My friends at ATR reminded me that last night, September 30th, at midnight, the bans that have been in effect since 1982 on domestic shale oil and outer continential shelf drilling expired.
Don’t throw a parade just yet, though.
ATR points out that in February of this year there were 487 leases issued in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, which holds an estimated 15 billion barrels of oil, however – due to frivolous lawsuits – all 487 leases are delayed.
Also, there are 748 leases between two major seas in Alaska, the Chukchi and Beaufort, and exploration in every single lease was legally challenged in May of this year.
You may want to give your senator or congressman a call on this. And also feel free to give a shout out to congressional leaders Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Reid a call and tell them to pass expedited leasing, state profit sharing, and judicial review legislation. Here’s their info:
Sen Reid:
Reno, NV Office Contact:
Phone: 775-686-5750
Washington DC Contact:
Phone: 202-224-3542
Rep. Pelosi:
San Francisco, CA Office Contact:
Phone: (415) 556-4862
Washington, DC Office Contact :
Phone: (202) 225-4965
Tags: Alaska, bans, barrels, billion, continental shelf, domestic, drill here drill now, drilling, energy, expired, lawsuits, pay less, shale oil, shelf drilling
There’s one in every crowd. Or in this case, five…Republicans, that is, who are muddying the waters of the clearest issue facing the GOP this fall: energy and offshore drilling. In response to voter discontent over high gas prices and polling near 80% in favor of offshore drilling, the majority of GOP has (wisely) gone after the Dem anti-drillers in the House. Enthusiasm for the cause has given new life to conservative candidates who were losing oxygen in tight races.
Enter Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Thune (R-SD), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Bob Corker (R-TN) and John Isakson (R-GA) who, along with five Senate Democrats, have announced that their ”Gang of 10″ wants a “sweeping” and “bipartisan” energy plan to break the ”stalemate.” Sounds good, right?
Not really. The bill says new production on offshore federal lands would be left to the state legislatures, and then in only four coastal states. The regulatory hoops and hurdles are huge. The bill prohibits drilling within 50 miles of the coast — keeping some of our most potentially productive areas closed. ANWR would still be a no-go. AND the plan contains $84 billion in tax credits, subsidies and handouts for alternative fuels and renewables…to be paid for (drum roll) by raising taxes on oil companies!
Boys, we’ve been over this umpteen times: we need to open up all lands in all coastal states, keep the red tape to a minimum, drill wherever the oil is, tap ANWR, and get it straight that raising taxes on oil companies means raising the price of gas for consumers, because Big Oil will just pass the hikes down to the man at the pump.
These five Republicans need to re-think their agenda and quick, before November voters hit the ballot booths. If you wish to express your thoughts and feelings to any of the senators, here are links to their contact pages:
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)
John Thune (R-S.D.)
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.)
Mary Landrieu (D-La.)
Johnny Isakson (R-Ga)
Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)
Ben Nelson (D-Neb.)
Tags: bipartisan, drilling, energy, Gang of Ten, GOP, offshore, Oil, Republicans
The Las Vegas Sun says Jon Porter’s (R-NV) recent energy petition is less about his tightly contested race with Democratic challenger Dina Titus and more about an overall Republican strategy to insert GOP-backed energy proposals into the House floor schedule over the past 7 weeks.
Not sure the Sun has it quite right. It’s a political axiom that the more birds you can kill with one stone, the better.
The Sun quotes a Republican strategist stating that “making energy No. 1 was a no-brainer.” So was having Porter push forward one of the petitions. It achieved the GOP’s agenda in D.C. and sent a message to Nevada voters that Porter is on the right side of the issue. Hope it’s enough to save Porter’s butt because – although he’s not as conservative as some of us would like – Dina Titus is an incurable taxaholic. Nevada does not need her in Washington.
Tags: Dina Titus, drilling, energy, floor, GOP, House, Jon Porter, Oil, petition, Republican, strategy
