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| Economy |
| When Obama Drills for Oil, it's Good |
| 2010-04-02 |
| Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner both released statements that praised Obama today. "This is good news and a positive step forward as we work to expand our nation's domestic energy production," Warner said. "Moving forward on the mid-Atlantic off-shore proposal will provide an opportunity to determine the scope of our region's off-shore energy resources, the economic viability of accessing those resources, and the potential impacts on our environmental and national security priorities." Bush's plan was stoopid, anyway. Warner and Webb plan to partner up later this year to introduce a bill that would allow Virginia to release a share of the royalties. "This policy should be coupled with a fair and equitable formula for profit-sharing between the federal and state government in order to attract well-paying jobs to the Commonwealth and support a range of projects, from clean energy development to transportation infrastructure to coastal restoration," Webb said. But U.S. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D), who represents traffic-clogged Northern Virginia, argues that Congress has repeatedly rejected attempts by Atlantic Coast states to receive royalties. Congress? Cheat the states? "Drilling will have no impact on Virginia's transportation crisis anytime soon, even if a majority in Congress were to agree to give up future federal revenue,'' he said. "Oil and gas development off Virginia's coast will be a long and drawn-out process whose results will not be known for close to a decade." The last study of the Atlantic Ocean by the federal government, conducted two decades ago, estimated that at least 130 million barrels of oil and at least 1.14 trillion cubic feet of natural gas could be off Virginia's coast. That's equal to the amount of oil used in six days and the amount of gas used in less than a month in the United States. How many days worth of oil do we get from Venezuala? Environmental groups worry that possible spills and new infrastructure onshore and off could harm plants, animals, tourism and the naval base in Norfolk, the world's largest. When the enviros start to owrry about a naval base? |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #5 I just saw where Marathon oil added capacity in a Louisina plant, the first add to refining capacity in 33 years. or did I dream it? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2010-04-02 17:37 |
| #4 Never gonna happen. "The One" knows that the EPA will block any progress towards offshore drilling, and, in addition, where is the additional (and required) refinery capacity going to come from? Oh, yeah, wait....after Iran becomes vitrious, some of the refineries in the M.E. may have additional capacity.... |
| Posted by: Uncle Phester 2010-04-02 17:22 |
| #3 "we're going to have to learn to ignore these people" I prefer to ridicule them, OP. ;-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-04-02 14:52 |
| #2 As Obama offers drilling in the Atlantic (south of Joisey), he forbids drilling in the Pacific, the Gulf around Florida, huge areas in Alaska and most everywhere in the interior 48. Watch the hands, not the mouth ... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-04-02 13:51 |
| #1 One of the "dirty little secrets" the enviros don't want you to know is that the drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico have greatly INCREASED the amount of sea life in the area. The drilling platforms function as artificial reefs that provide protection from predators, including man. Fishing from boats is prohibited within a specific distance from the platforms, in order to protect them from inadvertent damage. The Sierra Club (and most "environmental" groups) don't want anything resembling PROGRESS. If the US is to survive as a free and independent country, we're going to have to learn to ignore these people. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2010-04-02 13:24 |