The State of American Energy Speech

The State of American Energy

Jack Gerard – President and CEO, American Petroleum Institute
The State of American Energy Speech Tuesday, January 4, 2011 – Newseum – Washington, D.C.

Thank you very much, Shelby, and thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining us here early in the New Year.

I am particularly glad to be talking about something as important as “The State of American Energy” at the Newseum. This building is devoted to the chronicling of events in the world’s history—events that in some cases defined generations, or moments that are part of our identity as Americans. The greatest moments in our history occur when we overcome challenges, or when we recognize and take advantage of opportunities.

In my remarks today, I want to focus on the challenges and opportunities before our country related to energy—and how what we do this year could have a profound impact on our country’s energy future … and with it, our economic prosperity.

And while this particular story has yet to be written for the Newseum, at this moment in time, our options for the future are quickly coming into focus.

Today we’re issuing The State of American Energy. A report that provides our industry’s perspective on energy and economic issues and the way the two are inextricably linked. This report captures the challenges and opportunities ahead of us.

On the one hand, even in this challenging economic climate – one where people are looking for ways to create jobs, boost revenue and spur investment – our industry has a great story to tell. Consider just a few highlights from the last year.

In 2010, oil and natural gas companies created 57,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania and West Virginia alone as part of the Marcellus Shale natural gas development. These are good‐paying, stable jobs that are in high demand right now.

The number‐one ranking in Gallup’s “Job Creation Index” belongs to North Dakota, thanks to its record‐breaking oil production numbers.

Last year, oil and natural gas companies’ investments in U.S. capital projects for this decade hit the two trillion dollar mark.

Finally, this industry provides the U.S. Treasury, on average, with well over $95 million each day in taxes, rent, royalties and bonus payments.

But on the other hand, without policies that encourage the continued safe and reliable production of our domestic oil and natural gas resources, the story will get much gloomier.

Our report contains a wealth of facts and figures about the state of American energy. But its conclusion is this: Energy growth is economic growth. Energy security is economic security. And when we invest in energy, we invest in America.

And today … after a year in which we faced and ultimately met unprecedented challenges … I’m glad to say that the state of American energy has been strong… but it will remain strong only if policymakers chart a course of opportunity and certainty.

With the right policies in place at all levels of government, our industry stands ready to be the engine of economic growth and recovery this country needs in 2011 – and for decades to come.

With a rising world population and developing economies demanding more resources, we will see the global demand for energy rise significantly. But rising energy demand means that economies are growing and that billions of people around the world are ascending out of poverty and gaining access to a better quality of life.

The International Energy Outlook 2010 projects that world energy consumption will grow nearly 50 percent between 2007 and 2035. And based on government projections, oil and natural gas will continue to provide more than half of total U.S. and global energy needs until 2035 and beyond.

These numbers clearly demonstrate that meeting this growing demand for energy of all types—including oil and natural gas—will require more safe and reliable exploration and production … including right here in the U.S.

Our industry supports 9.2 million American jobs. That includes 2.1 million workers directly employed exploring, producing, refining, transporting and marketing oil and natural gas.

The number also includes 7.1 million workers whose jobs support the oil and natural gas industry. Equipment suppliers, construction companies, management specialists and food service businesses are all tied to the industry, and many of them are small to medium‐sized businesses.

Every sector of the economy depends on affordable energy … every business owner, every worker … every household and family member … every consumer depends on affordable, reliable supplies of oil and natural gas.

Who are these 9.2 million workers … and the millions of Americans who benefit from oil and natural gas? You can see some of them if you look around the room. These are images of real people whom we have featured in our new “I’m One” advertising campaign, which launches this week on Capitol Hill—in the Capitol South metro station—and then rolls out as a national campaign to further educate and engage the public on important energy policy issues. The ads feature the workers, the consumers, the homeowners and others who are part of the American story of the oil and natural gas industry.

This is why I mentioned earlier that American energy and the American economy are inextricably linked.

The state of American energy must be strong in order for the American economy to thrive.

How then do we strengthen the state of American energy? For starters, there are vast reserves of domestic resources that are currently off limits to exploration and production: billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas … onshore and off. And those estimates are most likely conservative given our past experience and new advanced technologies.

Accessing these U.S. resources could improve our energy security by making us less reliant on others, generate an additional $1.7 trillion in government revenue over the life of the resources and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

In areas where we do have access, we need to responsibly expand production. Natural gas is a good example.

I mentioned earlier that last year our industry created 57,000 jobs in Pennsylvania and West Virginia alone as part of the Marcellus Shale development. That’s good news, to be sure, but it’s just the tip of the opportunity iceberg, since expanding the Marcellus natural gas development could create 280,000 additional jobs and an additional $6 billion in government revenue over the next decade.

Similar success stories are playing out in other parts of the country like Northern Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Colorado, where our companies are unlocking huge, new discoveries of natural gas.

We can build and maintain an even more vibrant natural gas sector. With a clean burning, abundant and affordable resource, the political will must be there to make it a reality.

Two more energy sources deserve mentioning. The first is Canadian oil sands. Greater oil sands production, from a friendly, nearby neighbor like Canada, could create more than 340,000 new American jobs and economic benefits that could add up to $34 billion to our GDP by 2015.

The second is oil shale. Increased oil shale production could add as many as 100,000 new jobs, millions in tax revenues, and royalties and lease payments topping $2 billion a year.

And our industry is also researching, developing and marketing alternative and renewable sources of energy, including solar, geothermal, biofuels, fuel cells, hydrogen power and wind energy. We invested $58.4 billion in low‐ and zero‐carbon emissions technologies from 2000 to 2008. That’s more than either the federal government or all other U.S.‐based private industries combined.

We can and should be doing all of these things to improve the state of American energy, and our economy. And we can and are doing them safely.

Last year’s tragedy in the Gulf brought new attention to the risks associated with doing what the men and women in our industry do every day.

In the days and weeks after the incident, I’m proud of the way the industry responded. The industry responded quickly, moving vessels, materials and manpower to the area.

We immediately brought together industry experts from around the world and created task forces to identify ways we could enhance the focus on safety, even before we knew the cause of this disaster.

The task forces’ recommendations are already helping to improve safety through development of new industry standards and through incorporation in new government regulations.

We redoubled our commitment to safety – something we’ve been focused on for the more than 60 years we’ve been in the Gulf—with more than 42,000 wells. We’ve developed the technologies, standards and best practices that have helped ensure that workplace safety and environmental stewardship remain at the forefront of the offshore development process.

And while the strength of our existing system is precisely why incidents like the one last year are rare, there is always room for improvement. That’s why work on advancing safety will never be “done”; we will continually strive to improve our performance.

The commitment to improve safety while we continue to explore and develop our resources must be paramount—for both industry and government—because more domestic production of oil and natural gas both onshore and offshore is critical to jobs for Americans, a stronger economy, enhanced energy security, and will help solve a pressing problem: the federal budget deficit.

On the economic front, the progress we have made and the opportunity for future growth depends, in part, on the policy choices we make now. The right policies … those that create a clear, positive climate for investment … will help us realize gains in job creation and economic growth, generating increased revenues to government. But the wrong policies will put these gains at risk.

Over the past few years, revenues to the U.S. Treasury from lease sales have decreased, due in part to a lack of opportunities.

Our industry is eager to initiate new projects. But without an adequate level of business certainty, with concerns about policies that might curtail this industry’s ability to access new resources, those projects might never get off the drawing board.

Companies need to know they can get access to the domestic resources where oil and natural gas can be developed. They need clear guidelines from policymakers on what is required to gain permits and on the rules for safe and reliable operations. They need a sure process timeline before they can commit the resources, line up equipment and hire the workers they need to get started. But we also cannot keep the industry on indefinite “hold” while the regulatory process is improved.

When questions linger about whether new projects can move forward, where U.S. regulatory certainty is lacking, those projects move elsewhere.

We’ve already seen some companies send their idled Gulf rigs to waters off the coast of Africa and South America—and other companies are discussing plans to relocate their Gulf rigs to places where exploration and production continue.

And as these rigs leave us, so do the jobs and revenue they create.

A policy environment that creates and sustains a level playing field for all energy sources will help drive us to recovery. Anything else will idle it, taking revenue lower and leaving policymakers with fewer options.

So the way I see it, our policymakers are at a crossroads. They face two choices: One leads us forward and promotes jobs, investments, revenue and growth… or one that takes us backward, threatening the progress we’ve made and closing the door on future opportunities.

Choosing the right path requires making the right choices in two critical areas.

The first is access.

I’ve discussed what greater access to our domestic energy reserves would mean for America’s economy. Our nation will require more oil and natural gas for decades to come. A lot of it will come from deep sea wells – and if it doesn’t come from here, then we’ll import it.

This is why we oppose the recent decision by the Department of the Interior to delay the next Five‐Year Plan for offshore leasing, the placing of large areas of domestic oil and natural gas off‐limits, and the slow pace of permitting—both onshore and off—in areas where exploration and production are allowed.

The American people have consistently supported increasing access to domestic oil and natural gas, including resources offshore.

Closing the eastern Gulf and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to offshore drilling and exploration—and delaying development in Alaska—sends job creation elsewhere … and it closes the door on economic growth.

It lets other countries open – and then widen – a gap in technological expertise, equipment and infrastructure.

Countries around the world understand this. Some are creating the right climate for energy investment – both within their borders and off their coasts – while others are securing global oil and natural gas resources.

We hear much about China and how they’re securing their own energy future.

We can look at Brazil, home to some of the largest offshore oil finds in the last decade, finds that are believed to hold as much as 100 billion barrels of oil.

Brazil recently announced that between now and 2014 it will invest $224 billion to double production by 2020. About 95 percent of that investment will stay in Brazil.

U.S. oil and natural gas companies stand to benefit from this development and could play a role in helping Brazil meet its target. But that shouldn’t be the total extent to which America benefits from increased global energy production.

We should be increasing production here at home; we should welcome new investments; we should be creating jobs and revenue here.

At a time when we are attempting to reduce the deficit and put more Americans back to work, closing off Outer Continental Shelf development opportunities is the wrong choice. And it’s one we will be feeling the effects of for years.

The second area where making the right decision is critical: taxes.

There’s been significant political debate about federal spending levels and government revenues … particularly how to cut spending and increase revenues to pay for important programs.

One suggestion has been to increase taxes on the oil and natural gas sector, or to make oil and natural companies ineligible for certain standard business tax deductions—deductions meant to spur domestic job creation.

U.S. oil and natural gas companies are already an important source of government tax revenues; they pay their share—and more. Our industry pays an effective tax rate of 48.4 percent of pre‐tax, net income – nearly double what other industries pay. In 2008, it paid more than $95 billion in income taxes alone.

Still, some believe that more taxes on the industry equals more money for federal programs.

But today we’re releasing a new economic analysis by Wood Mackenzie that shows why that’s not the case. We’ve provided copies of this analysis on your table.

Here’s what this study shows ‐‐ increasing taxes on the oil and gas industry actually decreases government revenue.

In the long run, the negative economic consequences of higher taxes more than offset any short‐term tax revenue gains … an additional $5 billion in new, annual taxes—similar to what’s been proposed by the administration, or some in Congress—could actually decrease cumulative government revenue by $128 billion by 2025.

And even worse, higher taxes could result in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs between now and 2025. Right around the corner, in 2014 alone, we’d lose 170,000 of these jobs.

However, the oil and natural gas industry can still provide the answer the government is looking for.

If we open areas that are currently off‐limits to development, we could create more than 500,000 jobs throughout the economy and generate an additional $150 billion in government revenue by 2025.

What that says to me is this: We can either take momentum away from recovery or put it behind American prosperity.

We can watch jobs and billions of dollars in federal revenue disappear, or we can welcome 500,000 new jobs and $150 billion in new money.

On election night this fall, one poll showed that 60 percent of voters oppose an increase in taxes on the oil and natural gas industry; 54 percent said an increase could destroy jobs. They were right.

The President’s debt commission will turn a year old next month. It was created to identify ways to improve the country’s financial standing and build a healthier economic future.

Well, there is a way. And here we are.

We are ready, as an industry, to help this country achieve the energy and economic security it needs. But to reach our fullest potential, we must be clear on the kinds of policies that will shape the American economy of the future, and Congress and policymakers at all levels of government make the decisions that will get us there.

The American people sent a message last November. They want lawmakers focused on an agenda that promotes growth. And they want job creation at the forefront.

We want the same things. And we’re committed to working with the administration and the new, 112th Congress to make them happen.

But there is growing, bipartisan concern that regulatory overreach from burgeoning federal agencies will decrease America’s competitiveness and increase the kind of uncertainty that can stall new energy projects … or in some cases, kill them altogether.

Regulators are moving forward with a number of proposals that will impact our industry’s ability to deliver energy resources, could cost millions of jobs, hurt consumers and put U.S. businesses at a competitive disadvantage globally.

Let me be clear: the role of federal regulators is an important one. But it is Congress’s ultimate responsibility to pass comprehensive legislation that will enhance our nation’s energy and climate security.

And it is the regulators’ responsibility to implement these laws consistent with congressional intent.

I’ve spent a lot of time today talking about what could be, or how the oil and natural gas industry is poised to do more for our energy and economic future.

But imagine we were instead looking back at a time when we got energy policy right.

Imagine looking back and pointing to new energy projects and increased production, resulting in new jobs, increased corporate investment and government revenue while continuing to improve efficiency and environmental performance.

Imagine looking back and seeing a policy climate that allowed us to improve our energy security here at home and enhance America’s competitiveness abroad.

The Newseum is dedicated to chronicling the most seminal moments in American history … the way we overcame challenges … or defined greatness.

The story of how we overcome this challenge has yet to be written. But other countries are writing theirs. And the development of new and additional energy sources, both at home and around the world, plays a leading role in their narratives.

Right now we sit at a crossroads.

What we’re faced with today is choosing between the future we want to see – with jobs and economic growth and revenue generation as part of it all.

Or the future that will be handed to us if we continue on the current course – one that involves more imports, more expensive energy, more deficits.

Let’s make the right choice and set the right agenda. And then, let’s get right to work on a story we can all be proud of … and one that will be chronicled here in this wonderful building as an American success story.

I believe that we can and I’m confident we will.

Thank you very much.

Sources:
API Newsroom - The State of American Energy Speech, PDF

New Version Of Same Old Energy Killing / Job Killing Bill

Here we go again.

Hey folks,

So, as we discussed yesterday, there is no oil out there. None to really speak of. There is no reason whatsoever to shut down all Drilling. Hopefully, the New Judges and Courts hearing the cases will say the same thing. There is only one reason for the Drilling Moratorium, other than pure Politics.

Jack Gerard, President of API, laid out a CLEAR and concise statement on what Harry Reid's NEW Version of the same old Energy and Job Killing Bill will actually do. Here it is.

Senate Energy Bill Threatens Jobs, Economic Growth

By Jack Gerard Tuesday 27 July 2010

The Senate bill unveiled today by Majority Leader Harry Reid moves forward with provisions that will cost American jobs, slow economic growth and will place our energy security at risk.

While full details of the Senate bill are not yet available, the liability provision sticks out as a jobs killer. Requiring an unattainable level of insurance coverage for domestic energy producers on the Outer Continental Shelf will force the vast majority of American companies out of U.S. waters, according to insurers.

This would cut domestic production, kill American jobs, slow economic growth and cost billions in federal oil and natural gas revenues.

Even those that could self insure operations would see costs skyrocket, driving investments out of the United States, further hurting our economy, employment and energy security, according to a recent analysis by Wood Mackenzie.

While we are glad that the bill recognizes the need to analyze the economic repercussions of the current deepwater moratorium, a better tack would have been to repeal it.

Majority Leader Reid suggests his bill will create 150,000 new jobs, but our analysis indicates that failing to develop in the deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico will cost more than that - 175,000 jobs, the majority of them in already hard-hit Gulf Coast communities.

Clearly, that is not a win for Americans.

Pretty easy for anyone with an IQ above 10 to understand. Again, I ask you this. No Oil. No disaster. No other DRILLING problems. Why do we need this?
Peter

Ban on Offshore Drilling and Exploration

Told you Obama and Crew would USE this accident to further their agenda.

Hey folks,

The first week of March, we learned this.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Mar 8 - After more than a year of delays, Secretary of the Interior quietly announced last week that the Obama Administration will discard the 2010-2015 lease plan for new development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and wait until 2012 to put a new plan in the place. This means that the Administration’s initial six-month delay has turned into a three-year moratorium on new offshore drilling. Even if a new lease plan is implemented by July of 2012, no new lease sales will occur during President Obama’s term in office. It will also mark 45 months since Congress first lifted the moratorium.

So WHY is this such a surprise NOW. He and the Kooks he is beholden to, are using this accident as an excuse to do what they have wanted to do the whole time. BAN Drilling. Kill the industry. Raise prices. All this in some kind of misguided, and completely ignorant attempt to "speed up" Alternative Energy creation.

We have already talked about this. There is nothing out there. I did the math for you just this past Wednesday. $4.00 to $5.00 gallon gas is NOT sustainable to most average working Americans. We saw how $4.00 was pretty much the tipping point. Yet NOW? You had better hope that $5.00 is as high as it goes.

This is completely ignorant and immature to ban all Offshore Oil Drilling, and Exploration. But then again, we DO have an ignorant and Child like person PLAYING President. Seriously, regardless of what you hear about his brilliance, minus ANY proof of the matter, Obama is a Dumcuf who wants to be Ruler. He is an Idiot.

Now to someone who can NOT say things like this, yet is more qualified than ANYONE in this Regime to talk about this issue, API President Jack Gerard, testified before Congress about the accident in the Gulf. Here is the text of his testimony.

Good morning Chairman Rahall, Ranking Member Hastings, and members of the committee.

I am Jack Gerard, President and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute. API has about 400 member companies, which represent all sectors of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Our industry supports 9.2 million American jobs– including 170,000 in the Gulf of Mexico related to the offshore development business– and provides most of the energy we need to power our economy and our way of life.

The tragic and heartbreaking accident in the Gulf was unprecedented, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones, to the workers who were injured, and to all of our neighbors in the Gulf who were affected.

The response to the accident has also been unprecedented. Industry and government were on the scene immediately and massively. Many thousands of people have been working long and hard to control and halt the release of oil and protect the shoreline.

Our work will not end until we stop the flow of oil, clean up the environment, understand the causes, and correct them. We owe that to our employees and their families, and we owe it to our country.

Safety is a core value for the U.S. offshore oil and natural gas industry. Companies and employees understand the significant risks of working in the challenging offshore environment and place a strong focus on safety training, procedures, and equipment.

Offshore workers are the first line of defense against oil spills and other accidents on rigs and platforms. These hard-working, conscientious professionals are schooled in how to protect themselves and the environment. They actively observe each other’s behavior and remind their co-workers about safe operating practices. They work under a comprehensive suite of regulatory standards and frequent inspections that further reinforce their safety ethic.

The industry’s commitment to safety is real and strong, but the April tragedy in the Gulf clearly demonstrates there is more work to be done. All of us realize we must do better.

The process of improvement has already begun with the formation of industry task forces, which provided input to the U.S. Department of the Interior on improving offshore equipment and offshore operating procedures. Their work will complement Interior’s Outer Continental Shelf Safety Oversight Board and lead to enhancements to existing API standards and possibly to new API standards. API has helped create numerous standards on safety, which we provide free of charge to all. The API standards program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute, the same independent organization that accredits programs at some of our federal laboratories.

A commitment to safety improvement is vital because more domestic production of oil and natural gas both onshore and offshore is critical to jobs for Americans, a stronger economy, and enhanced energy security.

The tragic accident in the Gulf doesn’t change the reality that demand for energy isgrowi ng and that we’ll need more oil and natural gas to help meet that demand in the coming decades. Offshore production from the Gulf of Mexico plays an important role meeting demand today, accounting for 30 percent of the nation’s total domestic oil production and 11 percent of domestic natural gas production. Approximately 70 percent of the oil and 36 percent of the natural gas produced in the Gulf come from deepwater exploration.

We fully support President Obama’s plans for an independent presidential commission to investigate the spill. At the same time, we urge our policymakers to be careful in their approach so that any policies enacted don’t have unintended consequences for our nation and our recovering economy. Proposals to halt or restrict offshore energy projects could result in hundreds of thousands of lost jobs, including many in the Gulf States, billions of dollars of lost government revenue, and a sharp decrease in our country’s energy security.

President Obama and Interior Secretary Salazar struck the right balance when they recently reaffirmed the importance of domestic oil and natural gas production to the nation’s strategy for energy and economic security.

Permanently shutting down an entire program or system, whether it’s our interstate highway system, our space program or our airways is never an option when there’s an accident or tragedy. Doing so when it comes to offshore oil and gas activity shouldn’t be an option either.

We can safely and reliably produce the oil and natural gas we’ll need at home. For more than 60 years, our industry has developed the ample natural resources that lie off our coasts and, with rare exceptions, has done so in a safe, environmentally responsible way. We will address the safety issues related to this accident and continue to provide the energy our nation needs, keeping jobs and revenue at home while enhancing our energy security.

It is important to take the time to understand the causes of the accident as we work to improve the safety and reliability of offshore oil and natural gas development. This knowledge will help the industry raise the bar on our performance and better inform policy choices related to offshore development. We will continue to support the Department of the Interior, other agencies and the President’s independent commission in their efforts to learn what caused this accident.

This concludes my statement, Mr. Chairman. I welcome questions from you and your colleagues. Thank you.

You know, one thing does fall into the "obvious realm" for everyone BUT the State Run Media. Who will NEVER ask Obama this question. The API President just said this to Congress.

"Our work will not end until we stop the flow of oil, clean up the environment, understand the causes, and correct them. We owe that to our employees and their families, and we owe it to our country."

Obama just said in his Press Conference?

"This is what I wake up to in the morning, and this is what I go to bed at night thinking about."

He also says he will not rest until this is resolved, uh, after his Vacation. Right? He doesn't even have time to Honor our Nations Fallen Heroes at Arlington. He does have to rest. It's hard work playing Dictator you know.

So what does API President think of this completely absurd decision to Ban Off Shore Drilling?

"We understand the concerns many people have about offshore drilling in the wake of this incident, and the frustration many feel toward oil companies. But this issue is much larger than the oil industry, since access to affordable energy impacts every sector of our economy, every state in our nation and every American family. Further, thousands of products - from toothpaste to iPods, cell phones to computers, and vitamins to vegetables - use oil and natural gas as a feedstock in the manufacturing process.

An extended moratorium on safely producing our oil and natural gas resources from the Gulf of Mexico would create a moratorium on economic growth and job creation--especially in the Gulf States whose people and economies have already been most affected by the oil spill--by undercutting our nation's access to affordable, reliable, domestic sources of oil and natural gas.

Deepwater development is a key component of domestic energy security. In 2007, deepwater provided 70 percent of the oil and 36 percent of the natural gas from overall federal Gulf of Mexico production. The 20 most prolific producing blocks in the Gulf are located in deepwater.

Additional moves to curtail domestic production by postponing exploration and development off the coasts of Alaska and Virginia, as well as areas in the Gulf, have the potential to significantly erode our energy and economic security.

Decisions that impact the industry's ability to produce the oil and natural gas this country needs in every sector of our economy and in every household in this country will affect the lives of every citizen, every day. We will encourage the administration and Congress to reconsider any decisions that would place previously available lease areas off limits, and to ensure that there is a process and a timeline for revisiting decisions that impact our energy and economic future."

Folks, you do not need Jack Gerard, Me, or anyone else to tell you what is coming. We have been there. In a very SMALL scale compared to that of which is coming. Yes, it is coming, and it is ORCHESTRATED to come this way. It is ON PURPOSE!

November is coming. 2012 is coming. If we have any hope in survival, we need to throw this Regime out, and put Adults and those with a IQ higher then First grade in there. We need someone who actually CARES about this Country, and someone who understands what REALITY is. Some one who is WIDE awake, and not living in Dreams. We need Sanity.
Peter

API - Website

Energy Tomorrow - Website

The Lib Agenda Carries On In The Face Of Reality

GWBS Just Silly Part 3

Hey folks,

OK. So we know GW IS BS. We know that this whole thing is just simply silly. Yet, the Liberal agenda seems to be carrying on in the face of all the FACTS that have been coming out indicating it's nothing more than a SCAM.

In the State of the Union Obama shocked everybody and came out for Off Shore Drilling, and increased funding of Nuclear Energy. This went over big.

President of API, Jack Gerard released this statement.

We are encouraged by the President's words that decisions need to be made about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development.

These are important and necessary decisions for the American people and the American economy. Greater access to America's vast oil and natural gas resources would bring more domestic energy, thousands of American jobs, billions in government revenues and less reliance on imported energy.

We support the President on jobs and are ready to do our part putting more Americans back to work. But to create these jobs, we will need policies that allow investment and development--policies that are pro-job, pro-consumer and pro-energy.

We are ready to work with the administration to help make that happen.

However? The Minerals Management Service, which oversees Offshore Drilling, said the original Virginia leasing plan will be delayed. The Department may still decide against any energy exploration in the area. They said that they were still "reviewing it." They announced a delay until at least 2012.

What about the "safe and clean nuclear energy?" Obama talked about? It is also a SCAM. Why? The Budget proposal that Obama just submitted shuts down the storage facility for nuclear spent fuel at Yucca Mountain. After billions of dollars over the last 30 years have been spent building redundancy for safety to put nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, it has been shut down. There's nowhere to put nuclear waste. So? With nowhere to put the waste, it could not possibly be "safe and clean nuclear energy."

So even though the President said what many wanted to hear, it is simply not true. They are STILL pushing Cap and Tax. They may tell you that it's dead, but the EPA is currently looking into a way THEY can enact it. They are still pushing to regulate every aspect of our lives based on the SCAM that is Global Warming. Even though more and more REAL Scientist are coming out and telling us that the whole thing is just plain wrong. Some are even using the terms SCAM and HOAX. Even though more and more people are looking around and seeing the exact OPPOSITE to what the Chicken Little Crowd is saying, in the face of REALITY, they are still attempting to move their insane agenda ahead. It truly is amazing to watch.
Peter

Sources:
National Review - Stuck on Yucca
Times Online - UN climate panel shamed by bogus rainforest claim
National Post - Activist-scientists cooked the books to foster
UK Guardian - Strange case of moving weather posts and a scientist under siege
UK Daily Mail- Leaked emails reveal that 'climategate' scientist 'hid' flaws in key global warming data
Canadian National Post - Wheels fall off global-warming hysteria
AFP - Netherlands adds to UN climate report controversy

Just Another Puppet

Another MAJOR hurdle to overcome for the sake of America

Hey folks,

This guy;

- voted against increased fuel efficiency standards for the U.S. automobile fleet
- voted to allow offshore oil drilling along Florida’s coast
- voted to allow the Army Corps of Engineers to ignore global warming impacts in their water development projects
- voted against the repeal of tax breaks for Exxon-Mobil
- voted to support subsidies to ranchers and other users of public forest and range lands
- threatened to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when its scientists determined the black-tailed prairie dog may be endangered
- fought efforts to increase protection for endangered species and the environment in the Farm Bill

When his name was being bantered around as the new pick of Obama, for the job as Interior Secretary, the Kooks went nuts. The Huffy Post wrote about him not being the man for the job. This fringe whacked out Liberal Group, Climate Science Watch, even sent Obama a letter. They said this about Obama's new pick.

Ken Salazar a Disappointing Choice for Secretary of the Interior
Stronger, More Scientifically Based Leadership Needed to Fix Crisis-Plagued Agency.

There was no crisis in the Agency. There was SANITY.

The Department of the Interior has been rocked by scandals during the Bush administration, most revolving around corrupt bureaucrats overturning and squelching agency scientists as they attempted to protect endangered species and natural resources from exploitation by developers, loggers, and oil and gas development. As recently as Monday, the Interior Department Inspector General issued another in a string of reports finding that top Department officials systematically violated laws and regulations in order to avoid or eliminate environmental protections.

They give him credit, but then say, he is not a big enough Kook for them.

While Salazar has promoted some good environmental actions and fought against off-road vehicle abuse, his overall record is decidedly mixed, and is especially weak in the arenas most important to the next Secretary of the Interior: protecting scientific integrity, combating global warming, reforming energy development and protecting endangered species.

Then this Loon, Suckling, I'm not making that up. That is the real name, Suckling said this.

“Obama’s choices for Secretary of Energy and his ‘Climate Change Czar’ indicate a determined willingness to take on global warming,” Suckling said. “That team will be weakened by the addition of Ken Salazar, who has fought against federal action on global warming, against higher fuel efficiency standards, and for increased oil drilling and oil subsidies.”

Sounds like Salazar is an intelligent man. Sounds like he has the ability to REASON and actually think. Does it not? Well, hold on there a second. Obama did appoint him, he became the new Interior Secretary. However, a friend of America? A person that is willing to help us become energy independent? Not by a long shot.

Just this past Wednesday, Salazar announced that he was about to nullify Utah Oil and Gas Drilling Leases. He said he was nullifying the drilling leases on about 130,000 acres in Utah because they are near National Parks and the Envionuts have started asking questions about environmental reviews.

He said this.

“Those are American iconic treasures we need to make sure are being protected,” Salazar said on a conference call with reporters today. He also said the environmental review process “was not complete.”

Of course the Nuts are happy. They came out of the woodwork blaming Bush for all the evils of mankind and his "creation" of Global Warming. Now he said some of these areas may go back up for sale later, but he did not say if those awarded these areas would be getting money back that they may have already spent.

But this is NOT my main issue with this puppet. My main problem with him is yesterday, he came right out and stared talking about backing away from off shore drilling all together. According to the AP- Salazar rejects Bush drilling plan By H. JOSEF HEBERT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has rejected a Bush administration plan to open vast waters off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to oil and gas drilling, promising "a new way forward" in offshore energy development including new wind projects.

Salazar, at a news conference Tuesday, criticized "the midnight timetable" for new oil and gas development on the country's Outer Continental Shelf proposed by the Bush administration four days before President Barack Obama took office Jan. 20.

The secretary said the previous administration's plan did not take into consideration the views of states and coastal communities, nor a need to better understand what energy resources are at stake, especially off the Atlantic coast where oil and gas estimates are more than three decades old.

"Take into consideration the views of states and coastal communities?" You have been telling them that YOU want this. That is complete and utter Bunk. Remember back on Sunday January 18, 2009, I gave you GREAT news?

The MMS, the federal agency responsible for administering the offshore oil and natural gas program, considers the size, timing, and location of the areas to be considered for federal leasing, and it bases its recommendations on the public’s comments. The plan is reviewed by Congress and approved by the Secretary of the Interior. They were accepting public comments on its 2010-2015 plan. Problem was, several anti-drilling groups have called on their members to flood MMS with comments. Therefore, the majority of comments oppose new leases.

So they figured that the Kooks would out number the PEOPLE, and that would give them cover to say, "The Public is against it." But that is NOT the case, thanks to all of you. 53 percent supported increased offshore oil and natural gas production back then. The Kooks lost this one again.

But WAIT, that can't be. The public can not possibly WANT this. What about Global Warming? Oh yeah, GW is BS. So now?

"We need to ... restore an orderly process to our offshore energy planning program," declared Salazar, criticizing "foot dragging" by the Bush administration in pushing for renewable energy development in coastal waters.

The only people "foot dragging" our energy independence is the Liberals in Power, and the Obama Administration.

Congress last fall ended the broad drilling ban, dating back to 1981, that has kept energy companies from even exploring or conducting seismic studies across 85 percent of the offshore federal waters.

But it remains up to the Interior Department to issue specific plans for drilling leases. And Salazar indicated Tuesday he is in no rush to open vast expanses of long-protected waters, promising "to create our own timetable."

Salazar directed Interior Department scientists to produce new reports on how much oil and gas might be found off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and extended the public comment period on a new five-year leasing plan to September. He said he will hold regional meetings to get comments from the public before continuing with an offshore energy plan.

Blah blah blah. So your voices WERE heard, yet he wants to extend the public comment period. API’s President Jack Gerard responded with the following statement about the 180 day extended comment period:

“Congress made the American people wait nearly 30 years to address our immediate energy challenges. Secretary Salazar today told the American people they must continue to wait – even though more than two-thirds of them want to tap our vast domestic resources for the benefit of all Americans.

“The accelerated Outer Continental Shelf five-year plan process, which the secretary placed on hold today, was designed to address the critical energy concerns facing Americans. The draft plan already received a record 120,000 comments from states, environmental groups, industry, labor groups and members of the public – with 87,000 of those comments supporting expanded and expeditious development.

Secretary Salazar’s announcement means that development of our offshore resources could be stalled indefinitely. That would delay Americans’ access to nearly 160,000 new, well-paying jobs, $1.7 trillion in revenues to federal, state and local governments and greater energy security.

We share Secretary Salazar’s view that America needs a comprehensive energy policy that includes alternatives. In these tough economic times, Salazar’s delay does a disservice to all Americans. We should be moving as quickly as possible to develop more of our own oil and natural gas to benefit all Americans.”

So they know that the vast majority of you WANT this now. They know that this is possible and that their false 10 to 15 year argument is just ignorantly wrong. Yet, THEY DO NOT CARE. They do not care what you think, say, or believe. They have an agenda and they are sticking to it.

Get this.

But Salazar did not rule out an expansion off offshore oil and gas drilling. Some issues such as revenue sharing from offshore energy development must still be worked out in Congress, which also is likely to have a say on what specific waters might again be put off limits.

I warned you folks. There are some, behind the scenes, that WANT the Drilling Ban back in place. They can not come right out and say it. They can not come right out a DO it. They know that even though the Loons are attempting to flood them with negatives, YOU said you want this. They hear you. They are just not liking what you say. So they are trying to find ways around this. Maybe they think the extension will give the Loons more time to flood them with anti-drilling comments. I can hear them now. "We NEED cover. We NEED cover. Quick Envionuts, help us."

Now is not the time to stop. YOU need to continue to hammer these Socialist Idiots and make sure that they understand, We need to drill now. We need to be Energy Independent. For National Security, and the financial well being of this country. $1.7 trillion in revenues to federal, state and local governments could help offset some of that two plus trillion that Obama and the Loons want to throw away at your expense. Not to mention the REAL and long lasting CAREER jobs that will be created. That ain't laying no sod.

This Administration is out of control. The Congress is out of control. YOU are the only thing that can slow them down. YOU are the only thing that can stop them all together in two years. Once again we are seeing the price at the pump go up, while the price of Oil per barrel go down. Once again, this Administration and those in Congress are saying to you, screw you. It's time YOU start saying to them, No. Screw you.
Peter

Sources:
Climate Science Watch - Ken Salazar for Interior Sec.: Weak on scientific integrity, endangered species, global warming?
Bloomberg.com - Salazar to Nullify Utah Oil and Gas Drilling Leases
AP - Salazar rejects Bush drilling plan
OPNTalk - Your Voices Were Heard

What Does API Think Of President Obama?

From the new API President

Hey folks,

Some of you were wondering about API, the American Petroleum institute, and what they thought about Obama being elected to the highest office in the land. Since some of you have figured out that I have a friend over there, you thought maybe I could answer this. I was kind of wondering this myself to tell you the truth.

So I sent them an Email asking them their take. Since Obama is really against Off Shore Oil Drilling, FOR oppressive taxation on "Big Oil", and came right out and said he wants to bankrupt the Coal Industry, not to mention he also said he LIKED high gas prices, what are their thoughts on this? This was pointed out to me. It is from the NEW API President Jack Gerard.

This election gives us all a new opportunity to think about energy and environmental policy in a new way. In essence, we have a rare chance to get it right, to shed preconceived notions, old ways and unworkable approaches. As President-elect Obama said Tuesday night, we cannot go back to the way things were.

While the economy is the No. 1 issue on our leaders' minds, it is our duty to remind them that without sound energy policies there can be no sound economic policies. An energy policy that will ensure our nation's energy security must be based on this one principle: we need all the energy we can get from all sources, and we need to do a better job of using energy wisely.

We are gratified that President-elect Obama and the leaders of the new Congress have listened to the will of the American people and have advocated expanding domestic production of oil and natural gas. Expanded production is essential to fuel our economy, create new jobs and give American consumers the energy they want and need. We hope that their willingness to expand production demonstrates a desire to put behind us the divisiveness and bitterness of the past, as well as a yearning for lasting solutions. The people of America's oil and natural gas industry--the backbone of our economy--are ready and willing to join in this constructive approach to energy. Our nation's economic survival and its standing in the world depend on it.

Now we will see if President Elect Obama is true to his word or not. We do not need oppressive taxation on Oil. We do not need the Off Shore Oil Ban placed back. We most DEFINITELY NEED the Coal Industry. Economics 101. If people can not afford the gas to get to work, they can not afford to help the economy. If truckers can not afford fuel, then you will not get the goods and services you need. If you can not afford the "SKY ROCKETING electric bills," you will not have one of the most basic needs.

Does Obama care? Does he even understand? Was this just campaign pandering to the far Left Loons? I guess we will just have to wait to see.
Peter

Sources:
National Journal Online- Jack Gerard, President and CEO, American Petroleum Institute