The Executive Ban? It's Gone! <sniker>

[ZetaNine]

We'll see. I hope those pesky folks in the minority don't cause all of our problems like the republicans have claimed for the last 12 years.

9% approval rating..........or is that ranting?

[Elfie]

Soooooooo... It was a Presidential ban? So the Repundits harping on the libs keeping us from drilling were all... wet?

Say it ain't so!

It was a presidential AND congressional ban.......

[midnight Target]

It was a presidential AND congressional ban.......

So why wasn't anything done when the republicans ran everything?

[crockett]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080714/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

I like this move. I think it puts the stink eye on the incompetent Congress. Now, the real question; will the Congress lift their ban? Will it work?

You do understand it was a Republican and the father of our current President whom put the ban in place in the first place. I also hope you understand even if we started drilling today, it would do nothing at all to gas prices or oil prices for at least 5 years and then it will just be minimal at best.

That is the argument in question, in reality lifting the ban will do very little in the scope of changing oil prices or making us less energy dependent. It comes at a high risk with little to gain. We would be far better off spending the money on solar and wind farms to generate electricity renewable energy and putting strict rules for more fuel efficient cars. That would do more than off shore drilling and making us less energy dependant.

[Nashwan]

What is the underlying reason Congress doesn't want to increase our nation's oil supply, decrease our dependence on foreign oil and, hopefully, lower gas prices?

I think it's the fact that drilling in the off limits areas of the US won't make much difference.

The Energy Information Administration reported on the effects of opening up ANWR earlier this year. They estimated production would peak in 2027, at 780,000 barrels a day. Current US oil consumption is about 20 million barrels a day.

They predict ANWR would lower oil prices by about $0.75 a barrel, which would be about 1 - 2c a gallon for fuel.

The other off limits areas like around Florida and California, collectively, have less oil than ANWR, so will have a smaller effect.

Of course that doesn't mean they shouldn't be opened up for drilling, but what it comes down to is a minor, delayed benefit. Not much to attract politicians in that.

[crockett]

why was there ever a ban on drilling?

Because George Bush Sr put it in place. It's quite funny how the Republicans put in place out of greed back then and now they realized they screwed up so it's suddenly all the Democrats fault.

[indy007]

For the finger pointing in politics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWZ_4EXeyaA

For Nash:

iirc, those estimates on the oil available from the untapped sites is based on surveys from the 70s. I'd be interested in seeing what a survey using modern tech would say and how big the difference would be. I actually had an internship writing code for a company that did seismic oil exploration. The gear they had just 10 years ago was so far beyond anything before it, that it was amazing.... wonder what they have now considering they were on pentium 1's back then. 

[Pooh21]

I also hope you understand even if we started drilling today, it would do nothing at all to gas prices or oil prices for at least 5 years and then it will just be minimal at best.

So are you saving for your retirement? You wont see that money til you are a geezer so why bother?

Drill here and now, as well as working towards alternate sources including nuclear.

[Shamus]

Maybe he should have lifted the ban when he had control of congress for six years, wonder why he didn't?

shamus 

[crockett]

true that....the hurricane that swept new orleans and came up through the gulf right on top of hundreds of rigs did not damage one of them.

the other thing they won't tell you.......is that rigs are very safe from leaking and disasters.....it's the shipping of oil that is the danger.

umm is that sarcastic reply or do you really believe that? If you do believe that where the hell did you hear that nonsense? There were several oil rigs taken out of production after Katrina due to damage. There might have been a few that were unharmed but even 6 months after the hurricane 25% of them were still not capable of pumping oil.

The hit they took after Katrina was the beginning of the current oil surge. Oil was around $33 a barrel before and settled in around $60 range after Katrina. That storm doubled the price of oil because of the loss of production.

Shell was at 400,000 barrels a day before the storm and only at 3/4 production even 6 months later.
Chevron was at 300,000 barrels a day before and was only at 2/3rds production 6 months later.

[crockett]

Maybe he should have lifted the ban when he had control of congress for six years, wonder why he didn't?

shamus 

Geee I wonder...

[crockett]

Obviously Congress has no interest in protecting the environment, it's a smoke and mirror act from my POV.  So, one must ask, what is holding them back from allowing the OCS and ANWR to be opened and the building of more refineries? What is the underlying reason Congress doesn't want to increase our nation's oil supply, decrease our dependence on foreign oil and, hopefully, lower gas prices?

I'll be the first to admit that I am not the political mind that most of you here are. I haven't the time to read and watch all that happens. I am probably like most Americans when I look at this situation and ask the questions above.

Why wont our Congress do something, anything to help?

Ask the same question about George Bush Sr. and why he put the ban in place to start with.. 

[lazs2]

crockit.. you are missing the point.. they can be damaged but the main (stated) concern of your socialist buddies is that it will be an ecological disaster.. 

No oil spills occurred.   Just as france in not a glowing nuclear wasteland because they allowed nuclear power.

no drilling for oil.. no nuclear power plants..  no new refineries..  those are all democrat ideals..  just listen to your boy osamabama talking... he says that it won't do any short term good.. of course.. if we had started ten years ago...

Nope..  as we explore the cost of oil will stay about the same or go down.. with nukes and whatever other tech we come up with... in ten years cost for gas may still be around $4 a gallon but it will seem like now big deal with inflation and all.

lazs

[ZetaNine]

umm is that sarcastic reply or do you really believe that? If you do believe that where the hell did you hear that nonsense? There were several oil rigs taken out of production after Katrina due to damage. There might have been a few that were unharmed but even 6 months after the hurricane 25% of them were still not capable of pumping oil.

The hit they took after Katrina was the beginning of the current oil surge. Oil was around $33 a barrel before and settled in around $60 range after Katrina. That storm doubled the price of oil because of the loss of production.

Shell was at 400,000 barrels a day before the storm and only at 3/4 production even 6 months later.
Chevron was at 300,000 barrels a day before and was only at 2/3rds production 6 months later.

I answered that a few posts later.
 

I should have been more clear....thank you for that.  damaged to the point of leaking oil.

[Yossarian]

Part of the reason why this won't work is because the already high and still rising prices for oil and petrol (or gas or whatever you want to call it) are NOT caused by a lack of supply, but because of the price of TRANSPORTING the oil from wherever it's extracted to the USA.

That's the reason why, in Bahrain (where I am at the moment), the price for a full tank of petrol for a standard sedan is equal to that of two cups of Starbuck's coffee.  The crude oil extracted in the Middle East doesn't have to travel very far to be delivered to its consumers also in the Middle East, however the cost of transporting some of that crude oil to America is what's driven up the fuel prices.

Whilst this is not the only factor, it is (one of) the biggest.

<S>

Yossarian