“The way he’s been working the energy issue only makes him look like a man with no inner core.” –Gail Collins, NY Times, June 19

Coincidence? Or is Collins stealing phrases from Willis?

I like it.

On a side note, I think this is how the government should respond to the credit crisis. Don’t bail out the banks, buy them out. If the government is going to assume the risks, they should be able to reap some of the rewards.

I had thought that the bottleneck created by not enough refineries was the [part of the] problem?”

Yes and no. As CS says, the ones we have aren’t going full tilt. Some of the ones on the Gulf Coast were fucked up by Katrina and that other one and haven’t been repaired yet, and if there have been any applications to build new ones, nobody wants to live near one (Jay? Farris? How about your backyard?).

Saw it watching the news. The oil companies have plenty of land leases that they are not developing now. Giving them more is hardly incentive for them to develop what they have now.

“This may be heresay Duros, but I had thought that the bottleneck created by not enough refineries was the problem?”

Nope. They are at 85% capacity, or at least that’s the last figure I read.

I tried and failed to find some substantiation in either direction for this that wasn’t tin-foil-hat biased. C.S. – If you have an online source would you mind providing a link?

It would have been better to spend that time reducing demand by enforcing higher fuel efficiency standards. At least on par with Europe. Hell, doing that right now would help a lot, and immediately.

I grow somewhat cynical about the political will to do so when I drive down I-5 and pass 40 SUVs carrying, altogether, 43 people.

Even if we had increased production, refineries would not step up their production any, so the costs would pretty much stay the same.

This may be heresay Duros, but I had thought that the bottleneck created by not enough refineries was the problem? Are we certain either way whether there’s any truth to the Republican refrain that we haven’t built a new refinery in three decades?

Nope. You see, the oil companies are not at peak production now, so what makes you think if they had more potential production they would be actually producing more than they are now?

It would have been better to spend that time reducing demand by enforcing higher fuel efficiency standards. At least on par with Europe. Hell, doing that right now would help a lot, and immediately.

More long term goal would be alternate fuels. Granted, I’m pissed off Al Gore didn’t do more when he was V.P. to push them through. But hopefully the next president will be more responsible.

To tell the truth, I’m kind of surprised Bush hasn’t released the Strategic Oil Reserve yet. That would be the icing on the cake for this fuck-up administration.

Republicans have blocked every other energy proposal that actually might address the problem.

True then, and still true now.

“Development (of the refuge) would irreversibly damage this natural resource,” said Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., a leader of the filibuster

Huh, would you look at that?

Submitting bills to drill in ANWR only to have Democratics filibuster.

In China.

Hey, here’s an idea, how about a cap-and-trade plan, but don’t make the cap mandatory!

Maybe a twist-off cap?

So calling for a “windfall profits tax” isn’t demagoguing the issue?!?

And you’ve kept up that refrain for the past 5-10 years. You think the world petrolium situation is going to get any better in the meantime?!?