McCain Urges End to Ban on Offshore Drilling

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

McCain urges end to ban on offshore drilling
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
23 minutes ago

ARLINGTON, Va. - Sen. John McCain said Monday the federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling should be lifted, and individual states given the right to pursue energy exploration in waters near their own coasts. With gasoline prices rising and the United States chronically dependent on foreign oil, the Republican presidential contender said his proposal would "be very helpful in the short term resolving our energy crisis."

McCain also suggested giving the states incentives, including a greater share of royalties paid by companies that drill for oil, as an incentive to permit exploration.

Asked how far offshore states should be given control of drilling rights, he said that was a matter for negotiation.

He offered no other details for his proposal, which he is expected to describe more fully on Tuesday in an energy speech.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080616/ap_on_el_pr/mccain

[maxsolomon]

1. yeah! dig it all up & burn it in 8 mpg vehicles!

or spread it on our farmlands, or make plastic water bottles with it & throw them in the dump!

then complain that we can't stop climate change because it might hurt the "economy".

it the GOP way!

[ohio2007]

24. Why not burn it in 40 mpg vehicles and break the foreign oil addiction mr. oil exec?

Tell congress to lift the ban.
oh wait
they just voted to extend the ban on drilling offshore

/sarc

[Jack_DeLeon]

34. Get both...

we need more efficient vehicles, but until the majority of us switch to plug in electric hybrids we will still be needing oil.

[SquireJons]

35. How would this break our addiction?

Even if oil were discovered off shore in large quantities (doubtful, or it would have already happened) the time it would take to get that oil into the domestic market would be many years, so the short term would be unaffected. In reality the only difference drilling off American shores would make is to increase the profits of domestic oil companies and to endanger american shorelines to catastrophe.

If we are to allow oil drilling off of our shores, then the government should set up a contingency trust fund large enough to clean up an Exxon Valdez sized accident. Get all companies who win permits for such drilling to fund it. Then if something were to happen, the funds would be in place. I think the value of that fund should be in the 100 billion dollar range, or about one years profit for the major oil companies. What ever is left over when the wells tap themselves out would go to remove the oil rigs and fix the areas affected. What's left after that can go back to the companies.

If they do that, then I have no problem with it. The oil companies will try a lot harder to prevent accidents if they anti-up.

[maxsolomon]

36. what SquireJons said

we need to STOP BURNING OIL. the planet is dying because of it, and every bit that stays in the ground doesn't become carbon in the atmosphere. a greenhouse gas is the same whether it was burned at 40 mpg or 8 mpg.

[madaboutharry]

2. I really despise republicans.

That is all I can say.

[Rick Myers]

3. "he is expected to describe more fully on Tuesday in an energy speech."

Just as soon as Phil Gramm's wife WRITES it!!!

[gateley]

4. The correct term is "Energy Exploration". nt

[Eurobabe]

8. I am arguing with some wanker in GD or GDP

about offshore drilling, he is trying to tell me it is ok because other liberal countries do it.

:eyes:

[gateley]

10. Somebody HERE is saying it's okay?

Other liberal countries do it?

That just sounds so ODD! :eyes:

[Eurobabe]

12. lemme get the link

I'll PM you.

[ohio2007]

26. Why not post the link here ?

Petrobras studying block in deep Cuban waters

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-8252--5-5--.html

whatever became of this issue raised inside the beltway ?

House passes bill to sue OPEC over oil prices

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080520/pl_nm/congress_opec_dc

[gateley]

11. Delete - dupe.

[sellitman]

5. This is great news!

This could give Obama all the support he needs in coastline states like say.....Florida.

Go for McInsane !

[Psephos]

28. It may also be not so great news

There are a lot of people pissed at spending four bucks a gallon who see a connection between no drilling and the price of gas.

Charles Schumer is on record about what less than a million bbl/day would do to prices:

"If they were to increase supply by 800,000 barrel every day, the price would come down probably 35 to 50 cents a gallon," said Schumer. "That's a lot."

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=3&aid=81230

We ought to be in front of this. McSame will be making an issue of it.

[Brigid]

6. This has been the Repug line for years now.

And for the last time, you idiots over there in freeperland, we are not going to drill our way out of our energy problems!! :grr:

[Tempest]

7. If McCain gets his way, two of the biggest reserve areas wouldn't be developed

Florida and California are both against off-shore drilling.

[thoughtanarchist]

9. Helpful huh?

The oil companies are currently sitting on 64 million acres of resource leases in which they are neither exploring nor drilling:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/thoughtanarchist/10

[Beaverhausen]

13. My republican parents think this is the answer to high gas prices

they echo Fox and the right wing, of course. If only we could do more drilling of our own, prices would go down. :eyes:

[momster]

14. You might mention

that conservative estimates (ha!) indicate it would be at least 10 years before a single drop of ANWR oil made it to market *if* they find what they think may be there. Somehow, I doubt that's the kind of swift fix certain people are looking for.

[Beaverhausen]

15. I did mention that to dad yesterday, but he said there is oil off the coast of Florida

I didn't have enough facts, plus it was father's day and I didn't want to keep fighting. I just said getting more oil won't solve our problems.

[momster]

16. Yeah, ran into a guy from Detroit

who was going on about how they've got to drill and dig and build refineries in every schoolyard...okay, almost that bad. And I just let it go. He's scared and troubled by the potential loss of his way of life and if he wants to think more of the same is the way to go, that's his right. Fortunately, the 'we' outnumber the 'them' now and a new day is coming...and it's going to be okay. They'll figure it out about the time I pass them in my Prius.

[maxsolomon]

37. its not his "right" to be delusional

i've yet to see that "we" outnumber them - a prius is a stopgap measure - it still burns petroleum.

[momster]

47. Actually

it is his right to be as delusional as he pleases...as it is yours.

And the Prius is the best I can do right now. Sorry. But I have a life and a child and need a car.

[maxsolomon]

48. no, relativism doesn't come into play here.

advocating for continuing down the road of fossil fuel extraction & depletion will assure that the planet becomes uninhabitable for human life. so his delusion, maximum extraction of fossil fuels, if carried out into action, will harm others as it is doing now. harm to others is the point where delusion is no longer a "right".

i drive a car, too, but i recognize it is a "want", not an absolute "need" for any of us. our cities & our nation have been built so that it is difficult to do without this "want".

anyway, the point is moot. there's probably more oil in landfilled plastic bottles than in undrilled areas of the US of A.

[TBF]

19. I don't know about the potential off FL or CA, but I remember reading that oil off the coast in

Alaska would last less than 10 years. It would be an incredibly short-term fix. I'd like to see more of Exxon's record-profits going into alternative energy exploration. And if McLooney wants to give more corporate tax cuts, the tie should be to their r&d on alternative energy. But that will never happen because he doesn't think that far ahead.

[donco6]

27. It's not like HE'S going to be around in 10 years . . .

Puts a new spin on "What, me worry?"

[liberal N proud]

17. Yup, the same old McSame as bu$h

Big Oil, screw the environment

[Ian David]

18. Republicans are no smarter than yeast in a flask. n/t

[momster]

20. At least Yeast make Bread and Beer

McCain will promise to veto every loaf next....

[kiranon]

21. We bought a Prius yesterday. Better gas mileage not drilling.

For years the Republicans and the auto companies fought against higher CAFE standards. Now where are they. The auto companies are years away from having a mix of cars that people will buy and Toyota can't build them fast enough to meet the demand. Everyone's large vehicle (including mine) lost most of their value.

[primavera]

30. Congratulations!

My wife and I bought our first Prius about a year and a half ago and love it! :hi:

Sure does feel good to pull up at a filling station next to some big old SUV and lament the cost of fuel: "Damn, can you believe these fuel prices these days? Why, in the last two months, I must have spent close to $40 on gas, isn't that just outrageous?" as they pump another $60 into their gas hog for the third time in a week.

:evilgrin:

[Jack_DeLeon]

33. We will need both...

unless you modded your Prius to be a plug in hybrid your car most certainly does not run on sunshine.

We need to transition off of oil, its a finite resource and unless we transition off of it before we get actual shortages that would be catastrophic for our whole civilization as we know it with the possibility for mass starvation on a scale unprecedented in human history.

That being said people are hurting now and we need to be smart about how we go about that transition. We will need to build more power plants particularly of the nuclear variety (until we can develop fusion power) to power all these new electric vehicle and replace other oil burning uses.

I say we allow drilling, its no different than the other drilling already going on in the gulf, but we need to get a large portion of the money made off of said oil to help fund and subsidize research and application of the new technologies we will need to transition off of oil.

[bluesmail]

22. Another piece of the puzzle of High Gas Prices

High Gas Prices=outraged Americans=yeah, I'm tired of these High Gas Prices=DRILL AWAY=

[grilled onions]

23. We should have a new slogan

By buying smaller more efficient vehicles,riding a bike,public transportation etc instead of the roadhogs,no incentive,the kind of thinking that we had fifity years ago we could improve our world.
Less Filling....Less Drilling

[JCMach1]

25. He keeps this up, he will lose FL too!

So, ummmm, he should keep this up.

[Hugabear]

29. No more fucking oil drilling - time to give it a break, Grandpa

No more oil drilling in the Gulf. No more oil drilling in Alaska. No more oil drilling ANYWHERE, PERIOD.

[Xenotime]

31. Pugs can't see beyond their own pocket books. They only want the $$

[Jack_DeLeon]

32. I think we should do this....

and we should also build more nuclear power plants.

There is already drilling in the Gulf of Mexico I dont see how this is different?

[mitchtv]

41. More nukes?

just store the waste where it's used

[underpants]

38. Maybe we can slant drill under Cuba

:bounce::evilgrin:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/underpants/120

[AndyTiedye]

39. Rebuild Our Railroads Instead!

[CatholicEdHead]

40. So is every other Republican out there

Rep Michelle Bachman (MN-6) has made this her signature tune and moved on from her light bulb ficaso. Drill here, drill there, tar sands of Canada need to be processed, etc... Housing is impossible in western North Dakota with the reopening of wells up there.

[Scurrilous]

42. (FL Gov.) Crist: I now support oil drilling off coast

<snip>

"Describing his position as evolving, Gov. Charlie Crist said he now supports exploratory drilling for oil and gas off Florida's coast because "Floridians are suffering."

"When you're paying over $4 a gallon for gas, you have to wonder whether there might be additional resources to bring that price down," Crist said.

The governor said he "applauds" Republican presidential candidate John McCain for calling for a lifting of the ban on offshore oil drilling off most of the nation's coastline.

The proposal drew a quick condemnation from McCain's Democratic rival, Barack Obama, who said it would do little to affect prices.

But Crist said, "We have to be sympathetic to the pocketbooks of the people of Florida and what they are paying at the pump for gas, and balance that with what our state might be able to contribute in terms of resources."

He added that drilling off Florida's beaches is "something I'd least like to do, but I also understand the economics of what's happening to our country."

more

[SeeHopeWin]

46. what an ass, he can kiss his career goodbye...

[Canuckistanian]

43. There's a nice big oilfield right off the coast near Limbaugh's mansion

I propose the drilling start there.

[formercia]

44. Did he mention the Chinese drilling for oil off of Cuba?

:rofl:

[SeeHopeWin]

45. These bastards need to go to hell!!! my governor asshole Crist

Campaigned on an anti drilling policy off of Florida, the fucker just flipped flopped...I really hate Republicans. I hope this year ends this party as we know it!

[Politicub]

49. Then all costal towns can have a series fake islands

to disguise the drilling operation. Just like the Port of Long Beach - it will be grand!

[sakabatou]

50. McCain: "Screw the wildlife! 'Uglify' the waters!"

[hatrack]

51. Hate to break the news, Senator, but there's this thing called the EIA . . .

It's part of the federal government you'd like to run, and here's what they say about the kind of proven reserves you're so hot to drill for . . .

BP Statistical Review Of World Energy, Year End, 2005, Proven Oil Reserves:

United States - 29.922 Billion Barrels
Total Global Reserves - 1.201 Trillion Barrels
US Reserves as % of Global Reserves - 2.49

Oil & Gas Journal, January 1, 2008, Proven Oil Reserves:

United States - 21.757 Billion Barrels
Total Global Reserves - 1.317 Trillion Barrels
US Reserves as % of Global Reserves - 1.65

World Oil, Year-End, 2005, Proven Oil Reserves

United States - 21.757 Billion Barrels
Total Global Reserves - 1.94

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/reserves.html

Non-solution, no short-term impact, little to no long-term impact. But hey, you get to bash those "green radicals" and look sensible, so whatfuckingever, Senator McSame.