obama gas sign
- Thread starter whiskeydog
- Start date
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzEnKdBAb_o&feature=player_embedded
"No President has the power to raise or lower gas prices." Fox News.
"No President has the power to raise or lower gas prices." Fox News.
whiskeydog
Active member
several months prior to those low prices, if i remember right, prices where up in the high $3's or low $4's under bush and then went down just before obama got elected...it's still a funny sign.
that being said, regardless of fox news opinions, a president can indirectly affect gas prices by keeping oil in the US instead of shipping overseas, allowing refineries to be built so that we can turn our US oil into US diesel/gas, and reducing foreign imports... and investing money in coal/oil/ natural gas infrastructure instead of throwing away billions into solar/wind wouldn't hurt either.
that being said, regardless of fox news opinions, a president can indirectly affect gas prices by keeping oil in the US instead of shipping overseas, allowing refineries to be built so that we can turn our US oil into US diesel/gas, and reducing foreign imports... and investing money in coal/oil/ natural gas infrastructure instead of throwing away billions into solar/wind wouldn't hurt either.
Nope.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/opinion/sunday/the-new-politics-of-energy.html?pagewanted=all
Production is up. New leases might be down, but at 2008, there were tens of thousands of unexplored leases. MT continues to set new record on state leasing, and federal lease sales continue to set new records.
Not sure how it's going in Texas or the Gulf, but the eastern seaboard is being opened up as is the arctic for offshore.
I suppose some just want to hand over public lands to the Oil and Gas Industry (SFW does), but some of us want a balanced approach that includes restrictions and alternative energies.
A thoughtful response.
The president can't keep oil in the U.S.. It's a world market, as much as we'd prefer that all refined oil stay in the U.S. - truth is companies make much more shipping it overseas for retail. If we want to keep it all here, then we go down the road that Chavez in Venezuela did, and Nationalize the Petroleum Industry.
New refineries being built is more of a function of cost/benefit for the companies than regulation. If you have a product that's in lower demand (refined oil) why in the world would you build a new refinery to add product to an already depressed market?
The best thing that Congress, and the President, could do is to regulate the speculators who drive the price at the pump. Put the oil pimps out of business and you get back to a free market dictated by supply and demand. Not inflated prices based on what sheikh farts that day.
I agree that putting a lid on oil speculators would be a positive bit of action. However, most of the new drilling has taken place on private lands--not public. I am NOT for unlimited oil exploration on public land, but let's get the facts straight.
Obama largely shut down the Gulf of Mexico after the BP spill, and there has been little activity off either coast.
Obama also single-handedly blocked the Keystone Pipeline, although it had bipartisan support in several states.
Obama largely shut down the Gulf of Mexico after the BP spill, and there has been little activity off either coast.
Obama also single-handedly blocked the Keystone Pipeline, although it had bipartisan support in several states.
A bunch of farmers and hunters in Nebraska had a good hand in stalling Keystone, which they should have. Nobody seemed to worry about the Oglalla Aquifer when they planned their shortest route.
From the op-ed I posted above:
So we've cut our consumption, and new CAFE standards will continue that trend, while INCREASING DOMESTIC PRODUCTION 25% since 2008.
It doesn't matter where the O&G comes from. It all burns the same. Let private land owners make money and destroy their own land.
whiskeydog
Active member
ok...so that's funny!
the NY times article addresses production...not refinement (it doesn't matter how much you produce if you can't turn it into a viable product). oil is a world market and i understand 100% that it is up to big oil to determine what is imported/exported (with the exception of the national reserve). however, you can't say that building a refinery is cost/benefit vs regulation. capacity has increased at existing refineries, however, to the best of my knowledge, we have not built a new refinery in the US since 1976. it is very difficult to get permitting for a refinery...there is a new, extremely small, diesel refinery that is going to be built next year near Dickinson, ND (20000 BPD?) however several others who have tried building in ND have been denied permitting. Big oil exports oil and we import refined fuel. If oil truly does cost the same regardless of whether it is being purchased in TX or China, then it makes sense that if we had greater refining capacity in the US, oil companies would choose to sell to the closer US refinery for the same price with reduced transport costs. We would then import less fuel and not have to pay import taxes on that fuel.
Yes, no new refineries in a long time, yet production has increased substantially (at existing refineries) to keep up with demand. We're also switching from sweet crude to sour crude which does have higher toxicities than sweet and therefore means more scubbers, etc to limit emissions. Are we advocating for more pollution instead of higher gas mileage? That makes no sense to me.
Norway charges $10.12 per gallon. Including Transportation costs, I think that Big Oil comes out well ahead by shipping refined fuels there instead of keeping them here where it's literally 60% less. Here's a good article that talks about gas prices world wide:
http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2012-08-13/highest-cheapest-gas-prices-by-country.html#slide1
So, O&G companies still make a ton no matter what. Including the over $4 billion in direct subsidies, and $30 some billion in tax looopholes.
jryoung
Well-known member
There's your answer as to why there are no new refineries, same reason manufacturing has largely been shipped to China. Cheaper labor, and increased profitability outside the US.
whiskeydog
Active member
ok...enough about oil and gas...i just thought the station owner had a good sense of humor.
...kind of like this guy running for Nancy Pelosi's seat.
whether you are democrat or republican, hopefully we can all agree that pelosi is about as worthless as a chihuahua on a pheasant hunt!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FEdKqbqCGnc
...kind of like this guy running for Nancy Pelosi's seat.
whether you are democrat or republican, hopefully we can all agree that pelosi is about as worthless as a chihuahua on a pheasant hunt!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FEdKqbqCGnc
sweetnectar
New member
Now that sign is funny.
Put the oil pimps out of business.....well said sir!!
OriginalOscar
Active member
Take a trip across the west and there is exploration under every rock. Utah has more leases now than 4 years ago. You do know what is happening in ND?
Regarding the Gulf Coast it should be shut down til BP is safe. Ask the fisherman, resorts, or anyone tied to tourism how much money they lost during the oil spill.
OriginalOscar
Active member
http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/upload/Final-Report.pdf
Oil & Gas Industry is sitting on millions of acres of leases they are not exploring. Look under those rocks then ask for new rocks.
Oil & Gas Industry is sitting on millions of acres of leases they are not exploring. Look under those rocks then ask for new rocks.
I'd never be a member of any organization that would want me.
It may be shocking, but I've worked with more republicans than democrats. I'm fairly conservative on a lot of issues. Too bad the party isn't any more.
