Clipmarks | Oil shale Clips

Jobcreating Business Leaders Chose McCain Over Obama

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:50:43 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: CEOs support renewables but not a renewables-only policy. They support going after more fossil fuels by a 6 to 1 ratio for now. For example, Michael J. Leib, president of Hazleton Casting Co., summed up the general attitude of CEOs. "I am a strong proponent of a comprehensive energy policy, which includes drilling in all U.S. territories as well as harvesting oil from U.S. shale deposits he said. The backbone of our industrial economy is cost effective energy resources."

They are in favor of international trade as evidenced by the 70.3 percent that would like to see trade restrictions loosened. Obama is viewed as particularly inexperienced when it comes to trade policy and understanding the links between free trade and growth, something President Bill Clinton knew well. McCain gets a solid B+ his highest grade on defense, and a B on foreign policy. Obama gets an almost failing D+ for each a grade that would not keep one in any school or employed very long at any business.

Clip Source: www.chiefexecutive.net

In August a significant majority of CEOs rated John McCain’s policies over Barack Obama’s. But their support came with reservations. They graded his overall policies a B-. McCain received strong marks for defense and foreign policy but only a gentleman’s C+ on energy, environment and education. Barack Obama, on the other hand, was given a barely passing C- on his policy prescriptions, with half of the eight policy areas polled getting almost failing D grades. Neither candidate received an A grade.

CE also recently asked CEOs their attitudes towards energy. The preferred broad policy approaches were clear. Drill more. Develop more nuclear. Utilize wind, solar and other renewables. Use all approaches aggressively.

Some may be perplexed as to the Arizona senator continues to hold ANWR off limits to even the most respectful of exploration, but the message from Obama seems to be don’t drill, consume less and tax the oil industry’s profits at higher levels.

Tags: ceo surveys, mccain favorable for jobs, obama unfavorable for job creation-foreign trade

Pelosi 'No Energy' Bill Part of House Draft CR

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:58:43 GMT

clipped by: jatfla
clipper's remarks: Why am I continually surprised by the lack of prudent, substantial, progressive *WORK* from this Congress!!?? They need to return their paychecks because they have done nothing of substance since the Dems took over with their big promises. No wonder their approval rating are in the single digits. And to think they (and others) have the gall to blame the President for every thing while they run their lying lips, sit on their hands, and play with our $$, our security, our economy, our future.

Will someone please vote their behinds out!?

Clip Source: www.humanevents.com

Pelosi 'No Energy' Bill Part of House Draft CR

House Democrats are bypassing renewal of the offshore oil drilling ban by including the entire Pelosi “drill nothing” energy bill in a draft of a Continuing Resolution. HUMAN EVENTS obtained a copy of the most recent House draft CR this morning.

The Pelosi bill, HR 6899, fails to open more than a miniscule part of the available offshore drilling areas and -- even worse -- it establishes permanent bans on development of most other domestic energy sources (natural gas, oil shale, etc.) and does nothing to develop nuclear power. It passed the House earlier this month and is now languishing in the Senate as a separate measure.

Thankfully, Voters Aren't As Stupid As Speaker Pelosi!

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:27:16 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: The gang proposal also does nothing to open up more of Alaska, and nothing to remove the ban on exploring oil shale in states like Colorado and Utah. And some Democrats in Congress are insisting that they will go along only if it also includes a permanent ban on drilling elsewhere on the Outer Continental Shelf. When even officials in Santa Barbara, California, have endorsed offshore drilling, this compromise amounts to a premature surrender.

The gang would also impose about $86 billion in new taxes, in large part on oil and gas companies through higher royalty fees and the loss of benefits available to other manufacturers. These new taxes are to be levied on the same companies that paid more than $100 billion in taxes last year, and they are of course the firms that would have to invest the billions of dollars needed to exploit the new offshore resources.

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

The Gang of 10 compromise was released before the August recess by five Senate Republicans and five Democrats. The plan would at least allow drilling offshore of four states -- Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas -- and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

The problem is that the proposal still doesn't open drilling enough, and it raises taxes and subsidies in the bargain. Today 85% of the Outer Continental Shelf is off limits for drilling. The Gang of 10 would only reduce that to 75%, according to the pro-exploration Institute for Energy Research

It also allows drilling only outside of 50 miles and only if the states allow it. That arbitrary 50-mile buffer zone is more than three times farther than necessary to be out of sight from shore. It also walls off many of the most promising and least costly drilling sites, such as the Gulf of Mexico's Destin Dome, which is some 25 miles offshore of Florida.

Tags: gang of 10, pelosi, georgia, virginia, the carolinas, eastern gulf, increased taxes-subsidies

America: Don't Wait For Pelosi, Seize Our Energy Future Now!

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:27:34 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Only today, they have energy as a weapon.

One premise of the new Putin Doctrine is that oil prices will stay high and that Russia, with its plentiful reserves, can use oil profits to fund its global ambitions.

This is where Congress comes in. Since President Clinton refused to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 1995, Democrats have stood in the way of any rational energy plan. Today, we pump just 25% of our oil; 40 years ago, it was 60%. We send about $900 billion a year overseas to buy oil, money that helps fund Russian and radical Islamic mischief. This is a problem.

Now for the good news: The U.S. is the world's largest potential oil supplier — with as much oil, the Institute for Energy Research says, as has been used by the entire world over the last 150 years.

Just offshore, we have 86 billion barrels of crude. The U.S. Arctic region, including Alaska, holds 30 billion barrels. In the Far West, we have more than 800 billion barrels of shale oil.

Clip Source: townhall.com

Clip Source: theoilpatchplug.blogtownhall.com

Russia's rampage in Georgia was calculated to intimidate the former Soviet slave states of Eastern Europe. But Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also wants to control Georgia's Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline — the main conduit from the oil-rich Caspian Sea to Europe. That would give him a chokehold on 25% of Europe's energy supply — and veto power over EU diplomacy.

As part of this geopolitical strategy, Putin is also forging new alliances in the Mideast, ranging from this week's deal with Iraq to build power plants, to a military accord for arms, energy and a possible Russian military base for Syria.

In our own hemisphere, Putin is reviving Russia's long-dormant relationship with Cuba and selling advanced planes and weapons to socialist dictator Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, a major oil supplier.

This is a plain attempt to resurrect the old USSR strategy of stirring up trouble around the world, encircling the U.S. and its allies with enemies, then daring us to stop it.

Tags: georgia's baku-tbilisi-ceyhan, putin, cuba, advanced planes/weapons sales, ussr strategy

US oil reserves estimated over 3x that of Saudi known reserves

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:29:22 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners
clipper's remarks: And Pelosi thinks drilling for all that oil wouldn't effect oil and gas prices.

Clip Source: www.cnsnews.com

In 2006, the Interior Department estimated that about 85.9 billion barrels of “undiscovered technically recoverable” oil sits offshore on the Outer Continental Shelf within U.S. territory.

In 2007, the Energy Department’s “Task Force on Strategic Unconventional Fuels” reported that: “America’s oil shale resource exceeds 2 trillion barrels

as much as 800 billion barrels of oil equivalent could be recoverable from oil shale resources

This combined 885.9 billion barrels of recoverable oil that the government estimates lies undeveloped within U.S. territory is almost three and a half times as much as the 260 billion barrels in proven oil reserves that lie under Saudi territory.

Unless Congress enacts a new law banning offshore leases and oil-shale leases, Interior can legally start selling these leases on Oct. 1.

Tags: oil, usa, saudi arabia, politics, gas

Uncle!!!

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:09:37 GMT

clipped by: bmeuppls
clipper's remarks: Pelosi gives lip service to drilling. The democrats will be trying to dance around this one with all the voters watching.

Clip Source: www.powerlineblog.com

Nancy Pelosi now says that she is "open to drilling," but It's probably more accurate to say that she is open to not being crushed in November. She can read the polls, and an overwhelming majority of Americans support the Republicans' position, that it is important to develop our own energy resources. Pelosi says she could support drilling (or a vote, anyway) if drilling is part of a broader strategy. But of course the Republicans in Congress are pushing the "all of the above" approach, so that isn't really the issue.

One of the Democrats' problems is that Congress's ban on offshore drilling and shale oil development will expire in 49 days. The Democrats would like to extend the ban, thereby damaging our economy further, but it's hard to see how they can.

The Existing Ban On Drilling Expires Sept 30, 2008

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:43:11 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Now, here's (excerpt) of the letter from AFP

On behalf of our millions of members and all American consumers suffering from high energy prices, we urge you to allow the current restrictions on much-needed American energy resources to expire as scheduled under current law. Unless Congress acts affirmatively to prevent it, October 1st, 2008 will be a day fittingly described as "American Energy Freedom Day" as those restrictions expire.

Now that President Bush has lifted the executive branch moratorium, the only thing prohibiting development of these energy resources is a temporary ban that is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year.

We urge you to oppose the creation of any new moratorium for fiscal 2009, even if it is attached to what some people in Washington consider "must-pass" legislation.

Clip Source: rightwingnews.com

Americans for Prosperity alerted me to the fact that the election issue of all election issues has been dumped into the GOP's lap.

October 1st, 2008, "the existing bans on Outer Continental Shelf drilling and oil shale leasing expire -- unless Congress specifically votes to extend the bans."

according to AFP is that "Congressional leaders will likely try to sneak an extension into supposedly 'must-pass' last-minute spending legislation."

Republicans, including most importantly, John McCain, should refuse to support ANY legislation that extends the drilling ban. That means they should speak out against it, they should vote against it, and George Bush should veto it if it comes across his desk.

This should not be a issue in the 2008 election, the GOP should make it THE ISSUE of the 2008 elections.

Even with gas prices as high as they are, the Democrats want to keep a drilling ban in place while Republicans want to take action that will help reduce prices, in the short and long term.

Tags: drilling ban, gop, ban expires sept 30

Hard to Reach Oil a Significant Climate Risk

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:23:00 GMT

clipped by: Wisco
clipper's remarks: We seem to be reaching the point of diminishing returns. As oil gets hard to find, oil drilling becomes more energy-expensive.

Clip Source: www.enn.com

Exploitation of North America’s shale and tar-sand oil reserves could increase atmospheric CO₂ levels by up to 15%, a new report from WWF-UK and the major UK financial group Co-Operative Financial Services (CFS) has warned.

Extraction of the projected 1,115 billion barrels of recoverable oil from unconventional fuel sources such as Alberta’s oil sands and Colorado’s oil shale, which involve much more energy intensive procedures for extraction than traditional oil reserves, would significantly increase global risks of dangerous climate change, the report said.

"Most oil companies have hardly begun to factor in the externalities that are currently imposed on the environment."

These externalities include mass deforestation, such as Alberta’s Boreal forests, which lie above 140,000 square kilometres of oil sands, and are now crisscrossed with seismic lines and open-cast mines.

Tags: news

Someone needs a trip to Teleprompter's Are Us and Some Remedial Math

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:48:17 GMT

clipped by: bmeuppls
clipper's remarks: Properly inflating your tires can improve gas mileage by 3%. Let's be generous and assume that one-half of the total possible savings would be realized if we all inflated our tires properly. Americans drive approximately 2,880 billion miles per year. If we average 24 mpg, we use around 120 billion gallons of gasoline in our vehicles. If, through perfect tire inflation, we improved our collective fuel efficiency by 1.5%, that would be 1.8 billion gallons. A barrel of oil produces around 20 gallons of gasoline, so the total savings available through tire inflation is approximately 90,000,000 barrels of oil annually. How does this stack up against "all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling?"

ANWR: 10 billion barrels
Outer Continental Shelf: 18 billion barrels
Oil shale: 1 trillion barrels

So, on the above assumptions, it would take only 11,308 years of proper tire inflation to equal "all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling."

Clip Source: www.powerlineblog.com

Barack Obama is a lot like Sean Penn or George Clooney. If you give him a script, he can deliver it pretty well. But if he tries to talk without a script that has been written for him by others, he quickly reveals that he is poorly-informed if not downright ignorant. Today he delivered another classic, by claiming that if only we would all properly inflate our tires, we could save as much gasoline as "all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling."

The stunned silence with which the crowd greets this howler suggests that most Americans have a more practical understanding of energy consumption than Obama.

Tags: energy, politics

Please Sign: Drill Here, Drill Now Petition

Fri, 23 May 2008 10:21:02 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Background Just the facts...

The average price for a gallon of gas is now $3.72, this is $.61 higher than a year ago.

The U.S. Congress has acted, but in the wrong direction. Last week, the Senate voted narrowly against reversing a moratorium on oil-shale development.

Federal officials and industry experts estimate that up to 1.8 trillion barrels of oil is trapped in the region's oil shale, or three times the proven reserves of Saudi Arabia.

Laws and policies that restrict access to America’s abundant energy drive up the price of fuel and electricity. They cause widespread layoffs and leave workers and families struggling to survive, as the cost of everything they eat, drive, wear and do spirals higher.

http://www.americansolutions.com/actioncenter/petitions/?Guid=54ec6e43-75a8-445b-aa7b-346a1e096659

Clip Source: www.americansolutions.com

Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less
A Real Change Campaign to Lower Your Gas Prices

We, therefore, the undersigned citizens of the United States, petition the U.S. Congress to act immediately to lower gasoline prices by authorizing the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources from unstable countries.

We currently have 9199 signatures.

As gas prices continue to increase, Congress continues to blame others while ignoring practical steps to stop the pain Americans are feeling at the pump. To reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we need real solutions to our energy challenges.

73% of the American people agree that with appropriate safeguards to protect the environment, we should drill for oil off America's coasts to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Tags: u.s.congress, oil exploration, gas prices, layoffs, inflation

Volcanoes trigger for mass extinction

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:54:11 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: There's more than one way to become extinct.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Ninety-three million years ago a series of volcanoes erupted on the ocean floor starving the oceans of oxygen and wiping out swathes of marine life, according to a new report.

Black shale rocks off the coast of South America and in central Italy provide clues to what occurred

The answer to the catastrophe, contend scientists from the University of Alberta, Canada, lies in fire fountains that erupted on the ocean floor, altering the chemistry of the sea and possibly of the atmosphere too.

The report appears in the latest edition of Nature.

in a geological instant, a mass extinction, helped by a suddenly sluggish shift in ocean circulation, occurred. The remains of dead sea organisms

became transformed into oil

One possibility is that the volcanoes

seeded the upper level of the ocean with micronutrients, he says

Tiny plantlife on the sea surface, called phytoplankton, gorged on the food, storing up carbon as they grew. They then sank to the sea floor and decayed, stripping the ocean of oxygen.

Bush to lift executive ban on offshore drilling

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:18:49 GMT

clipped by: jatfla
clipper's remarks: At last! A tiny step and only one. I hope America's industries are making all-out efforts to finally deal with our energy-producing block. Follow all the avenues and options to end our begging for energy. Think of what it might mean for our foreign policy options.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

Bush to lift executive ban on offshore drilling

WASHINGTON - In another push to deal with soaring gas prices, President Bush on Monday will lift an executive ban on offshore drilling that his stood since his father was president. But the move, by itself, will do nothing unless Congress acts as well.

The current president, trying to ease market tensions and boost supply, called last month for Congress to lift its prohibition before he did so himself.

"They haven't even held a single hearing," Perino said. "So we are going to move forward, and hopefully that will spur action by the Congress."

echoes a call by Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, to open the Continental Shelf for exploration.

the president has proposed opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, lifting restrictions on oil shale leasing in the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming and easing the regulatory process to expand oil refining capacity.

What the next president should say

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:14:25 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: Of course that would take someone possessing a spine.

Clip Source: gristmill.grist.org

What the next president should say

The era of cheap energy is over. We will never again see cheap gas, and we can expect the price of electricity to rise inexorably.

In order for the United States to survive, we need to rebuild our energy infrastructure.

To reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we need to implement a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system. This is a national security issue.

In order for the United States to survive, we need to rebuild our energy infrastructure.

To reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we need to implement a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system. This is a national security issue.

We need a Manhattan-style government-funded project to develop new forms of renewable energy. We should be spending several tens of billions of dollars every year on this research.

Increased drilling or unconventional sources of fuel, like oil shale or tar sands, will provide so little fuel that they are simply not worth doing.

The Failed Environmentalists' Bans

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:54:43 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: The editorial, "How to cut foreign oil imports" by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a masterful piece of propaganda straight from Barack Obama's talking points.

How about we continue to do what the environmentalists want, even though it hurts us economically, but also do the following: What if we lift the ban on drilling for oil in ANWR, the Outer Continental Shelf and the Gulf of Mexico? What if we explore and drill for our own oil at a greater pace? What if we begin mining the trillions of gallons of liquid oil contained in the shale in the Bakken Formation? What if we build new refineries to produce more gasoline?

If we did these things we would increase supply! When you increase supply the price comes down.

We would stop sending our money overseas and create jobs and wealth here in America rather than in Saudi Arabia and Iran. We would stop being held hostage to the whims of OPEC. We would stop supporting Communist regimes like that of Hugo Chavez.

Clip Source: www.townhall.com

Tags: domestic oil production, nuclear power, oil shale

WaPo Throws Barry Under The Bus

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:38:09 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: This is the kitchen table issue this year, and if Obama has the Post backing the other guy’s proposals, he may be starting to circle the drain already.

Clip Source: patriotroom.com

Uh-oh. Obama’s fringe-left credentials are really starting to show. When his good buddies in the MSM start liking John McCain’s ideas, something is really wrong. From a Washington Post editorial.

But if it is acceptable to drill in the Caspian Sea and in developing countries such as Nigeria, where environmental concerns are equally important, it’s hard to explain why the United States should rule out careful, environmentally sound drilling off its own coasts.

And do I smell the faint odor of approval of nuclear power?

But all this talk of drilling, squeezing oil out of shale, as Mr. Bush proposed, and pushing for more nuclear power is a welcome widening of a larger and necessary discussion.

Tags: wapo, mccain, drilling, nuclear power, oil shale