Democrats Don't Want Domestic OIL

Despite what the Democrats say about being in favor of Domestic Oil and Gas Production, it's all smoke and mirrors. The Wall Street Journal on-line edition contains a good look at what the Democrats are Offering (Democrats Still Aren't Serious About Drilling).

...the problem is that their plan, which passed the House yesterday and will likely come up for a vote in the Senate later this week, will not produce a single drop of oil.

Why? Environmentalists. But now the Democrats can play politics by saying 'We introduced legislation to allow drilling - The Republicans Stopped it from passing.' That kind of statement is a half truth and exceedingly misleading.

The Democratic proposal is not a death-bed conversion, it's designed to solve their political problem. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her members in August that they can say they are in favor of drilling, but that she wouldn't allow a vote on a drilling bill. Now that she has been forced to, she knows her environmental allies will block new drilling from going forward. [Emphasis mine]

In this article we learn what the Green Forces are currently doing.

The green lobby, however, is not going away. EarthJustice, which employs over 150 people, has filed hundreds of lawsuits. On its Web site, it says "Because lawsuits can be so effective, we have a team of policy experts in Washington, D.C. that work hand-in-hand with our attorneys to stop legislative backlash . . ."

And these legal measures are what the Democrats rely on to make their statements such as the claim that '...it will be years before drilling now will produce results'.

In February 2008, the administration issued 487 leases in Alaska's Chukchi Sea, which holds an estimated 15 billion barrels of oil and 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, and other groups used the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act to challenge and delay progress on all 487 leases. In a separate lawsuit, they challenged the entire national outer continental shelf (OCS) leasing program, seeking to block all future leases.

The Democrats know too that the reason the Oil and Gas Producers are not producing from the 68 million acres of leases they now hold is - they can't. They can't because of the Environmental studies, permits and court challenges every time they try. In addition, many of these leases have not yet been explored and cannot be explored until the Environmentalists roadblocks are overcome. Many of these unexplored acres will yield nothing. There is nothing there.

Even if a lease makes it through these challenges, it isn't clear sailing. Right now, there are 748 leases in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Exploration activities in every single one were challenged in May of this year by EarthJustice in conjunction with others.

Reasonable people agree the Environment is worth protecting, but the current measures are beyond reasonable.

Any serious energy plan would encourage the development of alternative and renewable fuels, and open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the OCS and the Western U.S. to drilling. It also would put a stop to never-ending litigation. But that's not what Democratic leaders are offering.

Remember what the Democrats are claiming are not reasonable or accurate claims because they know they are spouting half-truths.

Some 70% of Americans favor increased domestic drilling. Unfortunately, if Mrs. Pelosi and her party's leaders continue to play politics, we can be sure Americans won't get the energy they want.

Ms. Pelosi also has a financial reason to prevent domestic oil and gas production. It's Money. A lot of it. According to a World Net Daily article from June of 2008 - Pelosi, Pickens plan to pick your pocket, Ms. Pelosi owns some 22,000 shares of T. Boone Pickins company CLNE. CLNE promotes the use of alternative energy sources. This appears to be a classic case of Conflict of Interest for the 'Most Powerful Woman In The World'.