Yesterday, on the radio show I talked at length once again about how Democrats are the ones standing in the way of lowering gas prices. We have all the oil we need right here in the U.S. but Democrats have blocked us from drilling for it time and time again. And their talking points against drilling are getting to the point of absurdity. In the above video clip, George Will does an awesome job of pointing out how ridiculous it is not to drill in ANWR, where unfortunately, John McCain is in agreement with the Democrats.
The sad part is as this Freedoms Watch ad points out, Nancy Pelosi isn't even aware how much the average American is paying for gas. And as George Will says, liberals want people to pay high gas prices for numerous reasons, so much for caring for the "little guy".
President Bush gave a wonderful Energy speech last week that I think every American needs to call their U.S. Representatives and Senators and urge them to adopt. Mike did an excellent post on it and outlined Bush's 4 points which I couldn't agree with more. Here is what we all need to urge Congress to act on:
"First, we should expand American oil production by increasing access to the Outer Continental Shelf, or OCS. Experts believe that the OCS could produce about 18 billion barrels of oil. That would be enough to match America's current oil production for almost ten years. The problem is that Congress has restricted access to key parts of the OCS since the early 1980s. Since then, advances in technology have made it possible to conduct oil exploration in the OCS that is out of sight, protects coral reefs and habitats, and protects against oil spills. With these advances -- and a dramatic increase in oil prices -- congressional restrictions on OCS exploration have become outdated and counterproductive.
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Second, we should expand oil production by tapping into the extraordinary potential of oil shale. Oil shale is a type of rock that can produce oil when exposed to heat or other process[es]. In one major deposit -- the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming -- there lies the equivalent of about 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil. That's more than three times larger than the proven oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. And it can be fully recovered -- and if it can be fully recovered it would be equal to more than a century's worth of currently projected oil imports.
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Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress are standing in the way of further development. In last year's omnibus spending bill, Democratic leaders inserted a provision blocking oil shale leasing on federal lands. That provision can be taken out as easily as it was slipped in -- and Congress should do so immediately.
Third, we should expand American oil production by permitting exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR. When ANWR was created in 1980, Congress specifically reserved a portion for energy development. In 1995, Congress passed legislation allowing oil production in this small fraction of ANWR's 19 million acres. With a drilling footprint of less than 2,000 acres -- less than one-tenth of 1 percent of this distant Alaskan terrain -- America could produce an estimated 10 billion barrels of oil. That is roughly the equivalent of two decades of imported oil from Saudi Arabia. Yet my predecessor vetoed this bill.
In the years since, the price of oil has increased seven-fold, and the price of American gasoline has more than tripled. Meanwhile, scientists have developed innovative techniques to reach ANWR's oil with virtually no impact on the land or local wildlife. I urge members of Congress to allow this remote region to bring enormous benefits to the American people.
And finally, we need to expand and enhance our refining capacity. Refineries are the critical link between crude oil and the gasoline and diesel fuel that drivers put in their tanks. With recent changes in the makeup of our fuel supply, upgrades in our refining capacity are urgently needed. Yet it has been nearly 30 years since our nation built a new refinery, and lawsuits and red tape have made it extremely costly to expand or modify existing refineries. The result is that America now imports millions of barrels of fully-refined gasoline from abroad. This imposes needless costs on American consumers. It deprives American workers of good jobs. And it needs to change.
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I know the Democratic leaders have opposed some of these policies in the past. Now that their opposition has helped drive gas prices to record levels, I ask them to reconsider their positions. If congressional leaders leave for the 4th of July recess without taking action, they will need to explain why $4-a-gallon gasoline is not enough incentive for them to act. And Americans will rightly ask how high oil -- how high gas prices have to rise before the Democratic-controlled Congress will do something about it."
Democrats have been the party of obstruction for too long. Now is the time to rise up and tell them no more!! Senator Claire McCaskill will be hearing from me today!
Also, make sure you have gone to Newt Gingrich's site, American Solutions and signed his petition which urges congress to: DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW AND PAY LESS!!
Mike also pointed out as have I that this will be a huge campaign issue. McCain was smart to change his stance on offshore drilling. He would be wise to take this issue and run with it this election season. It would not only be good for his campaign but it would be in the best interest for the pocketbooks of the American people and their safety.
