Free Republic

THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank members of the Coalition for Affordable American Energy for joining me today. We just had a very interesting and informative discussion. I heard from businesses, large and small. They -- these folks are representing a lot of workers, people who are really concerned about the energy situation here in America, a lot of people wondering why their government is not doing something about the supply of crude oil. One of the things that came out in this discussion was there's a lot of folks in our country who understand we could be doing something...

Republican presidential candidate John McCain says that he's taking another look at the possibility of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, and as part of that assessment McCain says that he plans to talk to the nation's most prominent advocate of drilling in ANWR, Alaska governor Sarah Palin. McCain has opposed drilling in ANWR. In the past he's compared it to drilling in the Grand Canyon. But as energy prices climbed over the past several months, he has been careful to avoid locking himself into an anti-drilling position. In late June, McCain told voters in...

I'm not talking about the mere physical attractiveness of Alaska's governor, though she has been blessed with an abundance of that gift. Palin was a competitor in the 1984 Miss Alaska beauty pageant after being named Miss Wasilla earlier that year, where she also won Miss Congeniality honors. No, what I'm dicussing here is beauty in the political sense - as in the beauty of what John McCain, if he's smart and willing to make a really bold move, could accomplish by naming Governor Palin as his running mate for the presidential election. Those making the case for Palin as...

If you had to bet whether the price of oil would be higher or lower 10 years in the future, what would you say? Some argue that the world is running out of low-cost oil and that oil prices will get higher and higher. Others argue that the current high price of oil will cause a flood of new oil, much of it from nonconventional sources; hence, prices will fall significantly (provided the political class in Washington, D.C., does not continue its energy and environmental death march policies). The case for much lower oil prices is as follows. There...

Craig Williams has just returned from ANWR and will give us his trip report! This trip was planned well before the Texas Tea Party. Mr. Williams is running against a first term candidate who has taken money from CAIR. CAIR has yet to denounce terrorism!

Steve Hayes, who created a stir this week with his interview with McCain in which the nominee declined to rule out a pro-choice veep, has some more good insight from his chat in the new issue of The Weekly Standard. McCain, it appears, isn't totally closing the door on dropping his opposition to drilling in ANWR. In an interview with THE WEEKLY STANDARD aboard his campaign plane last week, McCain made clear he has not ruled out a change in his position — to one that endorses drilling in ANWR. "I continue to examine it," he said. So does his...

While the Gang of 10 tries to defuse a potent Republican issue on energy, John McCain keeps the fuse lit in a Weekly Standard interview.  McCain tells Stephen Hayes that he may rethink his opposition to drilling in ANWR, and promises to consult with Alaskan governor — and presumed VP short-lister — Sarah Palin on the issue.  His statement appears to cut the ground out from underneath the Gang of 10 and offer a more expansive view on drilling than first presumed: In late June, McCain told voters in Missouri and Minnesota that he was open to receiving new information...

Energy: As congressional Democrats dither on a vote for oil drilling, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has pushed through a gas pipeline project to bring new supply and price relief to the lower 48. On Aug. 1, the same day the call for a vote on drilling began on the House floor, the Alaska state Senate approved a package of measures to license a new natural gas pipeline. House Bill 3001 lets Palin award the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act license to TransCanada Alaska, a pipeline builder that cast a winning bid of five.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain says that he's taking another look at the possibility of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, and as part of that assessment McCain says that he plans to talk to the nation's most prominent advocate of drilling in ANWR, Alaska governor Sarah Palin. McCain has opposed drilling in ANWR. In the past he's compared it to drilling in the Grand Canyon. But as energy prices climbed over the past several months, he has been careful to avoid locking himself into an anti-drilling position. In late June, McCain told voters in...

Last Monday, Nancy Pelosi appeared on Larry King to promote her new book (see transcript).  When the discussion turned to energy policy, she dropped a few doozies.  Not only are her talking points wrong, but they even contradict each other.  The majority of Americans favor increasing U.S. oil production, and so Ms. Pelosi has to engage in mental gymnastics to cloud the issues.When King asked her how to bring down the price of oil, Pelosi’s answer was, “We have said to the president, the fastest way to do this is—in 10 days the price can come down if you will...

Energy: As congressional Democrats dither on a vote for oil drilling, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has pushed through a gas pipeline project to bring new supply and price relief to the lower 48.On Aug. 1, the same day the call for a vote on drilling began on the House floor, the Alaska state Senate approved a package of measures to license a new natural gas pipeline. House Bill 3001 lets Palin award the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act license to TransCanada Alaska, a pipeline builder that cast a winning bid of five. The legislature had been trying for 30 years to...

The media constantly repeat the claim that it would take a decade to get the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) into oil production and about as long for offshore continental oil to start flowing. Most accounts promote the views of extreme environmentalists to make the issue appear so hopeless that we must instead "change our way of life" rather than tap into proven oil reserves. In July, CNN repeatedly reported that offshore drilling would take "seven to 10 years" to get into production. Yet Brazil's Petrobras expects its new finds in extraordinarily deep waters to already be producing 100,000 barrels per day in just two years. What is...

Support for more U.S. oil drilling is on the rise, despite the opinions of many analysts who say the potential supply is too small to significantly lower the price. Government estimates assume that drilling off the eastern and western coasts offers just over 1 million barrels a day. Even John McCain - who has made offshore drilling a cornerstone of his energy platform - doesn't dispute that figure, which is dwarfed by worldwide production. Currently world production stands at about 73 million barrels of oil each day. Drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could kick in another million barrels,...

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - As the House GOP began the eighth day of its offshore drilling protest on Tuesday, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) led a petition asking the Senate leadership let the ban on drilling expire on Oct. 1.Republicans want to lift the legislative ban on coastal exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). President George W. Bush already lifted a 1990 executive order last month prohibiting drilling.The legislative moratorium expires on the first day of October, a day DeMint calls "American Energy Freedom Day.""We strongly encourage you to allow the expiration of...

The mantra from Barack Obama and congressional Democrat leaders is that they represent "change" - and when it comes to gas prices, they certainly have a point. The cost to heat and air-condition American homes is certainly "changing" in very negative ways for the American consumer, as is the cost of getting to work or taking a trip with the family.    Regular readers of this column know that I have been critical of Republicans' performance on many issues. But on energy today, the GOP on Capitol Hill has shown that it understands that oil supply must be increased, and...

THE NATURAL Resources Defense Council Action Fund has taken out full-page ads in this newspaper and others to decry offshore drilling for oil as "George W. Bush's Gasoline Price Elixir" that is "100% Snake Oil." The environmental group calls on supporters "to stop the giveaway of our coasts." It is urging visitors to its Web site to send a pre-written letter to their members of Congress that says, "I am not buying the lie . . . that sacrificing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and America's coastal waters to oil drilling would make a real difference in gas prices --...

We are the nation of Velcro, the light-bulb, the microwave, the Ford Model-T, and the Wright Brothers. We fought and defeated tyranny and fascism. We’ve walked on the moon. Where others see impossibility, our nation sees a challenge. Pessimism and hopelessness are not American characteristics. As the price of gas climbs higher and higher, doomsday scenarios are playing out in the media. Americans aren’t buying it, they’re demanding a solution. But our can-do nation is suffering at the hands of “can’t-do” congressional leadership. After months of prohibiting a vote on increased domestic oil production, House Democrats have gone on summer...

House Republicans hear the will of the American People, so they stay fighting for an up or down vote.Now, meet 5 Republican Senators who join a "Gang" to undermind the will of the American People. (Thank you Maelstorm for your great thread and info)HERE is the House BillHERE is the "press release" from our "Gang" Time to melt the phones of the GANG- and tell them we want the House Bill. No matter WHAT excuse or explanation they give you. You tell them- WE WANT THE HOUSE BILL- THERE IS NO NEED FOR GANGS! NONE! THIS IS WHAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE...

BREAKING NEWS: Georgian troops are preparing to defend the town of Gori against the advancing Russian army.

Energy Journal Study (and rejection letter) proves allowing more drilling will lead to price drops NOW The Left has offered all sorts of arguments for why they oppose drilling, including reasons why producing more American oil will not lower gas prices. These arguments are bunk, and the American people know it. There is an Economic Study submitted to The Energy Journal which proves this, see here for the study. This study argued allowing drilling in ANWR would produce an immediate drop in oil prices even if the oil did not enter refineries for several years. The study was rejected for...

Since offshore drilling has become a top tier issue in this campaign, I've encountered more than a few readers who hold up the Energy Information Administration report like a protective talisman and declare, "No oil would be produced until 2017! No oil would be produced until 2017!" Obama himself mentioned it in his speech. As I've noted, that report assumes nothing happens until 2012. Beyond that, offshore drilling skeptics haven't offered anything to refute the report that some California oil deposits could be accessed within one year; probably because refuting it would mean acknowledging it, and it's easier to win...

Barack Obama repeated his call for a 15% reduction in electrical demand in Youngstown, Ohio, and held California up as a model for the rest of the nation to follow. Claiming that the Golden State made great strides towards efficiency, Obama apparently forgot the travails California went through: Finally, I will call on businesses, government, and the American people to meet the goal of reducing our demand for electricity 15% by the end of the next decade. This is by far the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to reduce our energy consumption – and it will save us $130 billion...

We have the left rattled and on the run. For proof, consider three developments from late last week. But first, I want to make a special announcement. Many of you are probably following the story of how House Republicans are staging a protest in the House Chamber, demanding that Nancy Pelosi call the House back into session in order to vote on The American Energy Act, an "all of the above" energy strategy that includes more drilling, funding for scientific breakthroughs, as well as common-sense conservation efforts. (More info on that story below.) Tomorrow at 10am, I will meet with...

Call Congress back to have an up-or-down vote on a comprehensive energy bill which includes expanded drilling for oil. There is a petition here: http://www.callbackcongress.com/

FREE Act (Introduced in House) HR 6758 IH 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6758To direct the Secretary of the Interior to promptly commence an oil and gas leasing program for public lands within the Coastal Plain of Alaska, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 31, 2008 Mr. ROGERS of Alabama (for himself, Mr. BONNER, Mr. EVERETT, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. BACHUS, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. HAYES, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. WAMP, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Mr. MCCRERY, Mr. REHBERG, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mr. PEARCE, Mr. DEAL of...

"There are things you can do individually, though, to save energy. Making sure your tires are properly inflated – simple thing. But could we save all the oil that they’re talking about getting off drilling – if everybody was just inflating their tires? And getting regular tune-ups? You’d actually save just as much!" – Sen. Barack Obama, July 30, 2008 With the above, Obama shows just how utterly disconnected from reality and living in his own imaginary far left-wing world he is. First of all, you can never conserve your way out of a shortage. What is it about the...

A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday showed that energy and the gasoline crisis have "emerged as the dominant economic issue," said Clay Richards, assistant director of Quinnipiac's Polling Institute. Mr. Richards spoke at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast for reporters on Thursday morning. Voters say they are more concerned about energy than the war in Iraq, according to Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll, who also spoke at the Monitor breakfast. The new poll found that while Senator Obama leads Senator McCain in all three states, Obama's lead has narrowed in the past month. Florida and Ohio are now too...

For years now, we have been told by the man-made Global Warming crowd that "the debate is over" and that we all just need to shut up and do as they say "for the good of the planet." It was/is a highly unscientific, dictatorial and small minded attempt to eliminate scientific and other kinds of debate on an issue that Liberals around the world feel is of supreme importance. But, as is becoming more and more clear, their concern for the issue is rooted more in their desire to use the issue as a tool to gain more political power...

<p>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposes lifting the moratorium on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on the Outer Continental Shelf. She won't even allow it to come to a vote. With $4 gas having massively shifted public opinion in favor of domestic production, she wants to protect her Democratic members from having to cast an anti-drilling election-year vote. Moreover, given the public mood, she might even lose. This cannot be permitted. Why? Because as she explained to Politico: "I'm trying to save the planet; I'm trying to save the planet."</p>

Whereas, some stalwart Republicans stand fast on the floor in The House of Representatives, refusing to call it a day with "The People's Business" yet left undone, Whereas, Speaker Pelosi and her Democrat cohorts have voted to abandon the needs of the American People in favor of coddling their own personal desires, Whereas, we are a Nation facing an intensifying energy crisis, Whereas, it is the sworn duty of our elected Congressional Representatives and Senators to pass the legislations required to facilitat alleviation of the causes of this growing crisis, Whereas, it is the expressed will of the majority of...

Earlier this month the House of Representatives voted on an energy bill called the Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands (Drill) Act. The good news, for those of us who actually want to do something to lower gas prices, is that it failed. The bad news is that Democrats will try again before the November elections. We can expect more legislation that claims to increase production, but in reality offers a framework of heavy regulation, litigation and union rules that could prevent new energy supplies from getting to market. And we can expect legislation that would likely hamper current oil and...

WASHINGTON – Are the Democratic leaders in Congress nervous about the growing grass-roots demand for lifting restrictions on domestic oil drilling? Consider this: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has himself proposed a plan to open new areas for oil exploration – outraging senior members of his own caucus. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, ever aware of the way average Americans are being squeezed at the gas pump and through rising inflation due to higher energy prices, is supporting the plan. While the proposal is drawing shrieks from those Democrats occupying safe seats in the House and Senate, it shows how vulnerable...

Republican U.S. House of Representatives candidate Chris Lien visited several areas of Alaska last week including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). He went with six other House candidates: Luke Puckett of Indiana, Mike Sodrel of Indiana, Greg Goode of Indiana, Jason Chafets of Utah, Paul Stark of Wisconsin, and Craig Williams Pennsylvania. I met with Lien at his campaign office in Rapid City yesterday where he showed me some of the pictures he took on the trip. Several of those pictures are featured below because, as they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words." This is even more...

The final week before the August district work period is typically among the busiest of all for Congress - and usually one during which major legislation is passed in advance of the lengthy recess away from Washington. The pressure is on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Barack Obama (D-IL), and their colleagues in the Democratic leadership to carry on that tradition this week by bringing to the floor of each chamber comprehensive legislation that increases production of American energy to address the number one issue on the minds of the American people: the rising cost...

Washington, Jul 25 - U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland has challenged all 435 members of the House to sign a petition that reads "I will vote to increase U.S. oil production to lower gas prices for Americans." Below are the 192 members and counting who have signed: Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.)Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii)Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.)Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.)Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.)Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.)Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.)Rep. Gresham Barrett (R-S.C.)Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas)Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.)Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.)Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.)Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah)Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio)Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.)Rep. John Boozman (R-Ark.)Rep. Charles Boustany...

July 26, 2008, 0:00 a.m. Common CentsHigh gas prices encourage a step back from enviro-lunacy. By Michael Barone Sometimes public opinion doesn’t flow smoothly; it shifts sharply when a tipping point is reached. Case in point: gas prices. Three-dollar-per-gallon gas didn’t change anybody’s mind about energy issues. Four-dollar-per-gallon gas did. Evidently, the experience of paying more than $50 for a tankful gets people thinking we should stop worrying so much about global warming and the environmental dangers of oil wells on the outer continental shelf and in Alaska. Drill now! Nuke the caribou! Our system of divided government and...

Sometimes public opinion doesn't flow smoothly; it shifts sharply when a tipping point is reached. Case in point: gas prices. $3 a gallon gas didn't change anybody's mind about energy issues. $4 a gallon gas did. Evidently, the experience of paying more than $50 for a tankful gets people thinking we should stop worrying so much about global warming and the environmental dangers of oil wells on the outer continental shelf and in Alaska. Drill now! Nuke the caribou! Our system of divided government and litigation-friendly regulation makes it hard for our society to do things and easy for adroit...

Drill ANWR by Paul Driessen Issue 112 - July 23, 2008 “We can’t drill our way out of our energy problem.” This daily mantra underscores an abysmal grasp of economics by the politicians, activists, bureaucrats and judges who are dictating US policies. If only their hot air could be converted into usable energy. Drilling is no silver bullet. But it is vital. It won’t generate overnight production. But just announcing that America is finally hunting oil again would send a powerful signal to energy markets … and to speculators – many of whom are betting that continued US drilling restrictions...

When folks in Washington want to find out what's on the mind of the American people, they tune in to CNN or Fox News and listen to the best of the Washington talking heads. Not me. I have breakfast at my favorite diner in Eufaula, my hometown in Oklahoma. Last week, the folks at J.M.s Restaurant weren't talking about senators Obama and McCain, or the fact the Iraqi government has al Qaeda on the run. They were talking about energy prices. They were talking about the fact it costs $80 to fill up their cars and $120 to fill up...

Energy Made In America by: Audra Taylor, July 25, 2008 Representative John Boehner (R-Ohio) believes that the solutions to our nation’s energy crisis can be found right here at home. The House Republican Leader addressed this and other energy issues before a group of reporters and bloggers during a meeting Tuesday. The event was hosted by Americans for Tax Reform and The American Spectator. Boehner said that the use of “American-made energy” and further exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) will help to resolve the current state of affairs in the energy sector. He also described an energy-focused...

America’s gas prices are continuing to spiral out of control and Washington has done nothing to give our nation’s motorists the relieve they deserve. Record high prices are having a major impact on American consumers and businesses, from the way people travel to the way they do business to the food they buy at the grocery store. Congress has the ability to decrease prices at the pump and get our nation back to $2 a gallon gas – and it means accessing our nation’s available resources and opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) today. Last weekend, I traveled...

Out here in West Texas we love our guns, we support our troops, and we treasure our freedom. We are an independent bunch and -- pardon me, Senator Obama -- fiercely but not bitterly so. We are proud to have our own things to do with as we choose to, as free people of the freest nation in the history of the world. We also walk around on top of oil: yes it’s far beneath us, but it’s there. And all these aspects of West Texas come together to our astonishment and anger over the fact that our independence is...

Sen. John McCain will visit with Michael Reagan this afternoon/evening, at 330pm Pacific/630pm Eastern. Michael has solicited questions for the Senator and will ask him about ANWR and the San Francisco Sanctuary Murders last week. Michael will demand that we cut funds to Sanctuary cities.

WASHINGTON, DC – Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, gave a floor speech on America’s energy policy today. Selected Excerpts of Inhofe’s Energy Speech “I believe that America is not running out of oil and gas or running out of places to look for oil and gas.  America is running out of places where the Democrats in Congress are allowing us to look for oil and gas. Again I ask, why should producing America's own resources be a partisan issue?  It shouldn't be, but it is.  The Democrats in Congress refuse to increase our...

Rep. Bachmann Reports From ANWR: 'Drill It or Lose It' by John Gizzi As her plane touched down at Fairbanks Airport in Alaska, Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R.-Minn.) promptly called me at home. The time was 10:30 PM, Sunday, and the freshman lawmaker had just spent the day with nine Republican colleagues actually touring the controversial, much-debated site of the Arctic Natural Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) and asking questions of Alaskan natives and seismic experts. For all the rancor and disagreements on whether to drill on the site, Bachmann offered conclusions that were cut and dried. “We could begin drilling in ANWR...

Isn’t it interesting how just a small drop in gasoline consumption – coupled with polls that show almost 60% of the American public favor greatly expanded drilling (and President Bush’s largely symbolic canceling of the existing executive order limiting drilling) – can cause such a large drop in the world market price of oil? Obviously the market-makers for petroleum think that America may, at long last, be starting to get serious about drilling our way out of our dependence on foreign countries that hate us. The price has dropped today to $126 from a high of $146.

With the five-week August recess just nine days away, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her colleagues in the Democratic leadership are doing everything they can to keep Members from having to vote on more American energy production to help lower gas prices.  Their months-long campaign of inaction in the face of soaring gas prices not only pits Democratic leaders against the American people – who support more production as part of any comprehensive energy plan – but it also pits them against an increasing number of rank-and-file Members of their own party.  This morning’s Politico details the Democrats’ strategy...

Congressman John Boehner of Ohio is set to introduce The American Energy Act, which will most importantly increase America’s energy supplies. The bill calls for leasing regulations for offshore natural gas by 2010, removing restrictions for outer continental shelf drilling, and opening up sections of ANWR for drilling.As The Heritage Foundation’s Senior Policy Analyst Ben Lieberman has been arguing this even when gas prices were around $1 a gallon. More energy supplies, not more taxes and regulations, are what this country needs. It’s economics 101: expanding supply is the surest way to lower energy prices, and the quicker Congress moves...

Oil prices fell again this evening as a US government report showed larger than expected increases in reserves of petrol and distillates. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said petrol stocks rose by 2.9 million barrels last week - a much bigger rise than expected. Stocks of distillates, which include diesel, rose by 2.4 million barrels when they had been forecast to rise by 2.3 million barrels. US crude fell $1.78 to $126.64, while Brent crude was $1.95 lower at $127.6 The increase in refined products stockpiles in the US, the world's biggest energy consumer, overshadowed a larger than expected...

Friends, We all know that energy prices are soaring and Virginia families are feeling the impact from the gas pump to the grocery store. These skyrocketing energy prices and dependence on foreign sources of energy pose a grave threat to our nation’s security and economic stability. Gaining our independence from foreign sources of energy requires bipartisan cooperation and the recognition that our economy’s lifeblood remains tied to traditional sources of energy, most notably oil, natural gas and clean coal. Just as the energy crisis we face has not emerged overnight, we must recognize that solutions will be found both in...