Free Republic

JANUARY 26, 2012 Newt Beats Mitt on Energy Gingrich has revolutionary ideas, while Mitt enlists Bush-era bureaucrats. By Robert Zubrin In the race for the Republican nomination, instead of focusing on where the front-runners differ on policy, most of the commentary has focused on their contrasting personalities, putative past malfeasances, campaign gaffes, debate performances, and other atmospherics. This is unfortunate, because in the critical area of energy policy, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are as different as night and day. Newt Gingrich has been advancing the cause of American energy independence for years. In 2008, for example, he published a...

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Export-Import Bank, an independent agency of the federal government, is now planning a $2.84-billion loan for a massive project to expand and upgrade an oil refinery--in Cartagena, Colombia. The money would go to Reficar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ecopetrol, the Colombian national oil company. “This is part of a $5.18 billion refinery and upgrade project in Cartagena, Colombia supplying petroleum products to the domestic and export markets,” the Export-Import Bank said in a statement. The U.S. government-controlled bank says the $2.84-billion in financing it plans to undertake will be the second largest project it has...

[. . . ] "The administration has at least 40 exploration plans and 40 development plans that have not been acted upon," Milito adds. . . . "In addition, this may be the first year since 1964 where we will not have a lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico," Milito continues. "A recently announced supplemental environmental-impact report for the Gulf may not be ready until 2012. Holding these lease sales is critical to our economic and energy security because they provide the opportunity for long-term investments in American jobs and energy sources." Short-term delays can cause long-term stasis. A...

The uncertain situation in the Middle East could send world oil prices to $200 or $300 a barrel even as the Obama Administration fails to promote domestic energy development, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) warned today. Gov. Perry spoke to bloggers at a briefing in Washington, D.C., this morning. (Present were Rob Bluey of the Heritage Foundation, Jen Rubin of The Washington Post, and your Shopfloor.org correspondent.) The governor, who is chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is in town for the winter meeting of the National Governors Association. In light of oil crossing the $100 a barrel price this week,...

With oil prices rising sharply on the back of the crisis in Libya, the head of the International Energy Agency has warned crude prices hitting $100 a barrel could be bad news for economic growth. "That is our concern, regardless of the margins of disruption, if the $100 per barrel of oil is continued in 2011, the burden of oil to the global economy is as bad as 2008," Nobuo Tanaka, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency told CNBC on the sidelines of a major oil conference in Riyadh. Nubuo's comments come amid escalating violence and protests in...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Drivers who have filled up their car lately have probably experienced sticker shock at the pump. Gas prices keep going up. "It's just getting higher and higher," said Nashville driver Robert Reynolds. "It's getting outrageous." "It's ridiculous we have to pay this much for gas," said Tracy Nolan, another driver. People pulling up to the pump this week are likely to be paying 4 cents more for gas compared to last week. The average price for a gallon of unleaded in Nashville is $3.04 cents. Economists are predicting a surge in gas prices because of instability in...

Dear Friend: This week I introduced the West Coast Ocean Protection Act, a bill to permanently prohibit new offshore drilling along the Pacific coast

NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal uses a new book to portray President Barack Obama as disconnected from the Gulf oil spill, charging that he was more focused on the political aftermath than the actual impact of the crisis.

<p>WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A beverage company has asked a team to drill through Antarctica's ice for a lost cache of some vintage Scotch whiskey that has been on the rocks since a century ago.</p> <p>The drillers will be trying to reach two crates of McKinlay and Co. whiskey that were shipped to the Antarctic by British polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton as part of his abandoned 1909 expedition.</p>

In 1960, a handful of resource-rich Third World nations, tired of being shoved around by the giant oil companies, met in Baghdad to discuss their mutual problems. Attending were Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Venezuela. They decided to form a group they named the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries -- "OPEC." At the time, the idea that a handful of poor countries could stand up to the "Seven Sisters" (Esso, Mobil, Shell, Gulf, BP, Chevron and Texaco) -- let alone their patrons, the United States and Europe -- seemed like a fantasy. Certainly oil lay within their borders but...

You read that headline correctly. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is financing oil exploration off Brazil. The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil's Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan. The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a "preliminary commitment" letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has discussed with Brazil...

Sacramento is so desperate to erase the state budget's $26.3 billion shortfall that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democratic Legislature seem poised to end decades of prohibition so that they can tap new revenue from a widely occurring natural resource - one dear to many Californians and known for its unmistakable aroma. That's right, Sacramento is considering a budget that would raise as much as $1.8 billion in royalties over 14 years by allowing new offshore oil drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara. As of my deadline, the outcome is uncertain. The Governator points out that the Tranquillon Ridge...

So Democrats decided to allow the quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire? That’s not the same as lifting the ban. Moreover, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md) is on record saying that, if the Democrats retain control of Congress, restoring the ban “will be a top priority for discussion next year.” So much for so-called “energy independence.” When Democrats say that, they are talking about wind and solar power, and biofuels, not oil, natural gas, and coal. I cringe every time I hear the Democrats attack “Big Oil” because, as Michael J....

Officials are considering a proposal to explore for natural gas beneath land at Fort Wayne [Indiana] International Airport. Fort Wayne-based geologist Chuck Knox approached officials with the Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority several months ago about searching for natural gas and possibly oil, Executive Director Tory Richardson said Friday.

Financial Crisis Is A Winner For Republicans; Here’s How I Got There The current financial meltdown has caused the Fed to step in and take over certain aspects of the economy best left in private hands. There is a mantra being repeated which claims every household is now on the hook for tens of thousands new debt else the debt will be heaved upon our grandchildren to pay it. That is absurd since the debt is in the form of loans which will be resolved and the floundering assets sold once fiscally sound again. But fiscal fallacies are not the...

Aaron Tippin has a new song and Newt is pushing for a pile of downloads. Here's the link for a preview of the song, and the lyrics go a little sumpin like this.

 THANK YOU REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN!JOB WELL DONE!WE, THE AMERICAN, PEOPLE THANK YOU!FIVE FULL WEEKS! STORM DC with your CALLS FOLKS!Hit the Dems- THIS IS JOB ONE!-- GET TO IT SLACKERS!THANK OUR GOP HOUSE FOLKS FOR STAYING AND FIGHTING THE FIGHT!For Anyone Who has Not Met Congressman Broun from GAYOU WILL LOVE HIM!! Click HERE and Learn About HisFOUR WAY TEST! Please continue prayers for Jim Robinson and TrueblackmanPalin Video on Drilling!Randy Evans LIVE from RNC talks Palin and Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less!!Randy wants to get you the answers! Freepmail me if you would like Randy to talk to anyone as...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for Jim Robinson and TrueblackmanPalin Video on Drilling!Randy Evans LIVE from RNC talks Palin and Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less!!Randy wants to get you the answers! Freepmail me if you would like Randy to talk to anyone as the Conventionfor information or any quesitons you may have. He will be joining us LIVE all week.Poll: 74% Support Drilling CONGRESSMAN MIKE PENCE Joins Bill Collier of DontGo on BTR!Today, Tuesday, August 26th at 4:30 pm EDT!DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!  Brokaw, Pelosi and Pickens"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for Jim Robinson and TrueblackmanRandy Evans LIVE from RNC talks Palin and Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less!!Randy wants to get you the answers! Freepmail me if you would like Randy to talk to anyone as the Conventionfor information or any quesitons you may have. He will be joining us LIVE all week.Poll: 74% Support Drilling CONGRESSMAN MIKE PENCE Joins Bill Collier of DontGo on BTR!Today, Tuesday, August 26th at 4:30 pm EDT!DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!  Brokaw, Pelosi and Pickens"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT SO FAST!"  DON'T STOP...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for TrueblackmanPoll: 74% Support Drilling CONGRESSMAN MIKE PENCE Joins Bill Collier of DontGo on BTR!Today, Tuesday, August 26th at 4:30 pm EDT!DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!  Brokaw, Pelosi and Pickens"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT SO FAST!"  DON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply...