Ford to propose measure to allow drilling off S.C. coast
COLUMBIA — People who oppose offshore drilling for oil or natural gas to protect some bird, whale or fish are just whistling Dixie, state Sen. Robert Ford says.
Others who say that drilling offshore will bring down gas prices at the pump are whistling the same fruitless tune.
No matter the viewpoint, the debate over offshore drilling is in full gear, and Ford wants the state Legislature to take on the issue.
"There is no way no political expert is going to be able to explain to everyday citizens that, 'It is best for us not to drill offshore to protect some bird or whale or fish.' They are simply whistling 'Dixie'," said Ford, D-Charleston.
Following the news this week that President Bush lifted an executive ban on new offshore drilling, Ford is having a bill drafted that will call for the practice to begin here. One thing in the way is a congressional moratorium that has been in place since the early 1980s.
Congress must act on that ban before any drilling could be considered.
Legislative researchers are finding that South Carolina has no restrictions on offshore drilling, although lawmakers could decide to have the Department of Health and Environmental Control adopt procedures in the event that the federal ban is lifted. Or the state could challenge the federal restriction on drilling in court, Ford said.
House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said he expects the Legislature to give the topic attention when it reconvenes in January.
"It is something we need to look at very closely with gas prices where they are," Harrell said. "It needs to be considered, but we have to make sure that if we allow that we protect our coast in the process." He also said care must be taken to protect the tourism industry.
The idea has support within the South Carolina congressional delegation, and the option of exploration is endorsed by the state GOP. If legislation passes on the federal level it could leave the decision in the hands of individual states.
Ford said it is time for his Democratic counterparts to respond to the public's cry for help. His perspective is that technology will take care of environmental concerns, and in the meantime scientists can develop fuel alternatives.
"Let's use the oil the Lord has provided," Ford said.
Hamilton Davis, project manager at the Coastal Conservation League, said the idea of feeling immediate relief at the pump is a ruse. New offshore drilling would not significantly affect prices, and any domestic oil harvested would not make it to the pumps before 2030, he said.
"We have a knee-jerk reaction because of gas prices, and big oil is taking advantage of it," Davis said. He also listed environmental concerns, such as increased demand for transportation infrastructure to support drilling, the installation of pipelines along the ocean floor and the potential for disasters caused by coastal hurricanes.
"My guess is that this discussion is a result of the fact that we're in an election year," Davis said.
In addition to the bill that will be introduced by Ford, Citizens for Sound Conservation announced Wednesday that it was starting a "Bury the Ban" campaign to see the congressional moratorium lifted.
"We have studied this issue and believe that exploratory drilling can be done in an environmentally safe and sound way in which the habitat is protected and our economic interests are promoted," Lewis Gossett, group chairman, said in a statement.
Reach Yvonne Wenger at 803-799-9051 or ywenger@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
Neponset (anonymous) says...
My though is that off shore drilling will create a lot of good paying jobs. The tourist industry may suffer trying to find people for their min. wage jobs when there are better jobs out there.
July 17, 2008 at 6:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
moonpie (anonymous) says...
I belive it would create jobs but not help our oil situation unless the states are going to partner up with drillers, build refineries in their states and sell the oil/gas in their state. Because if it stays company run then the oil goes into the open market to the highest bidder. Alternative fuels are what we need to be going after. Wind, solar, natural gases, etc not drill more oil. We can engineer anything and make it work. We, Americans, have proven that! But who will pay for it? That's always the question. Oil is just the status quo.
July 17, 2008 at 6:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charlestonpride (anonymous) says...
Mr. Ford is listening to the "public cry" for off shore drilling, but will Congress?
July 17, 2008 at 7:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
If SC is thinking about drilling, you can bet that people all over the world are thinking the same thing. Get enough new oil on the market and crude prices will fall. Just the prospect of new oil will drive down spot market prices. I think I will buy some drilling company stock, like RIG.
July 17, 2008 at 7:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
berthelot (anonymous) says...
Yes, F- the birds and whales.
"Let's use the oil the Lord has provided" Clearly the lord intends for us to burn oil. Agreed. I wasn't convinced, but that quote just brings me right over the edge. You all win, let's drill. It is probably a great idea.
July 17, 2008 at 8:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
drp7773 (anonymous) says...
Robert Ford had a thought?????????????????????
July 17, 2008 at 8:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
katrenavantassle (anonymous) says...
Wow! You peopele are on a roll and its still early...do you guys work nights and this is your "cool down period"??? LOL!
You drinking?? LMAO at Tripsa and ColdBeer; you two always give me a chuckle in the mornings. I am glad to read comments from you two. Thanks!!! As a matter of fact, that is mainly why I even read these comments...to see what you are up to today! LOL!!
July 17, 2008 at 8:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BigSargeofSC (anonymous) says...
"Can we get an oil rig, flying the confederate flag, with an ACLU office right next door the planned parenthood office that sits right next to the NAACP office that is right next door to the Gay tourism office? What would we name it?" - tripsa
How about the New Four Corners of Law?
July 17, 2008 at 8:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
katrenavantassle (anonymous) says...
Now, on a serious note: Yes! Drill!! And go ahead and build a refinery also. What a great idea! My friends hubby is retired navy. He worked on a submarine while in the navy and now he works on a oil rig outside of Louisiana and travels back and forth on the weekends. He makes boo koo money and has terrific benefits. He started out at high 5 digits...and he loves it. He told me, that his job was just like playing on XBOX! He has a joystick and watches a computer screen while maneuvering a small camera underwater to survey pipes for damages, and if he finds one, he has to dive and fix it. But most of the time he doesnt find any. I bet during Katrena he was really busy!!! What a life!!
July 17, 2008 at 9:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
guidedbystewart (anonymous) says...
It is delusional to think that there is oil off the coast of SC anyways. Then again most politicians in the South are delusional (Ford anybody).
Ford, "Yes boys, there is Oil in them waters." There is no where that I am aware of on the Atlantic that produces oil? Yet if there is I am sure that SC would find away to exploit it.
July 17, 2008 at 9:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
number1volsfan1 (anonymous) says...
guidedbystewart
The North Atlantic (coast of Newfoundland) is a major oil producing region with one of the largest off-shore oil rigs in the world.
July 17, 2008 at 9:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
guidedbystewart (anonymous) says...
ok number1volsfan1, Newfoundland a long ways from SC but I stand corrected.
anyhoo, we are now pobably going to exploit every known oil location in the world causing us to run out a lot sooner rather than later. Sounds like a lose lose situation to me, no matter how you look at it.
July 17, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
number1volsfan1 (anonymous) says...
My bad.............should have known better.
July 17, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
guidedbystewart (anonymous) says...
tripsa,
BTW I got some thing for you!
http://www.brainphysics.com/ybocs.php
It's a test for OCD, take and let us know how you do, I bet you will score of the charts!
July 17, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Don (anonymous) says...
I think it's funny that because gas is $4 per gallon, you want to drill. No discussions about it when gas was $2. Drilling off the coast of SC is a gennie you can't put back in the bottle. Everything built by man has flaws. Safety? Remember Three-Mile Island? Exxon Valdeze, Exploding space shuttles? Titannic? I can go on... The fact is we really don't need more oil. Watch Who killed the electric car (Blockbuster has it). GM made a great electric car in the 90s. They could make it today. Go 500 miles for 9 dollars. It would work for 90% of US families. Honda makes a Hydrogen car with almost zero emmissions. Charge it at home with a generator that provides power and heat as well. We should have gotten off oil 50 years ago. If you want something in the ocean, use proven tide and wave-powered generators. South Carolina's number 1 industry is toursim. What happens to that when there is oil up and down the coast? There is only 1 way I would support drilling. Keep all oil in the state and charge $1 per gallon. And make the Politicians that vote for it pay out of their pockets for any spills. Never happen, we all will pay......
July 17, 2008 at 9:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
Tripsa:
Add to the list of job requirements for oil rig workers..
*must wear pants low
*must have attended a CCSD school
*must have been arrested for 1 of the following: digging holes on beach, building sand castles on beach, or drinking on beach
July 17, 2008 at 9:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
Don, you are correct, we do need to develop the electric and hydrogen car along with many other advances that can be expanded. In the mean time, however, we need to do something to increase the supply of oil and the only way to do that is to drill. I am not big on restricting markets but I would not mind if the compromise for allowing drilling were to only allow oil found off our shores (or within our borders) to be sold to domestic markets.
Folks were not worrying about it when gas was $2 a gallon because the price was not affecting their lives. I bet that most common folk did not even realize that we had the restrictions on drilling and exploration for oil that we have. Now that it is in the forefront of their minds (and wallets) they are asking the governing body who is restricting drilling WTF?
Oh, and as for spills, offshore drilling spills are virtually non existent. During hurricane Katrina there was alot of oil dumped on the shores on the Gulf Coast, none of it came from off shore drilling rigs.
July 17, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justmyopinion7 (anonymous) says...
Hemp Powered Car Debuts in Washington DC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Am3yUDt...
July 17, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
farfallaspeaks (anonymous) says...
I think Tripsa's butt is so tight, he could stick something up it and power his own vehicle.
July 17, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
The President lifted the executive ban on offshore drilling and the ppb dropped $6 or more after the announcement so Hamilton Davis is wrong. We can get immediate relief. There were no giant oil spills from derricks from Katrina were there? We need derricks out there today and nuclear plants but the SUVs and Explorers and Escalades must still go. It is nice to drive and see less of them and be able to see what is around and in front of you easier.
July 17, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DoaMM (anonymous) says...
So how long will it take to get us to the situation proposed in the movie "The Road Warrior". The intro to that movie describes a lot of what's going on now.
"Governments and their leaders talked and talked..."
I say drill. The world is about survival of the fittest, and right now, America ain't it. We can squabble all day about a thousand different things but having our OWN oil WILL make a difference that everyone can appreciate, whether you're a person with a car that gets 2 mpg or you're a tree hugger with a hemp backpack hitchin' a ride.
It's time to get this country back on its feet before it's too late...
July 17, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Name_Withheld (anonymous) says...
Former Senator turned energy lobbyist Trent Lott (R-MS) falsely claimed, during a Tuesday MSNBC appearance in support of drilling for oil offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, that Hurricane Katrina didn't cause oil spills.
"We didn't have one drop of oil [spilled] when we had the biggest hurricane in recent history, Hurricane Katrina," Lott said on Tuesday. "I think that the American people," he added, "are saying 'Look, do whatever is necessary, do it all, and do it now.'"
Former Senator and lobbyist John Breaux, a Democrat hailing from the gulf state of Louisiana, said that opponents of offshore drilling should reconsider. "We've shown that for the last sixty years you can do it safely, you can develop all natural domestic resources here in the United States, and it can be done safely."
Oil spills, in fact, numbered over 100 in the hurricane's aftermath, plaguing New Orleans and nearby areas and also contaminating the Mississippi River. The Coast Guard, MSNBC itself reported in September of 2005, estimated that 7 million gallons of oil, between 44 separate facilities around southeastern Louisiana, had been spilled as a result of the storm.
Hurricane Ivan had caused spills out of offshore platforms in 2004, and while satellite photos were said by advocacy group SkyTruth to have revealed 7,000 square miles of oil slicks floating in the Gulf after Katrina, the Coast Guard's Capt. Frank Paskewich disputed it. "As for now, I am confident that we have no received any reports of significant oil spills offshore," he told Reuters.
On Monday, Nancy Pfotenhauer, energy lobbyist and senior energy adviser to Arizona Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain, told MSNBC's David Schuster that "we withstood Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, and we didn't spill a drop." In the past month, the same talking point has been spread by government officials such as Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Senator McCain, and Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne.
July 17, 2008 at 12:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
berthelot (anonymous) says...
I am not being sarcastic this time. After reading these three articles (esp. the one from the CATO institute) I feel that it in fact may be in our best interest to allow oil exploration in the U.S.
I understand some of this isn't specifically about the issue at hand, but reading this material will give a better understanding of the big picture I think.
http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb1...
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/...
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3584...
July 17, 2008 at 12:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
berthelot (anonymous) says...
I meant to add that we should explore alternatives just as vigorously.
July 17, 2008 at 12:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Name_Withheld (anonymous) says...
Oil spills, in fact, numbered over 100 in the hurricane's aftermath, plaguing New Orleans and nearby areas and also contaminating the Mississippi River. The Coast Guard, MSNBC itself reported in September of 2005, estimated that 7 million gallons of oil, between 44 separate facilities around southeastern Louisiana, had been spilled as a result of the storm.
July 17, 2008 at 12:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
berthelot (anonymous) says...
For those who don't want to read all of that to understand what I am saying, here is my conclusion:
We are getting jerked around by our "friends" and "allies" in the Middle East and we need leverage to be able to tell them to get lost. It really isn't about oil in the long run, it is about getting out from under their thumbs so that we can truly re-gain our independence. Alternative fuels are the future, no one can deny that. In the mean time our economy cannot continue to survive (or begin to prosper again) as long as we are at the mercy of our enemies. I get it now.
July 17, 2008 at 12:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Charles_Town (anonymous) says...
Hard to believe no one has come forward yet to complain about him using the phrase "whistling Dixie" I am sure that reference offended someone somewhere.
July 17, 2008 at 12:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lloyd007 (anonymous) says...
ROBERT FORD, PLEASE!!! YOU WERE A SELL-OUT ON
THE FLAG ISSUE AND NOW YOUR A SELL-OUT ON
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AS WELL ( DRILLING WOULD
DO MORE DAMAGE THAN GOOD ).WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU
THIS TIME???. THEY SAY "'POLITICIANS MAKE STRANGE
BED FELLOWS'" GET OUT OF BED WITH GLEN McCONNELL,
AND MAYBE YOU'LL HAVE A MOMENT TO COME TO YOUR TRUE
SENSES..MAN , WHAT A TRUE DISAPPOINTMENT YOU'VE
BECOME...WHATEVER HAPPENED TO STANDING UP FOR TRUTH
AND WHAT IS RIGHT AND JUST....MAN, SELL-OUT, SELL-OUT
SELL-OUT.......
July 17, 2008 at 12:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Picky (anonymous) says...
South Carolina's got nothin' but sunshing and hot air. Why not invest the money in developing renewable energy here? The oil will be depleted in a decade or so. The sun: 4.5 billion years. Let's think long-term.
July 17, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
drp7773 (anonymous) says...
Hell why not tie Ford up on a telephone pole, everytime he opens his mouth itshould be enough hot air to light up N Charleston for a day.
July 17, 2008 at 12:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tallblonde (anonymous) says...
Are we sure Rep Ford knows what kind of " drillin' " is being discussed?
*Innocent Smile*
July 17, 2008 at 12:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
A lot has been said about protecting our tourist industry, but with high fuel costs and the economy going south, how much longer will this industry thrive? It will be interesting to see how the tourism numbers look for this year and next. Lets get on with drilling and create some good paying jobs.
July 17, 2008 at 12:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Don (anonymous) says...
Jane-
We don't get nuked because we have oil. It's the comcept of mutually assured distruction (MAD) supported by our nuclear powered submarines carrying nuclear missiles. They don't run on gas or oil...
July 17, 2008 at 12:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
Another alternative motor fuel option is the conversion of coal (which we have a lot of). However, this will take a large investment for the plants and in the past with oil prices going up and down, has been too risky for investors. The technology has been around since WW2. I don't know how messy the process is, but if the lights go out, anything is possible.
July 17, 2008 at 2:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Picky (anonymous) says...
Jane,
From the article: "New offshore drilling would not significantly affect prices, and any domestic oil harvested would not make it to the pumps before 2030, he said. "
What would you rather spend the next few decades developing? And why are you against renewable energy anyway? Americans can create anything they want, rapidly. Just look at how technology advanced here in World Wars I and II.
Our economy is faltering in it's oil-base. Investment in renewable energy would solve many economic problems.
July 17, 2008 at 2:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
Posted by Name_Withheld on July 17, 2008 at 12:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Former Senator turned energy lobbyist Trent Lott (R-MS) falsely claimed, during a Tuesday MSNBC appearance in support of drilling for oil offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, that Hurricane Katrina didn't cause oil spills."
Hardly any of the spillage from Katrina was from offshore rigs, and those that did have spills were primarily from oil stored on the platforms and in damaged sections of pipeline. Most of the oil spilled was from damage done inland. That is what Lott was referring to.
From www.mms.gov "Over the past 20 years, less than .001 percent of the oil produced in U.S. state and federal waters have been spilled." And the record is getting dramatically better every year.
If you are attempting to use scare tactics at least get the facts straight.
According to the
July 17, 2008 at 3:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Picky (anonymous) says...
Perspective
America uses one billion barrels of oil every 12 days.
If there are 18 billion barrels of oil on all coasts (combined), that would yield about 216 days of oil, or 7.2 months.
In other words, if we started drilling off of every coast on January 1, all of the off-shore oil would be used up by July 4 if used as our sole source.
If there are 15 million gallons of oil off our coast, that would provide 357,142 barrels, or (give me a sec here...) 4.285 days US Consumption. Wow - so not worth it.
July 17, 2008 at 3:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
Ford...your busted!!
Where were you 5, 10, 15 ...YEARS ago??
Don't be envoking the LORDS name now..YOU DEVIL!!!
You don't FOOL ME!.........
July 17, 2008 at 3:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
Jane
Well said. I would rather drill and have AC and lights, than wait for these folks to come up with alternatives. Looks like these folks have lots of "not in my back yard" and few, if any, positive/practical solutions.
July 17, 2008 at 3:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
shoelaces (anonymous) says...
CB...too funny...now that you mention it, my husband and I have dabbled in the offshore drilling business too.
Question...If so much oil was spilled, leaked, oozed, or whatever due to hurricane Katrina and damaged New Orleans so badly why don't we hear about all of it? I haven't seen any pictures of the oil damage.
July 17, 2008 at 4:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Don (anonymous) says...
If we want a quick supply of oil to drop gas prices, the president can release oil from the strategic reserves. It has 727 million barrels we paid for. Even 10% would make a big difference. Its more full that it has ever been. No waiting 2-10 years foa a SIGINIFICANT amout of gas to come to the pumps. Thumb our nose at the middle east next week!! And lets drill on the unexplored land in the lower 48 and Alaska (not the wildlife refuge) the Oil companies already own. 68 million acres on land and 33 million acres offshore. They are using the high cost of gas to get what they always wanted (new offshore drilling permits), but don't need....
July 17, 2008 at 4:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
moonpie (anonymous) says...
Oil dropped $20 bucks a barrel today I wonder how long it will take to see the decrease at the pump? I mean if it goes up a dollar gas rises immediately.
I cry BS!
July 17, 2008 at 8:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
willie08 (anonymous) says...
stand828, that is exactly why congress is fighting the ban on off shore drilling, and I agree.
Man can only control what he does to his environment, and how he works with it.
Although we will always have Tsunamis, Earthquakes, and Hurricanes, we can learn to survive them through better technology (Architecture, Warnings, Energy, Organization, Community). We CAN control these things, and we must be smart about them.
Great movement of the earth will continue, and we must be prepared for it. Drilling in on our coasts that are constantly destroyed by hurricanes is pointless, if a hurricane will come and knock it all down, spill oil in our already polluted waters.
We must not add to the problem. Whether you think global warming exists or not I don't care. I listen to the Scientists, who over 90% of the world scientists believe it is real. The cause is our way of life. Now the politicians, EVEN BUSH, are starting to recognize it.
This is a chance for us to really turn our lives around and start becoming dependent on more efficient and environment friendly forms of energy (which already exist, but are not being used to their fullest potential).
Why do we not use the already existing earth friendly sources of energy? Why can't we choose BioDiesel at the Gas Station?
Why are we feeding the greedy corporate billionaires by becoming so dependent on them?
There is technology out there that will allow us to even produce our OWN energy and food in very limited space. We can change the way we live completely, if we let the scientists come forth with their technology, and give them the merit it deserves. We live in a century if great inventions and science. We can evolve further as human beings. Do you want us to evolve, or become an Idiocracy?
Let's close the doors to the oil companies, that have done nothing but make us dependent on oil that is ruining our environment (water, marshes, mountains, and air- all of which human life needs to survive) and let's open the door to clean efficient, and never ending energy (sun, wind, wave, biodiesel).
Also, I realize that plastic plays a role in all this. I bet you could all agree that we waste too much plastic, and very little of it gets recycled. We are dependent on it for EVERYTHING we do, every day. Plastic is another huge problem creating an immense amount of trash.
July 17, 2008 at 9:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rollo (anonymous) says...
Picky,
"America uses 1 billion barrels of oil every 12 days."
Where did you find that bit of misinformation? That comes to over 83 million bbls/day, the whole world uses less than 90 million!
US use is less than 21 million.
The US has over 22 billion bbls in proven oil reserves, this does not include suspicious areas (offshore)where exploration has not been allowed.
July 17, 2008 at 10:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rollo (anonymous) says...
Tripsa,
Read your link, it's amazing!
Pelosi claims to be looking out for the interests of the American people, while Sen Boxer is threatening farm state Sen's that they could lose their ethanol subsidies if they vote for offshore drilling!
Lies and coercion! I thought Pelosi was bringing an end to the "culture of corruption" now she and her friends are promoting it!
Of course, Pelosi also promised "common sense solutions" to our energy situation two years ago!!! (I'm still waiting!)
July 17, 2008 at 10:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lifes_adventure (anonymous) says...
Jane, God Bless You!!! I agree with everything you've posted.
I'm a mod, but the only plausible answer to this crisis is to drill now.
July 18, 2008 at 12:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lifes_adventure (anonymous) says...
The hot air streaming from Pelosi's mouth could fuel the world for generations yet to come. Democrats out, Republicans in for now and forever...Never will I vote for a Democratic anything ever again! I denounce my New England heritage. Please forgive me for my past indiscretions (i.e. arrogance).
July 18, 2008 at 12:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Don (anonymous) says...
The Oil Man himself says we can't drill our way out of this....... Quote....
America is in a hole and it's getting deeper every day. We import 70% of our oil at a cost of $700 billion a year - four times the annual cost of the Iraq war.
I've been an oil man all my life, but this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of. But if we create a new renewable energy network, we can break our addiction to foreign oil.
On January 20, 2009, a new President gets sworn in. If we're organized, we can convince Congress to make major changes towards cleaner, cheaper and domestic energy resources.
read it here...
http://www.pickensplan.com/
July 18, 2008 at noon ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodkarmasc (anonymous) says...
Oil is too important to our economy, our national security, and the livelyhood of our republic to continue to allow the Middle East, Wall Street and US oil barrons to dicate prices.
Nationalize it....pay off our debt, rebuild our infrastructure, fund our military, and tell the Saudis to go pound sand!
Every country that has nationalized their oil production, gasoline is under $2 a gallon.
July 19, 2008 at 6:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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