GOP message at oil hearing: Drill safer, not less

[sabra]

Source: The Hill

Republican senators used the first hearing into the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to warn against pulling back on offshore drilling, even as they emphasized the need for greater safeguards.

While steering clear of the GOP’s “drill, baby, drill” refrain from 2008, lawmakers nonetheless stressed that the U.S. reliance on oil will continue as the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing got underway.

“We all agree that we need to steadily minimize the percentage of oil in our overall energy mix, but under anyone's most optimistic scenario, our nation will need a lot of oil for a long time to come,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the top Republican on the panel.

“For the sake of our nation's economy, for the sake of our national security, and this incident notwithstanding, for the sake of the world's environment, we need to safely produce the maximum amount of that energy at home,” she added.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/97159-gop-message-at-oil-hearing-drill-safer-not-less

[Brickbat]

1. Murkowski then made some growling noises that sounded like

"Rrrr, rrrr -- shoot, never mind, let's just leave it up to the companies to drill safer."

Later an aide said Murkowski had been trying to say the word "regulation" but just wasn't able to.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Oh, and by the way, MORE tax cuts for Rich Republicons & their corporations." - Republicons

[gateley]

4. And while we're at it, get the black guy out of our White House. nt

[jtrockville]

3. So, 'till now they were trying to do it unsafely?

[Mz Pip]

5. Wasn't this supposed to be safer?

This TransOcean rig is only a couple of years old. If this is what safer looks like I think we should pass.

[madmax]

6. Have to give them credit

no matter what, no matter how big the fail - they always find a way to justify it, get around it, white wash it, or out right ask you, 'who are you going to believe me, or your own lying eyes'.

[Doctor_J]

7. They're the ones who removed the safety standards

or at least made them "voluntary" :eyes:

[zipplewrath]

8. Within a year, Obama will say the same thing

He'll say it nicer, but he'll basically be saying the same thing. No outright bans or any such thing. Stronger oversight, better checks and balances, he'll use all the best phrases, but in the end it will all add up to more drilling.

[cstanleytech]

12. To be fair I suspect just about anyone would

say the same though if they were president and will continue to do so until there is a major breakthrough in solar power or some other area like cold fusion.

[zipplewrath]

14. Betcha Carter wouldn't

I'm guessing of course. There are plenty of fossil based alternatives to drilling for more oil in the open waters. Natural gas is the obvious one. Furthtermore, there's nothing wrong with forcing a constraint of oil supplies onto the markets through this kind of regulation. It will help accelerate the change. It's only when England ran out of wood that they ultimately made the change.

[cstanleytech]

21. And noticed where I only said "just about", Carter is one of the possible few exceptions

I suspect.

[defendandprotect]

17. Didn't Obama recently tell us that "today's offshore oil rigs don't spill" ...!!!

Obama has too much DLC/Rahm Emmanuel in his ears and not enough common sense flowing thru!!

[cstanleytech]

22. He probably meant a properly run one with all the safeguards in place which

if you recall they didnt have because BP felt it was to expensive so they didnt have that shutoff valve installed.
Frankly because of that lapse I hope the courts tell BP to go piss up a rope about combining all these lawsuits and that it bankrupts them, maybe it will teach other oil companies that they had damn well better not try this kinda stuff again if they wanna be allowed to drill off the coast still.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[defendandprotect]

18. Oil has control of government and has had since ...

1963 --

[roody]

10. "Safer" is not an adverb.

[Historic NY]

11. The means keeping Haliburton criminals out then...doing it on the cheap.

[Union Yes]

13. While we're at it, let's make safer plutonium as well.

:sarcasm:

[pasto76]

15. sounds like we need a "more efficient, not larger army"

RUmmy's mantra back a few years. I hate these fucking guys.

[defendandprotect]

16. These hearings are immediate failures ...Bingaman/NM is heading . . .

Should have opened with legislation to STOP any further offshore drilling -- forever!!

And, concentration on stopping the flow --

They're concentrating on the wrong issues right now --

Lessons?

CONCENTRATE ON STOPPING THE LEAK -- !!

The government should be seizing assets of BP and Halliburton and taking over the oil rig!!

[happygoluckytoyou]

19. next time you drill..... remember to bring along the 10 square mile SHAMWOW (as seen on TV)

[gratuitous]

20. What?! MORE Government Oversight?

Well, forget that! Tea Baggers, are you watching Sen. Murkowski? Turncoat!