Majority Of Public Is Opposed To Drilling In The ANWR

One of the things slipped into the new tax law passed by the Republican Congress (and signed by Trump) is a provision that allows drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. But like the tax law as a whole, a majority of Americans don't like this provision that will allow oil companies to desecrate our public land.

Only 35% think it's OK to drill for oil in the ANWR, while 53% say it's the wrong thing to do. Once again, the Republicans have done something the American people don't want. They claim it's to stop the dependence on foreign oil, but the public would rather see that accomplished by increasing the use of clean and renewable resources.

The chart above uses numbers from a recent Rasmussen Poll -- done on December 26th of a random national sample of 1,000 likely voters, with a 3 point margin of error.

"Drill, Baby, Drill" Won't Lower Gas Prices

Republicans love to tell simple lies, because those are the most likely to be believed. One of those simple lies they have repeatedly told is that the answer to high gas prices is just to drill for more oil in the United States (and just off-shore). That sounds like it would work. After all, wouldn't more oil production drive down the price of oil (and therefore gasoline)?

Actually no. If there was a glut of oil on the world market, more than could possibly be sold, the price might go down. But that is not the current situation (nor will it be at anytime in the future). Every bit of oil produced can easily be sold, because the demand for it is high and increases with each passing day. If one country doesn't want to buy it, there are plenty more that will (and at whatever price is asked for it).

The scarcity of oil (and the prospect of it grower much scarcer as we approach the point of "peak oil") makes it a commodity that speculators love. They know they can make money no matter how much they have to pay for the oil, because they know they can always sell that oil no matter how high they jack up the price. And it is this action by speculators on Wall Street that drives up the price of oil (and therefore gasoline) -- not the lack of drilling or production (both of which are higher under President Obama than they were during the Bush administration).

Just look at the chart above. It clearly shows that the amount of oil a country produces (or doesn't produce) has little to do with the price of gasoline in that country. The chart shows that the ups and downs of gas prices are mirrored in the United States, Japan, and Canada -- even though the United States imports 63% of its oil (less than under Bush II), Japan imports 100% of its oil, and Canada produces so much more oil than it can use that it actually exports 77% of its oil.

Obviously, the amount of oil production in each country has nothing to do with the price of gas in that country. A far better way to control the price of gasoline is through greater efficiency and less dependence on oil (foreign or domestic). Here is how the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office puts it:

Policies that promoted greater production of oil in the United States would probably not protect U.S. consumers from sudden worldwide increases in oil prices stemming from supply disruptions elsewhere in the world, even if increased production lowered the world price of oil on an ongoing basis. In fact, such lower prices would encourage greater use of oil, thus making consumers more vulnerable to increases in oil prices. Even if the United States increased production and became a net exporter of oil, U.S. consumers would still be exposed to gasoline prices that rose and fell in response to disruptions around the world.


In contrast, policies that reduced the use of oil and its products would create an incentive for consumers to use less oil or make decisions that reduced their exposure to higher oil prices in the future, such as purchasing more fuel-efficient vehicles or living closer to work. Such policies would impose costs on vehicle users (in the case of fuel taxes or fuel-efficiency requirements) or taxpayers (in the case of subsidies for alternative fuels or for new vehicle technologies). But the resulting decisions would make consumers less vulnerable to increases in oil prices.

GOP Is Lying About Domestic Oil Production

The Republicans picked lame-duck Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas to provide the response to the president's weekly address. I guess they thought picking someone from an oil-rich state like Texas would lend some credence to their attacks on President Obama's energy policies. They were wrong. A lie is still a lie -- even when it comes from the lips of an oil-state senator.

And all Senator Hutchison did was to tell the same old lies the Republicans have been telling us for a while now. They want us to believe that the current high prices for gasoline are President Obama's fault. Here is some of what Hutchison had to say:

Last February, the average cost of a gallon of unleaded was $3.17 per gallon – the highest February price ever. But this February’s average is $3.57 per gallon – and all forecasts are for prices to rocket above $4.00 per gallon during the summer driving season. Families and businesses will be devastated. . .

We can’t slow down global demand for oil and gas, but we can do a lot more here at home to assure that we have the energy we need and to halt skyrocketing costs.

But, President Obama’s policy has resulted in an unprecedented slowdown in new exploration and production of oil and gas.

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 that during President Clinton’s term.

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 that during President Clinton’s term.

Not only will the slowdown in domestic production drive up fuel prices, it also takes away jobs from tens of thousands of oil industry workers.

The same is true for the Keystone pipeline. It would produce thousands of good-paying construction jobs and tens of thousands more at U.S. refineries and suppliers.

The same is true for the Keystone pipeline. It would produce thousands of good-paying construction jobs and tens of thousands more at U.S. refineries and suppliers.

Read more here: http://blogs.star-telegram.com/politex/2012/02/kbh-gives-gop-response-to-obama-free-up-energy.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://blogs.star-telegram.com/politex/2012/02/kbh-gives-gop-response-to-obama-free-up-energy.html#storylink=cpy

There are so many lies there that it's hard to know where to start. First, nothing President Obama has done has affected the price of gasoline at the pump. That price has risen because of the unbridled greed of both the oil speculators and the Big Oil companies. The speculators have driven up the cost of crude oil and the Big Oil companies have cut back on gasoline production to create an artificial shortage to raise gas prices. And both have done this in spite of already having record profits. Their greed has no limit (and has nothing to do with President Obama).

Second, there has been no cut in domestic production of either oil or natural gas. As my fellow Texas blogger over at Brains and Eggs points out, there is actually an enormous glut in the production of natural gas. So much is currently being produced that it is actually driving down the price that producers can get for it. As for oil production, as the chart above shows, it has been higher in every month under President Obama than any month under George W. Bush.

It is an outrageous lie to say production has been cut. And since there has been no cut or slowdown in the domestic production of oil, that cannot be the reason for the rise in the price of gasoline. There has been a loss of jobs for refinery workers, but this is not due to any drop in production of oil (since there hasn't been a drop). It is due to the Big Oil companies closing refineries to reduce the amount of gasoline available -- so they can claim a shortage and raise prices.

Hutchison has also inflated drastically the job-creation that would occur from building the Keystone XL pipeline. There would be a couple of thousand construction jobs temporarily created to build it, but realistic estimates show the new pipeline would only create a couple of hundred permanent jobs. The Republicans are trying to hide another giveaway to Big Oil as job creation -- another lie.

As for the threat of the oil going to China, it has always been destined to go there. It is only a question of whether China gets gets the crude oil (if the pipeline is not built) or whether they get the refined product (if it is built). None of it will stay in the U.S. in either case (but the Big Oil companies want the pipeline so they can make money by refining the oil for China). Touting the pipeline as a way to reduce the price of gasoline in this country is just another Republican lie.

Why are the Republicans repeatedly telling these obvious lies? Two reasons. First they want to hurt the president, and they think blaming him for gas prices will do that. Second, telling the truth would expose them as being in the pocket of the Big Oil corporations -- which they are.

Here are a few other facts about how the president "is moving us toward energy independence and saving American consumers at the pump":

640,000: Increase in the average number of barrels of crude oil produced per day since 2008 

4 X: Factor by which the number of oil rigs operating in the United States has gone up under President Obama's administration 

1.5 million: Decrease in the average number of barrels of crude oil imported per day since 2008 

16: Number of years since the United States’ dependence on foreign oil was as low as it was last year 

54.5 mpg: Performance equivalent that will be required for model year 2017-2025 cars and light trucks—nearly doubling the standards that were in place when President Obama took office 

More than $8,000: Savings at the pump per vehicle by 2025 thanks to steps the Obama administration has taken to increase efficiency 

More than $1.7 trillion: Total amount consumers will have saved at the pump by 2025 thanks to President Obama’s fuel efficiency program

Climate Change Bill Is Severely Flawed

Senators John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut) have decided it is time to unveil their new climate change bill. Frankly, their timing leaves a lot to be desired. It makes me question their intelligence. I'm not saying a climate change bill is not needed -- it definitely is needed. But the bill they propose makes no sense at this time.

That's because one of the major provisions of the bill is to increase oil drilling -- both on-land and off-shore drilling. You'd think they hadn't heard about the current oil drilling disaster in the Gulf a disaster that's still pouring over 5,000 barrels of oil each day into the Gulf and threatening marine life, not to mention the shorelines of several states. This leak grows worse each day and may not be stopped for months.

The current disaster would be enough to make one wonder about not only the timing of the bill, but also the value of it. But I have to wonder about another point. Just how is increasing drilling for oil going to help slow down global climate change? Isn't the climate change caused mainly by the world's increasing use of carbon-based fuels (oil and coal)? How is increasing production going to slow down climate change?

For those reasons, I believe this bill is fatally flawed. If the oil disaster in the Gulf hadn't happened, it might have had some chance of passing in spite of its major flaw (since it did seem to have some bipartisan support). But that was yesterday. Today is a different matter.

Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida) has already said he will filibuster any bill that calls for more off-shore drilling. I understand his stand. Florida stands to be severely hurt by the current disaster, and it makes no sense at this time to put more rigs in the Gulf -- especially since they could just be ticking time bombs for future disasters.

I don't think this bill stands a chance. At least not until they can assure people that future off-shore drilling will be safe. But isn't that what they told us about the well that exploded? This is just not the time to ask for increased drilling. It especially doesn't make sense in a climate change bill.

Groundwater Contaminated Near Midland

If you listened to the Republicans, you'd think all we need to do to solve our energy problems is to unleash the corporations to drill for more oil and gas anytime and anywhere they want to. Never mind that the fuels they drill for is damaging the planet and destroying the environment. To hear them tell it, as long as Exxon and Shell and BP are making massive profits then everything is all right.

But consider the case of Cotton Flats, just outside of Midland in West Texas. Their water. has turned the color of urine. They just found out two months ago that much of their groundwater has been contaminated with hexavalent chromium -- a known cancer-causing agent. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is still testing water wells in the area to determine the extent of the contamination.

So far, at least one third of the 125 wells tested so far, has been found to be contaminated. And its not just a little contaminated -- the wells contain 50 times the maximum amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency. That's enough to cause serious health problems.

Although they just discovered the contamination, they believe it may have occurred as long as five years ago. Who did it? They don't know that yet. TCEQ said they'll look for the culprit once they know the extent of the contamination. But the area only has one real industry -- the drilling and pumping of oil and gas, and it is strongly believed that is the source of the contamination.

The wells found to be contaminated have been outfitted with water filtration systems (pictured), which are supposed to make the water safe for all uses. Resident Sheldon Johnson says he checks and changes his filters frequently. He said, "We go to bed with it on our minds, we wake up with it on our minds. All of us worry, 'Is our filtration system working?'"

Are you paying attention FORT WORTH? Your greed has let the drilling companies inside your city limits. Will this be your groundwater that's contaminated next?

Gas Drilling In Fort Worth

It was bad enough that the city of Fort Worth decided to let energy companies drill for natural gas within their city limits -- even in the downtown area. But now the gas companies want to drill even closer to homes, apartments and parks.

The city has an ordinance that says drilling cannot take place within 600 feet (200 yards) of houses, parks, schools, churches or hospitals (somehow apartments didn't make it into the ordinance). But there is a way around the ordinance. The gas companies can apply for a "high-impact" permit that would lower the distance to 200 feet.

The city council must approve the "high-impact" permit, but so far they have never turned one down. To date, 120 of the permits have been requested. Just in the last year, 62 permits were requested (Chesapeake-44, XTO-13, Devon-5).

In some neighborhoods, the residents are even signing off on the "high-impact" permits. I can only think they're letting their greed get the better of their common sense (they are paid royalties on the gas produced).

It's hard to believe the good people of Fort Worth are allowing this to happen. At the same time that they are spending millions to improve their city (Trinity River Project, downtown renovation, 7th street renovation, etc.), they are selling out to the ugliness and poison of gas drilling.

Even if you ignore the ugliness of the drilling, the destruction of the environment, the toxic water and sludge pits, and the poisoning of the soil and ground water, there is another consideration the city seems to be overlooking. What's going to happen when they experience a gas explosion (only 200 feet or less from a neighborhood)? And there will be one or more -- it's just a question of when.

I shudder to think what the leaders of the city and the gas companies are doing to the wonderful city of Fort Worth.

Will Ft. Worth Regret It's Greed ?

Back in April and May of this year, Fort Worth approved the drilling for natural gas within it's city limits. Both residents and government officials let their greed get the best of them, and opted for kick cash from the drilling companies. The right to drill for the gas was given both in residential areas and in the downtown area. Soon drilling rigs and pipelines will be all over the city.

The gas companies have made all sorts of promises to the city about clean drilling and safe pipelines, but the sad fact is that they're promises that probably can't be kept. There is no such thing as clean drilling or pipelines that will not leak (at least eventually).

Take for example, the land owned by Jay Marcom in Ranger, Texas. His land is criss-crossed by pipelines and a compressor station, and they're leaking. His surface dirt smells like oil and the ground water smells like gasoline. And both have been polluted with chemicals like benzene, xylene and toluene -- all are cancer-causing agents. In fact, the ground water is so polluted that if you put a match to it, it will burn.

Is this the legacy the gas companies are leaving Fort Worth? Things seem fine now as wallets are fattened and promises are made. But what about the future. Will future generations inherit a city where large portions of it are toxic sludge pits and poisoned soil and water?

Fort Worth is a wonderful city that has just recently revitalized it's downtown. I hope they're not now sowing the seeds of their own destruction.

Dems Stop ANWR Drilling Again

Since the Republicans came to power a few years ago, this country really hasn't had an energy policy that made sense. For the Republicans, energy policy means letting the big oil companies do whatever they want. Since Bush and Cheney, both oilmen, came to power they have single-mindedly pursued this policy -- even to the extent of starting an unnecessary war to provide access to Iraqi oil for their oil company buddies.

Another favorite pet project of the Republicans is to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to massive oil drilling. Bush has tried to get this done since coming to office. It doesn't seem to matter to the Bush and the Republicans that this would ruin one of our last pristine wilderness areas (and add to the carbon-based pollution ruining our planet).

This week they tried again to get it approved, and once again they were stopped by Democrats. Senate Democrats (joined by six sensible Republicans) killed the bill on a 56 to 42 vote.

This is just one more reason to elect solid majorities of Democrats this coming November. We need to keep the big oil companies out of ANWR, and we also need to develop a sensible and sustainable energy policy. The only way to do that is to give Democrats a working majority in the Senate, and put a Democrat in the White House.

For far too long we have paid lip service to finding alternate energy sources and more efficient technologies, while letting the oil companies set our energy policy. It is time to get serious.

Pipeline Rupture Dumps Oil Into The Gulf

It looks like the oil companies are trying to create an Exxon Valdez type disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, but in this part of the world we don't even need a ship to do it. That's because we have oil pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico.

Yesterday, the Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline experienced a rupture in their High Island Pipeline System, and dumped at least 21,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The company is currently trying to limit the spill and suck the remaining oil out of the pipeline.

We are lucky this time. The tides seem to be carrying the oil away from shore, and maybe it can be cleaned up before it does too much damage [except to sea life in the area, of course]. This ought to give Texans and the residents of the other Gulf states cause to rethink Gulf drilling.

Congress has recently tryed to open more vast tracts of the Gulf to the oil companies for new drilling. It was the lame duck Republican Congress and they couldn't seem to tie their own shoes, but that doesn't mean the oil companies won't keep trying to get this done.

Do we really want more drilling in the Gulf of Mexico? I can assure you that any clean-up for an oil disaster will be born by the American people and not by the oil companies. Look at Exxon. They have still not paid a penny for the Alaskan clean-up, even though it happened years ago, and there's a court judgement ordering them to pay. Recently, they got the judgement cut in half, and it'll probably be years before we see any money from that half, if at all.

The oil companies don't care about the enviornment or the American people. The only thing they care about is getting into your pocketbook for more and more money to create ever bigger windfall profits for themselves.

So I ask again, do we really want more drilling and pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico? I say no, at least until the oil companies show they will be better stewards of the enviornment they are affecting [and Exxon pays what it owes].