Energy Today - April 7, 2011
Rayola Dougher
Posted April 7, 2011
Bearing Drift: America Needs American Energy: With such ample resources within arm's reach, one would think that our leaders would line up in support of the thoughtful utilization of our nation's abundance resources by exploring innovative ways to leverage America's vast and diverse energy supplies. Unfortunately, this reality could not be further from the truth. Instead the federal government has been restricting access to our domestic energy supply in the Outer Continental Shelf and holding up viable permits to its leaseholders to drill in areas offshore that have already been leased for that purpose. Meanwhile, Cuba has been selling offshore leases to foreign nations and companies so that they may one day drill in the very Gulf that the Administration has restricted here at home. To all of us concerned about protecting our environment, our hands will be tied to regulate and ensure environmentally sound practices when non-U.S. companies slant-drill and siphon away America's resources. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Series of Votes Show Desire to Curb EPA Power to Regulate: Though they failed to pass anything, a series of Senate votes Wednesday were the most visible sign yet of a bipartisan desire to curb the power of the Environmental Protection Agency. A bill to block the agency from regulating greenhouse gases came to a 50-50 tie, short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, though the EPA's critics pointed to votes on three other measures to limit its authority regarding carbon emissions. In all, 64 senators voted on at least one proposal to stymie the agency. Among the 17 Senate Democrats who supported one of the proposals to restrict the EPA was Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. He chose to back an effort by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., that would delay the EPA from implementing greenhouse gas regulations for two years. In a statement, Mr. Casey cast the vote as a happy medium to protect jobs and clean air.
Reuters: Obama 2012 Team Fears Voter Backlash on Gas Prices: White House officials are increasingly worried that rising gasoline prices, and disruptions to the global oil supply, threaten not only the fragile U.S. economic recovery but the re-election prospects of President Barack Obama. White House aides are particularly concerned that if gas prices surpass a national average of $4 a gallon -- and if oil passes $125 a barrel -- the economic and political fallout could dominate next year's presidential campaign and drown out Obama's message of economic recovery.
Additional Resources:
The Foundry: We Need a Permanent Fix to the EPA's CO2 Regulations