What if there was a vote to decide if $13.5 billion in tax breaks for oil companies should go into oil alternatives, like solar and wind? What would you want your Senator to do?

Well, as you probably guessed, there was such a vote. We needed 60 votes to prevail, and 59 of them were in. But John McCain ducked the vote.¹

As a result, instead of powering millions of homes with clean energy and building next-generation solar technology, we're giving ExxonMobil and other companies billions in tax breaks at a time when they're already making record profits.

This vote is political dynamite. And if we all pitch in, we can make sure voters know about McCain's give-away to big oil. And it's a twofer—we'll run the ad in the battleground state of North Carolina to help remind voters that Senator Elizabeth Dole, who's up for re-election, voted for big oil tax breaks, too.

Check out the ad.

The ad links Republican support for oil tax breaks with the campaign contributions they're taking from the oil companies.

Exposing their favors for big oil can puncture Republican promises to help people hurting from high gas prices.

Our ad can help defeat McCain, win a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, and promote real solutions to the energy crisis. Can you help put this ad on the air?

This is near the top of the list of critical issues facing America today. I sent a donation. Will you?

Source:
¹ "Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007," U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote, December 13, 2007

Labels: alternative energy, big oil, Exxon, george w. mccain, john mc bush, john mccain, record profits, renewable energy, tax break

In case you haven't been paying attention, the hue and cry for drilling offshore now is based on half-truths, misconceptions, and outright lies.

FACT: expanded drilling will nothing to improve gasoline prices until several years from now.

FACT: even when the added supply of oil actually hits the pipeline, it will be a tiny portion of the oil bought and sold in the USA - too small to have any significant impact on prices.

FACT: there is no reason to believe that the 'new' oil will enter the US markets. It will be sold to the highest bidder (so much for helping lower gasoline prices).

FACT: even the die-hard apologists have admitted that conservation will impact consumption - and prices - immediately and significantly. The tire pressure/tune-up tactic can produce immediate results that will absolutely reduce costs for Jane and John Public.

And the biggest current reason for ignoring new drilling as a panacea for energy costs: All the new drilling that the oil industry demands will not impact - after many years - our oil supplies much. Wild-ass guesstimates range in the 6%-10% range. More cautious estimates are that offshore and ANWAR drilling would increase supplies less than 2%.

Do the math. And then consider that the US Government https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/us.html tells us that 12.6% of oil produced in the US is exported. Forget all the new drilling crap - all of the oil that we think we need is being produced already - but it's being sent overseas. Keep that oil in the USA and the world's oil producers will be at our door begging us to buy more from them.

Add in sound conservation and re-opening previously abandoned wells.... oil prices will tumble, and we will once again be dealing from a position of strength. It sucks to have a bunch of 3rd-rate humans having us over (metaphorically speaking) a barrel - an oil barrel. We need to have Americans take back America from Big Oil.

Labels: anwar, big oil, cia, offshore, oil exports, oil production

The oil and gas industry has, on federal land leases, a large amount of unused acreage and unused drilling permits. Yet, they are using high energy prices and other scare tactics as excuses to open up even more areas to drilling.

During the Bush Administration, the federally-owned acreage leased to oil/gas companies has more than doubled - from 22,015,222 in 2001 to 44,479,478. Currently the oil/gas industry has 11,629,625 acres - 26% of the total - in production. Between 2003 and 2007 the additional amount of federally-owned acreage leased each year more than doubled, from 2,064,289 to 4,634,736.

Much of that acreage goes untouched. In 2007, the industry started work on 29% of Colorado acreage on which they received permits to drill. In Utah, the industry started work on 65% acreage on which they received permits to drill.

The number of permits issued each year has more than doubled, from 3439 permits approved in 2001 to 35,106 in 2007 ( a record high). In 2007, the industry drilled using 75% of those new permits, meaning that going into 2008 the industry had a large number of yet unused permits.

Huge amount of unused land leases. An ever-growing backlog of unused permits. And the industry threatens dire consequences if they can't have more immediately.

Source:
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Written responses from Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to questions submitted for the hearing record by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, oversight hearing on the FY 2008 Department of the Interior budget proposal, March 1, 2007

Even if none of that mattered: there is a 5-year backlog of offshore drilling rigs waiting to be built.

And even if that didn't matter:

There are liars who will tell you that offshore drilling is safe; so safe that 2005's big hurricanes had no impact or oil spills. Ask those liars to explain this:

Dennis Knizley looks out on an oil rig beached just off of Dauphin Island, Ala., Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 30, 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the island and brought the enormous structure a few hundred yards from shore. (AP Photo/Birmingham Post-Herald, Jan-Michael Stump)

That's far from being a lone example.

"The hurricanes totally destroyed 113 oil rigs, according to the government's Minerals Management Service, and damaged 457 pipelines. The resulting oil spills were large enough to be seen from space, according to several reports.

A review by the Houston Chronicle reported that the two storms in the summer of 2005 caused 595 oil spills that released an estimated 9 million gallons of oil into the gulf, much of that from oil storage facilities on the shores. The government said there were a total of 146 small oil spills in federal waters caused by the storms."

Isn't that like a kid

1. simultaneously asking for 2nds and 3rds and 4ths at dinner
2. demanding an immediate serving of dessert
3. insisting that no one ever cooks for him?

Labels: big oil, blm, bureau of land management, Department of the Interior, exploration, gasoline price, House Appropriations Subcommittee, Maurice Hinchey, millions of acres, offshore drilling, permits

When Oil Men Took Over The USA In 2001:

Oil was $27 per barrel.
Gasoline was $1.46 per gallon.
You do the math.
Just sayin'......

Labels: big oil, bush, cheney, foreign oil, gasoline price, oil, oil price, rip-off, ripoff