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Politics : Manmade Global Warming, A hoax? A Scam? or a Doomsday Cult? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: FJB who wrote (2484)5/5/2011 1:27:40 PM
From: joseffy1 Recommendation  Respond to of 4326
 
Obama team is happy with higher gas costs
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May. 5, 2011 by Randy Kniebes
livingstondaily.com

As I write this, the price of gasoline is about $4 per gallon. While you and your family may not be happy with these high gas prices, the Obama administration is pleased — after all, higher gas and energy prices have been its goal from the outset.

Steven Chu, Obama's energy secretary, has called for higher and higher gas prices to force citizens to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles and live closer to work. "Somehow, we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe," Mr. Chu was quoted as promising. By the way, Mr. Chu's goal would equate to $7-$8 per gallon.

Sure enough, the Obama administration has slowed down or stopped the future development of most of the vast U.S. energy reserves, onshore, offshore and in Alaska.

That is despite the fact that the United States' oil shale deposits, primarily in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, are tremendous, more than three times larger than the proven oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. The U.S. Geological Society estimates that Arctic Alaska has technically recoverable resources of approximately 30 billion barrels of oil, 6 billion barrels of natural-gas liquids, and 221 trillion cubic feet of conventional natural gas. Furthermore, the outer continental shelf of the United States is estimated to contain 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

As President Barack Obama joked while speaking at a foreign-owned wind-turbine plant in Pennsylvania, "If you're complaining about the price of gas and you're only getting 8 miles a gallon, you know — you might want to think about a trade-in."

As all of your energy costs skyrocket and your standard of living needlessly declines, here is another suggestion for a "trade-in," a new president, someone who is committed to developing our vast domestic energy reserves, spurring economic activity and adding thousands of jobs, driving down energy prices, and thereby raising (rather than reducing) the prosperity of all of our citizens.



To: FJB who wrote (2484)5/6/2011 12:50:34 AM
From: joseffy2 Recommendations  Respond to of 4326
 
Obama's Scandalous War Against Domestic Oil

by David Limbaugh
townhall.com

Do you remember the terrible things the left was saying about President George W. Bush when gas prices soared under his watch? Yet President Obama, whose policies and actions are actually contributing to rocketing gas prices today, gets the usual mainstream media pass.
Is it that the liberal media exempt Obama from accountability because they're on his team in general? Is it because they think he's blameless in the equation even though they sprang to the unfounded conclusion that Bush was culpable? Or could it be that they aren't critical because they share his bias against conventional energy and believe the pain caused by his policies is necessary to move us toward alternative energy sources?
During Bush's term, gas prices went down 9 percent, adjusted for inflation. Yet, preposterously, he was excoriated for allegedly colluding with "big oil" to drive up prices. When prices spiked later in his term, he took proactive steps to increase our supply and reduce prices, and they worked. But Obama has taken action to impede conventional energy sources and shove us into alternative ones. Even so, liberals ignore any possible causal links.
Obama told us he would bankrupt the coal industry. He's pushing high-speed rail down our throats despite the lack of public demand for it and our inability to finance it. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the administration intended to coerce us out of our cars. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, "Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe."
In view of exploding gas prices, why aren't these statements seen as scandalous? Where are the calls for investigations?
Obama demeans "big oil," pushes alternative energy every time he gets a chance and does everything in his power to suppress domestic oil production, then looks us in the face and tells us he's increasing domestic production -- kind of like how he says his budget won't add a penny to the national debt. The audacity is of Hollywood magnitude, and so is the lack of scrutiny that enables it.
Behind the smoke and mirrors of his rhetoric, it's hard not to conclude that Obama's on a mission to suppress or shut down the existing oil infrastructure in the United States in pursuit of his stated alternative priorities.
The Heritage Foundation's Rory Cooper reports that, as of February 2011, at least 103 permits were awaiting review by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. And since February, the administration has issued on average only 1.3 permits a month, a 78 percent reduction in the monthly average according to the latest Gulf Permit Index.
Obama even reversed an earlier decision to open access to coastal waters for exploration, placing a seven-year ban on drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Oil production in the Gulf is expected to drop by 220 thousand barrels per day in 2011, which is going to cost the U.S. some $1.35 billion in revenues in 2011.
Not only are we losing oil production and revenues, the administration's actions are destroying jobs in the oil industry and elsewhere. Many companies are going out of business. The Heritage Foundation reports that Seahawk Drilling, of Houston, laid off 632 employees before recently filing for bankruptcy as a direct result of Obama's moratorium and subsequent "permitorium." Seahawk owned and operated 20 shallow-water rigs in the Gulf. Randall Stilley, president and CEO of Seahawk, said, "As an American, you never want to look at your own government and say they're hurting you personally, they're hurting your business and they're doing it in a way that's irresponsible. I'm not very proud of our government right now and the way they handled this."
Cooper explains that these crippling policies are having a negative rippling effect throughout the economy. Many vendors, suppliers, restaurants and retailers are losing revenues or going out of business. More than 30 deepwater rigs, which each employ around 200 people, have moved from the Gulf to other markets. While the industry is on "life support," Obama is at war with it, brazenly spending billions to support foreign oil and jobs in Brazil.
Making matters worse, the administration and congressional Democrats are considering legislation that would further damage energy businesses by significantly increasing taxes on domestic oil and gas concerns. And just in the past few days, we've been reading that the administration is floating a plan to tax cars by the mile.
Can you imagine the insanity and insensitivity of raising taxes on this ailing industry and its consumers (drivers) at a time when both need all the relief they can get?
Obama is no less determined to cram his preferred energy alternatives down Americans' throats than he was to force feed us socialized medicine. Again, where is the outrage?



To: FJB who wrote (2484)5/6/2011 2:46:25 PM
From: joseffy2 Recommendations  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 4326
 
Obama: Nation can't drill its way out of soaring gas prices
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By Andrew Restuccia - 05/06/11 thehill.com

President Obama called for the elimination of billions of dollars in oil industry tax breaks Friday, while stressing that the United States can’t drill its way out of high gas prices.

“We can’t just drill our way out of the problem,” Obama said during an energy policy speech in Indiana Friday. “If we’re serious about addressing our energy problems, we’re going to have to do more than drill.”

Obama’s remarks come as Washington policymakers are feeling pressure to take action to address high gas prices, which are nearing a nationwide average of $4 a gallon.

Republicans have ramped up calls for expanded domestic oil-and-gas production. House Republicans passed the first of three offshore drilling bills Thursday that have been fast-tracked by GOP leadership.

But Democrats, for their part, are pushing for the repeal of billion of dollars in oil industry tax breaks, citing record oil industry profits and soaring pump prices. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is expected to bring a bill repealing the subsidies to the floor next week. But the proposal faces major hurdles in the Senate.

During his speech, Obama called for “putting an end to the unwarranted subsidies that we are giving oil companies right now through the tax code.”

“If you’re already paying them at the pump, we don’t need to pay them in the tax code,” he said.

He noted that it’s important to “encourage safe and responsible oil production here at home,” but called for a wide-ranging energy policy strategy focused on reducing the country’s oil imports by one-third by 2025, ramping up vehicle fuel economy standards and relying on low-emission electricity sources.

Obama spoke at Allison Transmission, a hybrid vehicle technology manufacturing plant in Indianapolis.

Energy analysts say expanded domestic oil production would have almost no near-term effect on gas prices.



To: FJB who wrote (2484)5/11/2011 8:31:32 PM
From: joseffy1 Recommendation  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 4326
 
I Wonder What Soros has to do with this
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Boulder County youths sue state over climate change

11-year-old: 'Our governments are not protecting our planet'


By Vanessa Miller Camera Staff Writer 05/09/2011
dailycamera.com

If you go

What: A "mega march" to raise awareness about climate change

When: Noon Saturday

Where: The march will begin at Cuernavaca Park (20th and Platte streets, near REI) in Denver and proceed two miles before ending at Civic Center Park. The event will include speakers, music and entertainment.
An 11-year-old boy whose Gold Hill neighborhood burned in the Fourmile Fire has joined with a friend afraid of losing favorite hiking trails and an 18-year-old student with a growing asthmatic condition in a lawsuit against the state for failing to protect the environment.

"Our children and our children's children will suffer the harms and losses caused by the state's lack of necessary action," states the lawsuit, filed with the help of parents and legal experts in Boulder County District Court last week. "A failure to immediately take action to protect and preserve the earth's climate will cause irreparable harm to plaintiffs."

The lawsuit is part of a coordinated youth effort to sue government leaders or file administrative actions in all 50 states. A nationwide team of legal experts has been assembled through the nonprofit organization Our Children's Trust to represent the young people in their lawsuits.

Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez, 11, of Boulder, is a leader of the Colorado-based Earth Guardian group and one of the plaintiffs named in the suit against the state of Colorado, Gov. John Hickenlooper, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

The goal is to "force action on climate change" in all 50 states, translating to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and implementation of reforestation programs, according to the lawsuit.

A gathering of thousands of young people is planned in Denver on Saturday, one of dozens of marches around the world to raise awareness of global warming.

"Right now, our governments are not protecting our planet; they are just destroying it," Xiuhtezcatl said. "I want to make sure my planet is habitable for future generations so we won't be stuck with this mess."

Xiuhtezcatl said he's excited to be part of the march and legal effort, but -- above all -- he hopes it will make a difference to the adults who are in leadership positions.

"I think it's great that there are lots of other kids in their own state trying to fight for their future," he said. "But we need everyone to take action -- not just the kids."

Hickenlooper's office declined to comment on the pending litigation Monday.

The Boulder County lawsuit identifies specific environmental concerns as being tied to global warming and climate change, including reduced water flows, pine beetle destruction, massive wildfires, shortened ski seasons, frequent heat waves and more illness from insect-borne diseases. Xiuhtezcatl, in the lawsuit, states that climate change has affected his life.

"For example, he has enjoyed playing and floating wooden boats in a stream near his house in Boulder, but the water levels have decreased over the past several years, which he is concerned is a result of human-induced climate change," according to the lawsuit. "He has also enjoyed hiking and playing in the forests near Colorado's Brainard Lake that are now being impacted by pine beetles as a result of human-induced climate change."

Co-plaintiff Haiden Inskeep, who also is 11 and lives in Gold Hill, watched his neighbors' homes burn in the Fourmile Fire in September. According to the lawsuit, Haiden is concerned that the "hotter, drier weather resulting from climate change will increase wildfires in Colorado," and he's worried that the pine beetle infestation will keep him from enjoying the mountains.

"In the future, he may not be able to hike or cross-country ski on some of his favorite trails because of the danger of falling trees that have been killed by the pine beetle," according to the lawsuit.

Worsening asthma is Cecelia Kluding-Rodriguez's primary concern related to climate change, according to the lawsuit. Kluding-Rodriguez, 18, who also is listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, states that her asthma is aggravated by pollution and poor air quality resulting from wildfires.

"A hotter climate also means earlier blooms in the spring and a longer season for fall allergens such as ragweed and mugwort, which means more plants and more pollen, which can exacerbate asthma and respiratory diseases," according to the lawsuit.

The suit says state agencies have failed to implement and enforce laws to preserve and protect the atmosphere, and it's asking a judge to hold the government accountable for such failures.

"These kids are taking action now -- they are not going to wait," said Tamara Roske, who is Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez's mother. "They are doing an amazing job at waking people up."

The thought is that the lawsuits are the young people's "last chance" to save their planet, said Ashley D. Wilmes, an attorney with WildEarth Guardians.

"We hope the courts force the government to do its job," Wilmes said. "We are getting closer to a tipping point where global warming won't be stopped."

Read more: Boulder County youths sue state over climate change - Boulder Daily Camera dailycamera.com
DailyCamera.com