on purpose. Right? If not, he is the most ignorant President we have ever had. I'm not sure if the real reason matters. The end result is the same. When one does not use the answer that is so crystal clear for everyone else to see, one would have to ask themselves, why? Would one not?

Be right back with Part 3.
Peter

Debates are Over, Keystone May Be Alive and Well, Port Salerno Seafood Fest...

Preview for Sunday 012212

Hey folks,

That's IT!!! It's all over. Chuck Norris Endorses Newt Gingrich. Since we all know how tough Chuck Norris IS, no one is going to dare challenge him. So there is no reason to continue with the Debates...{Smile}

Happy Sunday to ya folks....Welcome to the OPNTalk Blog. This IS your Provocateur of Thought himself, Peter Carlock, and this IS the Big Sunday Edition of the OPNTalk Blog. Glad you stopped by. If you want to be a part of the OPNTalk Blog, the Email is, as always, opntalk@gmail.com.

Did you catch this? The Keystone Pipeline MAY be alive and well. Regardless of what Obama wants. That's RIGHT. That's GREAT News. I hope they do it. According to Bloomberg - TransCanada May Shorten Keystone XL, Bypass Federal Review January 20, 2012, 12:08 AM EST

TransCanada Corp. may shorten the initial path for its rejected Keystone XL project, bringing oil from Montana’s Bakken Shale to refiners in the Gulf of Mexico and removing the need for federal approval.

“There certainly is a potential opportunity to connect the Bakken to the Gulf Coast,” Alex Pourbaix, TransCanada’s president of energy and oil pipelines, said in a telephone interview today. “That is obviously something we’ll be looking into over the next few weeks.”

Good. Too bad we have a President that likes to play Politics, with American Security and the American Economy, instead of doing the most obvious and RIGHT thing to do for the Country.

Coming right up today?

Obama Ruled?
Bye Bye Obmamnet, For Now Anyway
Can Coffee Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes?
DLA For Sunday 012212
IWA for Sunday 012212

All that in just a few minutes. I'll tell ya what folks, I can wait til next week. January 28, 2012 is the return of the Port Salerno Sea Food Festival. I missed it last year due to prior obligations, but I will NOT be missing it this Year.

I am an acute observer of People and Human Nature. I could go to a Mall, and sit for hours and just WATCH people. So you bring something like THIS, where there will be Hundreds of Thousands, if not MILLIONS of People, you KNOW I'll be there. Besides all that, I love Seafood. {Smile}

Folks, I'm telling ya, if you are EVER in Sunny South Florida during this time of year, you HAVE to check out the Port Salerno Seafood Fest. It is GREAT every time I go. Food, Music, and all those people. It really is a blast.

But that is NEXT week. I AM here today, and we have a lot to cover. Going to fill my cup. Be right back
Peter

DLA For Sunday 012212

The Entire GOP. Now lets hope they MEAN it...

Hey folks,


You know, I keep getting asked "Who are you going for in this Election." My answer is always the same. "ANYONE but Obama!" If a Sane Democrat jumped in, I would Vote for them. ANYONE but Obama. Just look around folks. Record High Unemployment. Record High Home Foreclosures. Record High number of People on Food Stamps. Record High Debt. Record High Energy Costs which raises that Costs of EVERYTHING. Bush did not do this. He may have opened the door, but it was ALL Obama and the Liberals in Congress that created this mess we are in.

So, who does it seem, is a FRIEND of the Democrats in this Election Cycle? Yes. The GOP. I'm not being Provocative. I'm not being sarcastic. I'm not even remotely Joking. It is the TRUTH. The Establishment Republicans have been standing in the way of REAL Change. They themselves have stood in the way, and have worked AGAINST ANY True Conservatives that started to gain ground. Many in Washington have been playing Political Games, Politics as usual, while this Administration has run wild all over the place.

Well, according to 77 WABC News - House GOP seeks unity in election-year challenge By DONNA CASSATA, Associated Press, it seems that some may be getting it.

BALTIMORE (AP) — House Republican leaders pleaded for elusive unity from the disparate factions in their party as they pursue a dual election-year prize of retaining their majority and denying President Barack Obama a second term.

"Unity, unity, unity," Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., said Friday after hearing his leadership's overriding message at a series of private meetings at the GOP's annual three-day retreat. The fresh appeal to many of the 242 members comes just weeks after rank-and-file opposition to a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut exposed deep divisions among Republicans and ended 2011 on a discordant political note.

Rancor in 2012, Republicans understand, would be politically perilous, especially with the American people already holding Congress in such low regard. Republicans expect Obama to campaign against the "do-nothing Congress," using the presidential bully pulpit to try to make his case.

Looking ahead to a new year, Republicans said their strategy is to highlight stark differences with Democrats on job creation, deficit spending and how Obama runs the government.

"It's pretty clear it's going to be a referendum on the president's policies. ... the devastating impact of these policies on our economy," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in brief remarks to reporters.

Boehner said he had instructed each committee chairman to step up oversight of the Obama administration, an examination that would touch on everything from national security to education and echo last year's hearings on an Energy Department loan to a now-bankrupt solar energy company and a problem-plagued gun smuggling investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious. Money from the stimulus package in Obama's first year also will face scrutiny.

Republicans painted a dire picture of the economy, with high unemployment, housing woes and Obama regulations, or even the possibility of new rules, hampering small businesses and hiring.

"If I were Barack Obama I wouldn't want to talk about my record either," said Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore.

But in recent months, there have been signs of an economy on the upswing. Applications for unemployment benefits have dropped to their lowest level in nearly four years, housing sales increased and companies posted better earnings. The Dow Jones closed above 12,700 on Friday.

Economic indicators as well as perceptions of the nation's financial health will largely determine the re-election chances for Obama and members of Congress.

In perhaps a preview of the GOP effort to shape the debate, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the latest positive economic signs reflect a resilient economy and added, "Imagine what growth could be if we got all of these barriers out of the way."

Election-year politics are certain to limit any attempts at an ambitious legislative session, but high-profile votes and issues can clarify the battle lines. Republicans made clear they will continue the fight over Obama's decision to block, at least temporarily, a 1,700-mile Canada-to-Texas pipeline known as Keystone XL.

Rep. Fred Upton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Republicans were open to making it part of the next round of negotiations on a Social Security tax cut and unemployment benefits, an attempt certain to draw Democratic opposition. House and Senate negotiators face a Feb. 29 deadline to coming up with a plan for a yearlong extension that also resolves the question of Medicare reimbursements for doctors.

"We are absolutely committed — as a Republican team — to keep the Keystone XL pipeline on the front burner," said Upton, R-Mich. He will hold hearings next week with State Department officials on their pipeline recommendation to the president.

Republicans argue that Obama's decision was politically driven and will cost the nation not only jobs but a new energy source.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said Obama took "20,000 shovel-ready jobs on Keystone and buried them." Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said if Obama were serious about helping the middle class, he would allow the Keystone project to proceed, with scores of jobs for blue-collar workers.

In addition to working out a compromise on the payroll tax cut, Republicans pledged to be aggressive in crafting a budget and cutting spending, arguing that Obama's policies have contributed to the growing deficit. House members acknowledged that their legislation has little chance in the Democratic-controlled Senate or with Obama, but Ryan made clear they will still press ahead to ensure the electorate has a choice.

"At the end of the day, we'll kick this up to the American people and let them decide what kind of America they want to have," he said.

In a series of meetings, Republicans heard from former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, a onetime presidential candidate, who focused on Obama's policies and their impact on free enterprise. They also heard about teamwork from former Washington Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs.

On Friday night, popular Republican and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who many had hoped would seek the presidency, was scheduled to speak to the Republican conference behind closed doors.

Surprisingly, lawmakers said there was little talk of presidential candidates. Pollsters did tell the GOP that once the party gets a nominee, it was critical that members of Congress and the candidate be on the same page, according to Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., who said he didn't foresee any problems.

Few members interrupted the gathering and socializing to watch Thursday night's debate from South Carolina.

"You get to the 18th debate," Terry joked. "Come on..."

Congratulations GOP!!! Now let hope you MEAN it. Because we KNOW from experience, you have this habit of saying one thing, and not following through, or doing the exact Opposite. Change is coming..Be part of it, or be gone.
Peter

Sources:
77 WABC News - House GOP seeks unity in election-year challenge