Reader comments
Dems try to spur oil drills on available land in Alaska, the West, Gulf of Mexico

Sounds Good | 9:30 a.m. July 17, 2008

The oil industry is already sitting on millions of acres of land that they're not drilling because they want to keep the cost of oil high. This democrat idea of forcing them to drill on land they already have leases on is a good one and will keep our coasts clean for a little while longer.

I am tired of Dem's | 10:50 a.m. July 17, 2008

So those #%@$#!*^%$#%@% no good House Democrats are pushing legislation they say would spur drilling on already available lands in Alaska, the West and the western Gulf of Mexico are they?, stealing the idea off of the Republican's, that wanted this long ago. I guess those liberal's wanna get re-elected this year, in their "do nothing old stale seats", that their use sitting in and getten paid for it to. I am tired of their crap. I am tired of their stalling. I am tired of their lies. I am tired of them period. Get rid of them all in 2008.

Basinboy56 | 11:25 a.m. July 17, 2008

To "Sounds Good": You and Congressional Democrats apparently don't know much about the oil industry. If those leased lands actually contained economically marketable amounts of oil, the drilling would have started long ago. Often, leases will be purchased and then 3D seismic tests reveal that the lease is not feasible to develop. If we are ever going to meet demand and lower the price for fuel, we need to open up more areas where it is economically feasible to drill, such as ANWR, Continental Shelf, etc... In the meantime, lets continue to work on bringing alternatives to market so we can gradually wean ourselves from oil!

Comments continue below

Lame Brained | 11:27 a.m. July 17, 2008

U.S. oil companies won't drill on land they have leases on because...

they would rather see OPEC countries producing and selling the lion's share of high-priced oil.

So the Democratics want to force U.S. oil companies to produce more oil...

so they will make more money...

as long as there's oil under "the available land."

Cosmo | 11:38 a.m. July 17, 2008

Much of the so called leases, have very little oil in them or are tapped out. The comment that the oil
companies do not want to drill,so prices stay high is not logical. We import 65 percent of our oil from
outside sources, and those prices are set by those nations, from wich we buy. We already have people losing their homes because of massive government corruption at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are we going to sit on our hands, and watch as our jobs,
homes etc. along with our childrens future are destroyed because of a bunch of Marxists Traitors?

Novel Idea | 12:18 p.m. July 17, 2008

The federal government or states should set up their own oil wells to compete with industry. They could sell the oil at market prices which would bring the price down by increasing supply, then use the profits to finance education and health care. We don't need to nationalize the industry like Venezuela did, but we can still learn from their success. The oil under this country belongs the everyone, not just the greedy oil companies, so why not put it to use financing our government and lowering our taxes. The gov't doesn't need to refine it and sell gasoline; just produce the oil and sell it to others.

Dr Don | 2:08 p.m. July 17, 2008

"The federal government or states should set up their own oil wells to compete with industry. They could sell the oil at market prices which would bring the price down by increasing supply"

Until OPEC reduces their production to compensate for the increased supply.

do nothing dems | 2:16 p.m. July 17, 2008

The leased lands are dry. There is no smoke screen here. Oil companies know where the oil is at, that's there job. Dems need to stop with their paronia against the oil companies. I'm tired of it now. I didn't pay attention until my income is being sucked dry by food bills, gas, service, etc. Dems the party is over, you hands off policies are failures. Trust american know how. We all want clean land and environments and we have the technology to do it. Stop wanting to live in the stone age.

RLP | 2:32 p.m. July 17, 2008

The democrats are trying to set up a smoke screen so the American voters can't see the truth. We see it loud and clear. They need to be voted out of congress so we can get on with the business of this country. Let them find another job that will require them to work for a living. Stupid is as stupid does. I am tired of paying $4. a gal. for gas when I have to live on $747/month. They probable travel at tax payer expence, and would not know hardship if it were staring them in the face. I will vote them out of Washington in November.

Lilhool | 3:38 p.m. July 17, 2008

Don't run your mouth if you have no intention of doing something about it. The dem's have done a great job over the past 20 years of choking this countries businesses to death. Vote them out and send the message where it matters.

join me... | 4:00 p.m. July 17, 2008

The American chant has started, "Vote Dem out! Vote Dem out! Vote Dem out!"

Here's the full truth | 5:00 p.m. July 17, 2008

Democrats have exactly what they want. They have been touting all this BS about conservation. They have been hoping for higher prices for a long time, to try to affect people's behavior. They don't like the way people behave with affordable gasoline, they don't like it. They want to control people's behavior as much as possible. The dirty little secret is they like you being unhappy with the gas price, they like you being on edge, they like you being ready to blow your top every time you pull in there to the gas station to fill up. They want you mad. They want you blaming it on Bush. They want you blaming it on the Republicans. They want you suffering. They want you in the frame of mind that you're in. That's why Pelosi's out calling the drilling a distraction, it's a hoax, it ain't going to happen for ten years. It's not even ten years. She's not irrelevant because she's Speaker of the House.

Dem's "smoke-screen" ?! | 5:01 p.m. July 17, 2008

Oh! Of course you want to drill! How did I miss that? Of course Pelosi wants to drill, and "two oilmen in the White House for eight long years as the gas price goes up 300%"? We didn't see gas prices go up for six long years, Senator Boxer, we saw gas prices skyrocket when your bud, Pelosi, took over the House of Representatives. I mean, them's the facts, ma'am. Here's Mitch McConnell. He was on Fox & Friends this morning. The question: "Senator, Nancy Pelosi was talking about the Strategic Petroleum Reserve yesterday, releasing ten percent would barely affect the price of gas. The approval rate you mentioned of Congress 18%, so how long can they afford to sit and not approve drilling and not reverse that ban?" MCCONNELL: That silly proposal to open up 10% of the SPRO, strategic reserve, that's about three and a half days worth of oil.

Smoke up where, sir? | 6:58 p.m. July 17, 2008

Run, oil verses the exchange rate and you will see the problem. Come on: you really buy in to that nonsense about the democrats controlling congress? It takes sixty votes to over ride a republican filibuster and six-six votes to over ride a veto. How, in the view of cold number can you honestly tell us you believe that garage spread by the same votes that Bush was the best thing since tubeless tires?

Itï¿½s the economy caused by conservatives believing war if a entitlement program that doesnï¿½t need to be paid for and the sub prime loans that got out of control that we are all paying for today. Itï¿½s conservative, child minded, believing that money trickles down from trees that have run our national debt to obscene heights.

Congress has an 18% approval rating. The only possible causation is hate of democrats. We had a democrat elected in Mississippi in a district Bush once carried by 18%. Look at the money going to Obama verse McCain. You should take a course in statistics.

Smoke Up | 7:13 p.m. July 17, 2008

No Congres approval rating in 9%. First time in the history of congress. Vote Dem out!!!!!

whoops | 10:38 p.m. July 17, 2008

To novel idea: Just as a point of information, the US government makes more off of each barrel of US oil, than the oil companies do. So, with your novel approach we could actually see revenues to government go down. BTW, Venezuelan discovery of new oil is down after the nationalization, they are living off of the venture capital and infrastructure established by our free enterprise. Ever hear a thank you?

mert22 | 11:23 a.m. Aug. 8, 2008

The Republicans have been charge for 8 looonnng years and the Dems are at fault/ Gimme a break!

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