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Congress recesses in oil-cost stalemate

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Pelosi's Nightmare | 5:25 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is blocking any vote on drilling anywhere in the US or outer Continental shelf. She knows if she allows a vote to happen, she will actually lose a good chunk of her own Democrats....Even Jim Matheson would be hard-pressed to not vote for more drilling. So Pelosi, representing perhaps the most left-wing, liberal district in the nation, continues to play her enviro-wacko fiddle while the rest of us burn. Pelosi and her husband are worth $30 million...running a winery ...probably paying tons of illegal immigrants minimum wage....So $5 a gallon gas is nothing to her. What about the rest of America middle class and poor that she feigns she's so concerned about??? It is a dereliction of duty. She should be tried for treason.
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ST. GEORGE | 5:45 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
Same old GOP propaganda, which deflects the real issue in favor of keeping BIG OIL in power.

Even if BIG OIL could drill, the price would be determined by the World Market, OPEC would cut production.

The only way to secure our FREEDOM AND NATIONAL SECURITY is to end the Oil Based Economy.

The required polices must be enacted NOW.

Mandate 20% of autos be natural gas in 2009, saves 1.8 Million Barrels Per Day)

Legislation mandating 60% of Autos be electric within 10 years (saves 5.4 Million Barrels Per Day)

MagLev Train System for shipping 50% of goods within 10 years (saves 2 Million Barrels per Day)

Stop subsidizing World Wide Price of Oil through the use of the US Military, $8 Billion per month to keep 40% of the World�s Daily Oil used flowing from the Middle East.

Use the $96 Billion war expense money to fund clean renewable energy power plants, in 4 years creating 200,000 megawatts, enough to power 60% of all homes in the USA. Free power, as the cost of the war pays for the construction.

VOTE ONLY FOR THOSE WHO PLEDGE TO END THE OIL BASED ECONOMY.
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ST. GEORGE | 5:46 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
The GOP Energy policy of Drill Now, is a short-term solution at best and will take half to a whole decade to have an effect. It is a policy that only helps BIG OIL.

Converting the 60% of autos to electric would offset all the Government Estimates for offshore and ANWR by double. Our money would be spent creating a new future with American Technology, American Jobs, American Exports.

Do your research and stop believing the GOP propaganda from BIG OIL Concerns.

Plus by ending the oil based economy we can save $700 Billion dollars used to import oil, money that would stay in our economy!

Time for all REPUBLICANS to WAKE UP TO WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE GOP!
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Southern Utah Republican | 5:54 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
Matheson has the right idea --- Comprehensive everything on the table at once.

This way Republicans can offer Environmentalist that for every acre of Government land needed for renewable energy power plants, transmission line easements, MagLev Train rights of way, etc. the Environmentalist can set aside a permanent no disturb acre, say in ANWR, habitat sensitive, whatever�where ever, an acre for an acre.

Next Republicans need to press for ending our dependence on all oil, both foreign and domestic, then our Nation will be Secure and Free, as will the World.

Once the GOP stops pandering to BIG OIL, everything will fall in line.

Have been Republican since I was 18, and voted for Reagan with first vote. GOP has been hi-jacked and destroyed, time for a REVOLUTION.

AN AMERICAN ENERGY REVOLUTION
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End Oil Dependence | 6:41 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
WAKE UP AMERICA ---- even oil executives understand our situation �Shell Oil Company president John Hofmeister, said that the energy supply outlook was "sobering" and that the U.S. needed to tackle the energy quandary with programs akin to the Manhattan Project, or Apollo moon launch.�
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Enough | 6:53 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
I've had it with Matheson towing the Democratic party line. He is supposed to represent the people of Utah. We want something done about the cost of fuel and he does nothing. Time to get rid of him.
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Anonymous | 6:52 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
America is in crisis. Years ago Congress set a policy that forbid us to explore for new sources of energy, increase production and distribute energy with new technology.

Friday America wanted Congress to debate the issue, take the artificial restrictions and barriers off the books. Instead they adjourned for a vacation. We pay while they play, much like Nero fiddling around while Rome burned.

What about the Utah delegation? Our own representative Jim Matheson was the swing vote that allowed the House to cut and run.
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Really | 7:24 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
When Utah pays higher gas prices than 45 other states our politicians should be yelled at.
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schreinervideo | 8:03 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
There IS a silver bullet. It's called driving less.
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wrz | 8:27 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
Democrats would not allow that, saying it would do little to lower gas prices now and might hurt the environment. They instead pushed mostly to attack speculation in oil markets..."

Good heavens! These turkeys have to know that the way to attack speculation is to drill... we have seen by Bush's action that even the announcement to drill will send the price of oil and gas crassion.

For this reason alone the culprits, Nancy Peloci and Hairy Reid, should be kicked out of office next election. These people are obviously ignoring the will of the people.
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Anonymous | 8:53 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
These guys are all such incredible losers.
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Ka-Ching | 9:37 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
"Big Oil has biggest quarter ever Major firms report combined profits of more than $50B"

And it seems they are spending their windfall wisely .. buying Republicans. You do realize that oil drilled in the US isn't automatically ours right? We don't get first dibs .. it goes into the world market. You are being manipulated.
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obtuse | 9:52 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
I'll wager that the same people that yelled at their elected officials over high gasoline prices drove to the parade in an SUV or Truck.

It's always someone else's fault.
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Ka-Ching | 10:01 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
Search:
As Oil Firms Seek Drilling Access, Exports Set Record

While the U.S. oil industry wants access to more federal lands to help reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, U.S.-based companies are shipping record amounts of gasoline and diesel fuel to other countries.
A record 1.6 million barrels a day in U.S. refined petroleum products were exported during the first four months of this year, up 33 percent from 1.2 million barrels a day over the same period in 2007. Shipments this February topped 1.8 million barrels a day for the first time during any month, according to final numbers from the Energy Department.

EDUCATED YOURSELVES
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RC | 10:18 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
The price of gas and oil need to come down. Make no mistake we'll die as a country if it doesn't. No one solution is the answer but a package of solutions are. Convert 25% of US cars to natural gas over the next 3 years, with the necessary natural gas filling stations AND require more wind farms. Drill off shore for oil AND raise vehicle gas milage (CAFE) standards a mile a gallon. Open up a small portion of ANWAR to drilling (say 50,000 acres) AND add and equivilent amount of land to the wilderness system. Put in nuclear power planta BUT reqire that they use recycling technology (like France does) in order to reuse 80% of spent nuclear fuel. Put windfall profit taxes on "big oil" BUT let them escape those taxes if they put thier money into exploration, renewable energy, building more refineries and add more gas supplies to US consumers. This way everyone gets something out of the deal and Americans get relief from bankrupting energy prices.
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Joe to St. George | 10:27 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
Could you step back from your soap box for a couple of minutes and answer a few questions:

1. Currently you can purchase one natural gas vehicle, the Honda Civic. It is the only one available. And it costs thousands more than the gasoline version or even the hybrid Civic. That being said, natural gas refueling stations, particularly in Salt Lake, have difficulty keeping up with the demand (low delivery pressure) resulting in cars being only partially fueled. Utah has the second most numerous supply of natural gas refueling stations in the nation. How, pray tell, could our infrastructure possibly keep up with a mandated 2009 deadline?

2. Are you suggesting 20% of new car sales be natural gas in 2009 in Utah or across the nation? There are a lot of places that don't have natural gas refueling.

3. The 1.8 million barrels per day savings only occurs after a sizable portion of the US automotive fleet is replaced. How many years until we reach your goal of 20% replacement overall, and what do we do in the meantime with all the cars that currently use gasoline?
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Stewart | 10:37 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
Matheson votes with Polosi and the democrats in not supporting oil shale production. That of course in spite of the fact that there are huge reserves in the Utah Uinta Basin which is in Matheson's congressional district. I wonder if the voters in Vernal and Roosevelt are supporting him this year?
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Joe to St George- cont | 10:39 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
4. You wish to mandate 60% of autos be electric within 10 years. Have you noticed that there are currently virtually no electric autos available for purchase?

5. Electric autos are based upon either lead-acid batteries (that need to be replaced about every 3 years) or possibly lithium-ion batteries (that lose half their capacity two years after manufacture). The fundamental problem is that the electric grid is unable to supply the current demand for electricity, let alone the additional demand of 60% of all vehicles. How would you address that issue, particularly when they want to run new lines through your neighborhood and build a substation just down the street from your house? Are you OK with that?

6. Power plants cost roughly $2000 per kilowatt capacity (with solar and wind being more). Your call for 200,000 megawatts of new capacity (needed for all those electric cars) will require an investment of around $400 billion dollars, so it is going to take over 4 years worth of that war money to build the power supply. Out of that total demand, how much nuclear power are you willing to accept? (or are you happy with 150,000 wind turbines)?

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bound and determined... | 10:45 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
to enslave us all to big, international Government. What has gone wrong with the Democrat party? They used to be a respectable political party. Now they're like the party of Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and Vladimir Lenin. Tax big oil? Even more? But no offshore drilling? I'm so tired of this nonsense ...Nancy Pelosi should be in jail right now.... Andrew Jackson would have locked her in the Capitol until they at least voted on whether to lift the ban on offshore drilling
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Joe-to St George-the end | 10:53 a.m. Aug. 2, 2008
Now, here is the surprising part. I don't disagree with your intended goal of moving us away from oil. My point is simply that you cannot mandate the solutions. We mandated ethanol in gasoline. It created a windfall for corn suppliers, but at the expanse of raising food prices worldwide. Mandates do not create the technology for maglev trains, etc. The government sponsored the development of hybrid cars with the big three automakers. When the subsidies stopped, they stopped development.

Toyota, on the other hand, fearing that the big three would develop this technology, invested their own money, time, and resources to develop their own hybrid technology. The result: Toyota developed a hybrid car that could compete in the marketplace, based upon its own merits.

Would the American public purchase an all-electric vehicle today with no government subsidies if the vehicle presented a viable solution to their transportation needs. Of course!!!

It is time to put behind us the anger and name calling. We have 2 trillion barrels of oil in oil shale in Utah, but congress won't let it be developed. We can drill for more oil, easing the transition to economically viable alternatives.

Don't limit our options.
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No. Utah sees a major earthquake every 350 years. Last one? 350 years ago.