Every time you think they can’t get any wackier, they do.
Remember all the scandal around Cheney’s closed door National Energy Strategy? Now there’s a new study – requested by the government and run by the oil industry – to determine our energy future.
Former ExxonMobil CEO Lee Raymond, of all people, has been picked to lead a study to assess “the potential contribution of conservation, efficiency, alternative energy sources, and technology advances” to our future energy needs and determine “the potential long term impact of alternative energies that are plentiful, affordable, reliable and transportable.”
I don’t know where you come from Oliver, but I pray to the Oil God everyday!!! I drive out of my way to fill up my cars to save a few dollars, watch prices soar when a little rain theatens the gulf, and pray to the Saudi King to not cut a million barrels a day!!! Maybe if I convert, my prayers will be answered.
When cheap everyday essential goods (bread, gallon of water) increase in price by 15% or more, I go on an involuntary South Beach diet. You better start praying too, because the new, “revised” EPA gas mileage performance for cars and trucks comes out next year and the mileage for our cars is not going up!!! In fact, it is 5% lower than what it was at its peak in 1987!!!
You know you’ve got a problem when FM radio shows are giving out prizes to listeners with free gallons of gas instead of dollars!!!
1987 was the gas mileage peak in the US. That’ll be 20 years in a couple of months from now!!! TWENTY YEARS!!!
An old OJ Ford Bronco gets better gas mileage than a comparable new Ford F-150. And F-250’s, F-350’s, Hummer’s, Excursions and the like are completely exempt from gas mileage ratings…the EPA doesn’t even test these, so the real US average is significantly lower due to the rising popularity of these brands.
My neighbor’s H2 Hummer gets 10mpg while the same friend’s Dodge Ram 1500 gets 9mpg just to get a taste of what being “exempt” is hiding. Whoever thinks oil prices dropped due to dwindling demand and increased production, GET REAL!!! Keeping it at $60 per barrel is a strategy to keep it cheap enough to make developing alternative fuel choices less attractive. With no development, we become ever more exposed to risks of future real or even “perceived” supply interruptions or price fluctuations.
So, all along, it was all about OILLLLLLL! Oooooh.
I’m sure Machete boy can cite all kinds of left wing links to back up these claims.
And considering the fact that Raymond has guided Exxon Mobil to financial heights the company has never seen before, tell me why would he be such a bad choice for such a post? Clearly, the man knows what he’s doing, no?
Or did I miss the part of Oliver’s bio that says he’s an expert in the energy field?
Gravyboy, I am an expert on energy and I will tell you that Lee Raymond is a terrible person to head such a post. Raymond and Exxon are well known for astroturfing organizations which dispute global warming. Don’t you think that one’s position on a potentially devastating environmental impact could affect his judgment. Furthermore, he is set to receive $400 million through the rest of his life from Exxon’s pension plan. Don’t you think he’d have a “predisposition” toward oil exploration? There are many, many business professionals who would have been better choices if that were your only criterion.
While I’m sure it’s great fun to demonize bog oil, which companies would be in better positions to research fuel efficiency and alternative energy sources than the oil companies?
They have the expertise in energy production, they have the engineers and the know-how, and they have the money to do the research. And you can bet your last farthing that when an alternate, portable energy source is developed, ExxonMobil and Texaco and Sunoco will be the companies which produce it and make money from it.
Gravy,
So my viewpoints on oil are leftwing??? It’s REALITY!!!
1) 1987 (20 years ago) was the peak in U.S. gas mileage average…UNDISPUTED!!!
2) The EPA is revising it’s gas mileage dynamometer measurements for this upcoming year because most vehicles, especially hybrids, are claiming mpg values way above real-life values…UNDISPUTED!!!
3) Vehicles with a Gross Weight Vehicle Rating over 8500lbs are exempt from publishing gas mileage figures…just check autos.msn.com or any other car site to see if they have published EPA ratings for Hummers, Expeditions, F-350’s, Ram3500’s, etc…THEY DON’T!!! This skews average US mpg ratings which would be much worse if these were counted.
4) Oil prices affect transportation of all goods you buy in the supermarket, and your electric bill…have you seen prices in your bills going up or down lately???
5) If OPEC keeps oil at the brink of affordability, we are much less likely to invest in alternative fuel sources…now this is just COMMON SENSE!!! Is this the single point among all that you consider leftwing??? I guess you were one of the Big Three execs (GM, Ford, Chrysler) that ignored oil prices because they considered its importance a leftwing phenomenon and paid for it by losing over 2/3 of their market share after the Oil Crisis of 1973 to more fuel-efficient Japanese cars. Oops, make that Big Two, Chrysler is German now. So how’s your pension plan doing now??? Bankrupt!!! Sticking your head in the dirt won’t make your problems go away…I’ve tried.
Something leftwing would be if I said we only had 30-50 years of oil left in the world…I personally don’t know, and really hope that’s not the case. In fact, who cares??? That’ll be someone else’s problem
Dana, you are the only one talking about some anonymous “big oil”; my suspicion is that this is because you really don’t understand the industry but are obediently wired to believe the president and the Veep on this issue.
There are many, many current and former oil execs who would be outstanding in this post. If it must be a current oil exec, why not David O’Reilly (ChevTex), Steve Chazen (Oxy Pete) or Lorde Browne (BP). They are all excellent executives with years of service and deep understanding of the industry. Better yet, go with somebody like Peter Schwartz (former Shell exec) who has made a career of making predictions about oil / gas future and alternatives.
Lee Raymond is not qualified.
“.. who cares??? That’ll be someone else’s problem
”
Naw, see, now that is a right-wing position.
Lee Raymond is not qualified.
Well, then, By God, he’s our guy!
/snark
z adura wrote:
Perhaps if you will go back and read what I wrote, you’ll note that I made no particular claims about any specific individual. I noted that the oil companies are the ones best positioned to actually do the work of researching and developing both greater fuel efficiencies and alternative energy sources.
Our esteemed host made no refernces to Mr Raymond’s personal unfitness for the assignment, but just referenced him as ExxonMobil CEO. Mr Willis was slamming the idea that an oil company exec would be doing the work, because he’s an oil company exec.