U.S. House to let offshore drilling ban expire
With the threat of a President Bush veto looming overhead, Congressional Democrats are letting the ban on offshore drilling expire next week. The hot button topic has been debated since Mr. Bush lifted the presidential ban back in July, leaving only House Democrats to stand between big oil and U.S. shorelines. Democrats countered that the environment was more important than expensive gasoline, and although Dems have a majority in both the House and Senate, they don't have enough votes to trump a veto. House GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio calls the move "a victory for Americans," but it's likely most environmentalists aren't in much of a celebratory mood right now. Mainstream America, however, will likely welcome any news that could lead to relief at the pump. And although any drilling could take years to come to fruition, the knowledge that America's vast offshore reserves will eventually enter the fossil fuel fray could help calm the volatile market. Whether cheaper gasoline is coming or not, the shift away from gas-gobbling SUVs and trucks looks to be a permanent one. Here's to hoping that by the time the drills are ready to pump crude, protesters will have a far larger choice of EVs to take to the rally.
[Source: Yahoo]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ed 11:27AM (9/24/2008)
As long as this helps Detriot to bring back a fuller line of RWD cars (Including the next gen Impala - I'll be happy!) :-)
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Noz 2:25AM (9/25/2008)
ED:
I see it's quite clear that you have a strong passion to care for your kid's future. Well done for being such a responsible human being.
Then again I'm not surprised....you're pretty typical.
meme 11:43AM (9/24/2008)
What a disaster; what a complete disaster of a bill. Why can't they just let it die? There's something in it for everyone to hate. The anti-drilling crowd hates it because of the drilling provisions. The libertarian crowd hates it because of the giveaways. I hate it because it's a giveaway specifically to *Detroit*, ruling out credits for California companies like Aptera and Venture by virtue of the explicit "four wheel" requirement.
If you want to complain, today is your last chance to contact your senators!
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
And feel to write op-eds or letters to the editor in your papers, too!
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meme 11:44AM (9/24/2008)
That's not what it's about. The retooling money is specifically to make EVs/PHEVs. You might as well just call it the Volt Bill, because it's designed to favor the Volt over pretty much everything else coming out (it's a fixed dollar credit, so it won't help the pricier offerings like Tesla much; it requires four wheels, so Aptera and Venture can't gain from it; etc)
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Flankyl 12:42PM (9/24/2008)
Not to nitpick but you say that "Dems have a majority in both the House and Senate".
According to Senate.Gov there are 49 Dem, 49 Rep, and 2 Ind. Therfore no party has majority in the senate.
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Tim 1:47PM (9/24/2008)
Those prostitutes in Congress are too busy paying off their thieving friends on Wall Street with taxpayer debt while they are debasing our currency and destroying our country to keep up with the little things like energy independence from our enemies abroad.
I like the idea of skinning the politicians, bankers & lawyers. Then rolling them in salt and leaving them out in the sun to dry.
THEN we can do the same to their families, friends, dogs, cats, fish etc.
Keep your powder dry!
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graylion 2:29PM (9/24/2008)
Sorry, that is just inane. Destroying a major part of your natural environs on the vague hope that it might stabilise the oil price? Not to mention that this of course will all end up as CO2 in the atmosphere.
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Throwback 2:50PM (9/24/2008)
Individual states still have to approve any drilling off their shores. I'm not so sure they will approve off shore drilling.
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stas peterson 4:46PM (9/27/2008)
Tim,
There is anAmerican tradition for what to do with Obama's senior campaign advisers, the thieves fresh from their looting of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Lehman Brothers.
Americans used to strip such boodlers naked, cover them with petroleum of a very high carbon content and viscosity, and then provide them with a fresh uniform of of feathers so that don't catch a cold.
If stripped naked, you are now protected from any consequence, since the sexual contexts must include "Free Speech" concerns
I think the term used was "tar and feathers" I have no idea why..
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Wise Golden 3:34PM (9/24/2008)
It’s a good move and it has the support of about half of the Democrats and all of the Republicans. I know that I can’t say anything to change the opinion of those here who oppose offshore drilling because they are not in the frame of mind to look at the problem analytically. Congress was, however, and they decided to allow the ban to expire. If it required a vote to lift the ban, that would have happened as well. ¾ of Congress, a sitting President, and both Presidential Candidates agree that the ban should be lifted. More importantly, 75% of the American Public want’s the ban lifted. Those who don’t are mainly in California and they can keep it from happening in their state while others who want this type of energy harvesting can allow it in theirs. It’s a no-loose situation, because now states that favor the drilling can move forward, and those that don’t can keep the ban in place.
Please don’t confuse the effort of reducing oil consumption with the actions of localizing our current supply. They are both environmentally friendly actions.
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gorr 9:01PM (9/24/2008)
It should cost less in transport then from the middle east. I don't understand people opposing this, maybe there is some green bloggers and green activists that play just on guilt on everything and when there is a better solution then they keep ranting...
If petrol was not monopolised then we will have it for 0.79$\gallon. I remember that price in 1994 in south-carolina. At the same time it was 0.49$\liter in canada. Cheap petrol is what is supposed having help u.s.a become what it is with plenty of american made cars in the u.s.a for nostradamus decades 1900,1910,
1920,1930,1040,1950,1960,1970,1980,
1990. Then in the 2000, especially after slayer rock band released their album( god hates u.s all) on 11 sept 2001, then everything change arbitrally??? The first crisis on petrol in 1973 is exactly at the same time i purchased for the first time in this lifetime some gas to put in a small glass bottle when i was 12 year old. I was just playing with a small cannon made of taped beer cans. I didn't expect it to become a big problem for some folks...
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Mike!!ekiM 12:55PM (9/25/2008)
Here's how it works.
Electric engines have the highest Torque of all engine types.
Ultra-batteries are starting to be produced: A Battery + a capacitor, to pick up much more energy from regenerative braking. Wind and Solar, and Nuclear until they are retired, can power Electric cars == We Kiss No ARAB Ass.
Drill for Oil means Oil Industry Stopping us from converting to electric vehicles, so we Kiss ARAB ASS for at least 10 More Years. Money spent on Oil is Money that should have been spent on Wind and Solar projects, stopping Global Warming.
Here's a Science Fiction Story the Oil Industry will MAKE true: The Methane Bomb( the frozen methane in the arctic ) has a Carbon Fuse. Burn More Gas = Create More Carbon. Methane is 20 TIMES stronger as a green house gas then Carbon. If the Methane Bomb goes off you will get a 25 degree increase in temperature.
A 25 degree increase in temperate means Most of Us will be Dead.
gorr 11:41AM (9/25/2008)
Another brainwash peptalk by petrol raising price guys..
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Mike 10:25AM (9/26/2008)
YES... we need to drill more AND work on alternative energy to help our energy issues
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