vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen

5.15.2008

Strategic oil

It was a cold day in Vermont when Peter Welch and his dog, Pepper, came to the State Street Gulf station to declare that the federal government should stop putting oil into the strategic reserve given prices where they are.

It seemed like a cold day in another place before the president would go along with that, but the legislation passed handily in the House and Senate, perhaps leaving President Bush with little choice but to go along. And Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave Welch credit.

In a statement, she said:

"I want to commend Congressman Peter Welch of Vermont and Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota for their tremendous leadership in shepherding this legislation through the House and Senate."

Now, we will wait to see if the strategy succeeds in reducing prices at the pump, or if the oil producers have a strategy to out-strategize Congress.

- Terri Hallenbeck

posted by vt.Buzz | 12:15 PM |

Comments:

I agree with Welch-the reserve is 97% full and we could use the price reduction; however, the price drop will be insignificant and only a bandaid to the problem. The problem is not going away until we drill for oil on our own soil. So far, the alternatives are a long way from market and the biofuels is raising havoc with food costs. Taxing ExxonMobil is only going to increase cost and/or decrease supply.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:49 PM, May 15, 2008

Coal gasification is another avenue to explore. The US is the Saudi Arabia of coal, and we should take advantage of that fact. As for ANWR drilling, the flow won't begin for at least 10 years after initial drilling, so if that's going to happen, now would seem to be the time to begin. Keep in mind that 70 percent of Alaskans support ANWR drilling. It's only the reactionary evironmentalists in the lower 48 that scream and cry about it. Of course, they also probably scream about high ghas prices too. No pleasing everyone.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:58 PM, May 15, 2008

nek sez, "So far, the alternatives are a long way from market"

So is any oil from ANWAR. If we started drilling 5 years ago, we'd still be waiting.

Also, any oil from ANWAR would be a temporary solution.

Time to get serious about alternative sources ... screaming "drill more" won't work.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:25 PM, May 15, 2008

Two years ago Nancy Pelosi promised America that the dimocrat congress had a plan to reduce gas prices. Maybe someone could check with Welch to find out what has happened to that secret plan of hers. Can't believe a dim would lie to the "little people".

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:40 PM, May 15, 2008

I did not mention ANWR-and ANWR isn't the only place that is "off limits" to environmentalists for drilling- seems like everywhere is off limits. I don't know what you mean by getting serious because there are all kinds of incentives, tax breaks, reward etc for someone to "reinvent" an oil substitute. In case you haven't read the papers recently there are all kinds of roadblocks to prohibit energy efficiency- 1/2 the population don't want wind turbines,(the blades kill too many birds and spoil the view)) 1/2 the population don't want hydro (fish can't swim over dams, can't use methane from farms, too many farting cows add to the ozone layer, can't use coal because it has a carbon footprint, can't use nuclear reactors because of waste storage, can't use wood because of smog and it we need live trees to help the carbon cycle.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:42 PM, May 15, 2008

Like it or not, oil is a finite resource.

Sooner or later, we run out.

The time to prepare for that day is now.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:55 PM, May 15, 2008

How can we run out if the environuts will not let anyone drill?
I don't like drilling either but the choice seems to be either drill or beg from the Arabs. I think the lesser of 2 evils is to drill instead of being hostage to the Arabs.
Until we can figure out how to put a Prius engine in a Mack truck so they can get 50 miles to a gallon, we will be addicted to oil.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:48 PM, May 15, 2008

Oil is a finite resource. It will run out.

To argue otherwise is silly.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:07 PM, May 15, 2008

How silly of me! To think Brazil, Valenzuela, China, Nigeria, Mexico are all drilling those silly holes when we know it is an finite supply and they will be stuck with empty holes and we will laugh at them when we fill up with $10/gal gas! It sure is silly!!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:52 PM, May 15, 2008

It is still finite. Move on to real solutions.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:32 AM, May 16, 2008

There is plenty of oil available in or around this country. Inasmuch as the opponents of our becoming independent of OPEC only blabber "stop using oil" and offer NO reasonable alternative, then we should push ahead with drilling OUR OWN oil and building more refineries, and to hell with the enviro-nuts. There may be an alternative some day but it will only come from the free-enterprise market system. Of course, Bernie can bring us free oil from Venezuela....Bernie, are you there?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:51 AM, May 16, 2008

Since Welch is one of Pelosi's toadies, he might tell us the details of her plan to reduce gas prices at the pump. Yeah, about the same time jw tells us about JFK's plans to end the Vietnam War!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:10 PM, May 16, 2008

He can also tell us Pelosi's plan to bring peace to the Middle East and bring ethics back to Congress.

The only thing that has dropped quicker than Bush's approval ratings has been the drop in Congress' approval rating. Great job by Pelosi and Reid. Don't worry though; Obama will bring change....sure

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:32 AM, May 17, 2008

The liberal geniuses are so proud of themselves - they have stopped a few barrels of oil from going into the Strategic Reserve while continuing to block exploration of OUR OWN oil!!!

No wonder their ratings are lower than Bush's!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:37 AM, May 17, 2008

EXACTLY....

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:21 PM, May 17, 2008

Yeah, that must be why they keep winnin' special elections to replace gop slime like hastert and in gop slime pits like Louisiana and Mississippi, little bigot boy.

Nice try.

Dismissed.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 3:22 PM, May 17, 2008

GOP is on the ropes all over the nation. Oh happy day!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:22 PM, May 17, 2008

Anonymous said...

"GOP is on the ropes all over the nation..."

Gee, that's a shame.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 8:08 PM, May 17, 2008

JWCOOP10 said..." little bigot boy. "

Nice little slur yourself ol' loud-mouthed hate monger. You continue to represent yourself in the finest eloquent tradition of the great demogogues. Let's see what comes to mind quickly... the Nazis(which you seem so fond of), Stalin, Castro and the always tolerant KKK. Share with us, which is your favorite.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:34 AM, May 18, 2008

Thanks for making my point so well my little insomniac friend. I would hope you would have something else to do that late at night.

Tolerance and openness to contrary points of view are something that doesn’t exist in your world and you present yourself as a liberal. Right.

IS there anyone you do like little hate-mongering bigot boy?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:31 AM, May 19, 2008

Al Franken, George Soros, Bill Maher, Keith Olbermann, Bernie Ward, Dailykos, Moveon.org, Mediamatters, Bernie Sanders, Doug Hoffer and any other brain-dead Amerika-hating, GI bashing swine.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:50 AM, May 19, 2008

Anonymous said...

"Thanks for making my point so well my little insomniac friend. I would hope you would have something else to do that late at night."

As opposed to the, factually-challenged, sleepless and psychotic likes of your ignorant, anonymous ass who posted a mere 36 minutes before I responded to your latest dollop of delusional dreck, auntie amerika?

Nice try.

Once again, little factually-challenged filly, the only point you've made since ya got here is that you're dumb, you're scum and ya got bupkis.

"Tolerance and openness to contrary points of view are something that doesn’t exist in your world and you present yourself as a liberal. Right."

And just when did I pretend to have anything but the utmost contempt for the lunatic-fringe likes of you and your ignorant, ill-informed neo-nazi nonsense, auntie amerika?

That's what I thought.

Again, auntie amerika, there is nothing legitimate about you or your factually-challenged/fundamentally-dishonest, bigoted-trash point of view. Nothing at all.

"IS there anyone you do like little hate-mongering bigot boy?"

Ah, the ol' "if you oppose the klan, you're a bigot." song and dance.

Nice try, little bigot boy. No sale.

Always a pleasure.

Dismissed.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 11:56 AM, May 19, 2008

yawn

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:47 AM, May 20, 2008

how clever... JW hurling insults. You are quite the posterboy of liberalism.

You bore me.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:43 PM, May 20, 2008

Ignorant trash with bupkis pretending they're something more than ignorant trash with bupkis.

You amuse me, auntie amerika.

Always a pleasure.

Dismissed.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 3:05 PM, May 20, 2008

ZZZZZ.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:20 AM, May 21, 2008