Everything that happens in congress now is assumed to bear on the crazily tight presidential race. So it makes sense that the House Dems just smashed through a compromise off-shore drilling bill, thus undermining a GOP line of attack. And it makes sense that the GOP lampooned it as a “figment of the imagination” (Rep. Don Young, Republican of Alaska).
Also predictable: Bush just vowed to veto it. Harder to predict is whether Senate Republicans will filibuster. They’ve been shouting “Drill baby drill” at conventions. Will they be able to get away with reading from a telephone book on the floor to block a bill that enables oil companies to do just that?
Image: flickr/PhillipC
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I am sitting in Asheville NC right now. The area is very quiet because of the curent scarcety of gasolene. It reminds me of the Day after 9/11 when I was in NY city and no cars were moving either. This time there are no jets flying overhead.
I now it is because of the recent hurricane, but I cannot help but wonder if this is in part a ploy by the oil companies to push their agenda for more oil production. I’m sure they will take advantage of anything to make sure we support their agenda.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Arthur S,
Why don’t you come to Houston and prove your point. It takes weeks to start up a refinery, plus time to repair the hurricane. You just don’t turn on a magic switch. Most of the refinery people I know are working 12 hour days, seven days a week, just to get things back to normal.
P.S. I don’t work for any oil affliated company.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
the oil companies can’t win these days - if the hurricane takes down a platform, they are out for a long while, if it doesn’t, they are out for “only” a week or two.
Just be glad they didn’t let the market price rise to match the reduced supply….
Truth time: The recovery, refining, and delivery system is near its limit of capability. _Any_ disturbance causes a major disruption - low deliveries, or price spikes, take your pick. The refining companies have not built new refineries in years because (a) the present ones have slowly increased capacity, and (b) they know there isn’t additional oil out there to feed the plants.
As for myself, I think it would be better if the total ban on new drilling fields were continued - it would accelerate our shift to a low oil economy. I have absolute faith that stronger demand for a ‘greener’ energy supply will result in technical developments to provide it, at a decreasing cost per delivered KW. I also have faith that the new energy sources will bring with them their own drawbacks, which in turn must be handled. We will only learn how when we find out what they are. With luck, they will be more manageable than the issues brought on by large combustion of gasoline.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
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I think you hit the nail on the proverbial head with this one.
November 4th, 2008 at 3:57 am
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I didn’t agree with you first, but last paragraph makes sense for me
November 19th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
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Interestingly, this was on CNN last week.