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WASHINGTON — The political vision of a summer gas tax holiday died a quick death in Congress, losing to a view that federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel — far from dropping — will have to go up if they go anywhere

Next time you step on a glob of tar on a beach in Santa Barbara County, you can thank the oil companies that it isn't a bigger glob.

NOTWITHSTANDING a shift by big business to become more socially responsible, Big Oil prides itself in being an island of bullheadedness and smugness. In a capitalist system, rewards of success go to shareholders. But Big Oil has virtually ignored an equally important constituency - the citizens of the United States - who have granted Big Oil the right to extract the nation's most strategic natural resources. In return, they expect them to act as responsible fiduciaries. ... Read the rest of this drivel at the link...

WASHINGTON -- On the issue of gasoline prices, Republicans think they have a winner in their call for new drilling and Democrats are playing defense. Democrats need -- this is a technical term -- a lot more oomph. Al Gore wants to help them. In a speech here on Thursday and in an interview, Gore played his usual role as unpaid party visionary by arguing that we can ease the climate crisis, the economic crisis and the crisis of dependence on foreign energy all at once. "We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn...

Electrical-energy-storage unit (EESU) utilizing ceramic and integrated-circuit technologies for replacement of electrochemical batteries IS THIS A HOAX? IS THIS FOR REAL?

John McCain couldn’t convince Congress to adopt his gas-tax holiday, but Congress does plan on making some changes to the rate. Unfortunately, the change will go in the opposite direction, if Democrats get their wish. With Americans driving less, the highway fund faces even more severe shortfalls than expected from lost gas-tax revenue — and so the Democrats plan to hike it up by ten cents a gallon.

Old Glory Radio's children programming host, Uncle Abdul, along with ever present companion…The “Little Shiek”, (Uncle Abdul’s Madrassa) protested on the city streets of Eureka Ca in front of the Humboldt County Courthouse today.

Gore compares offshore drilling to invasion of Iraq In a surprise appearance at Netroots Nation — which apparently was the worst-kept secret in Austin, Texas — former Vice President Al Gore followed up a speech by Nancy Pelosi by laying out a narrative on climate change and the energy crisis that seems ready-made for the Obama campaign to download. “If you look at the seriousness of the climate crisis, you see how it ties to the economic crisis and the national security threat that we face,” he said. “200 billion dollars are being sent overseas just from oil.” “The idea...

The world of biofuels has been turned on its ears in the past twelve months, as environmentalists finally realized policies they supported to reduce use of petroleum had literally created a subsidized global market for biofuel - leading to massive new rounds of rainforest destruction to grow, for example, oil palms. Suddenly biofuels is not being described as the answer to everything. Yet through all this there has always been the promise of sustainable biofuel - a crop that stablizes soil, serves as a windbreak, and grows in arid land where nothing else will survive. A fuel crop that not...

With oil prices hitting record highs, the question arises: Why aren't we drilling for more oil? It seems simple. And yet, a Democrat-led Congress still opposes opening any new lands to drilling. "We can't drill our way out of our problems" is a common mantra. Polls show most Americans favoring opening federal lands and offshore areas to energy production. As it stands, 97% of our offshore areas and 94% of our federal lands are off limits. President Bush raised the likelihood that that could change with his lifting of the federal moratorium on offshore drilling. But he's been opposed by...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Car maker Ford Motor Co (F.N) is drawing up plans to retool American plants to make small, fuel-efficient passenger cars that it mainly makes and sells in Europe, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

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Congressional Democrats want the United States to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help bring down oil prices, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said Saturday. Murray said during the Democrats' weekly radio address that with gasoline prices reaching new highs, it is time to use the emergency reserves and urge oil companies to drill on leased federal lands. We believe it's time for the oil companies to use that land and to make sure that it stays in America instead of shipping it to the highest bidder overseas, Murray said. Democrats also think it is time to tap into the...

Link only. Gas tax holiday talk dies; Congress eyes increase instead

Congress must confront offshore-drilling banThe yearly renewal process means vote will be hard to avoid Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:02 PM By Jack Torry THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH WASHINGTON — With the issues of oil exploration and high gasoline prices heating up in an election year, the House and Senate likely will be forced to vote on whether to continue a ban on oil exploration off U.S. coasts. Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., have blocked Republican efforts to end the 27-year moratorium on offshore drilling, few people realize that Congress is required to...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryJuly 19, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This is a challenging time for families across our nation. I know many families are worried about rising prices at the pump and declining home values. So this week my Administration took steps to help address both these challenges. To help address the pressure on gasoline prices, my Administration took action to clear the way for environmentally responsible offshore exploration of key parts of the Outer Continental Shelf, or OCS. Experts believe that these areas of the OCS could...

WASHINGTON — A plan to lift the ban on coastal drilling is stalled on Capitol Hill, for one simple reason: A Californian who opposes President Bush's proposal is calling the shots in the House of Representatives. Despite growing public support for ending the ban, even in California, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she won't allow a vote. "I have no plans to do so," Pelosi said Thursday. It's an example of the vast power placed in the office of the speaker, who sets the agenda for the 435-member House. Members can force a vote if enough of them sign...

HOPE — When it comes to energy problems, it’s not just crude-oil prices that have Americans worried these days. A projected decline in natural gas supplies — driven by its increased use for power generation in place of rejected coal-fired plants and coupled with proposed climate-change laws — threatens to send electricity prices skyward within a decade, according to an April report by the Energy Department. In turn, the resulting lack of coal plant construction and time it would take to build nuclear-fueled units could culminate in a national power shortage by 2030 where brownouts and blackouts are part of...

Price of gas got you crying at the pump? Is it eating into your household budget? Well, get used to it. That's the word on the streets as the price of a gallon of gasoline soars to record highs. With regional differentials pushing the price much higher in some places, drivers and small-business owners are finding it hard to cope. But which states' motorists get the best deal, and in which states do drivers pay the most to fill-up? Here come the numbers Alaska has the highest gas prices in the nation, with a gallon of regular gasoline at $4.623,...

Drivers could see gasoline prices below $4 by Labor Day, and even a nickel decline within days, after oil prices fell again Friday. In the last four days, oil prices have dropped more than $16 a barrel, as the market looked optimistically at calm weather, U.S.-Iran negotiations, failing bank rescues and lower demand for gasoline. Light, sweet crude for August delivery fell 41 cents Friday to settle at $128.88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. A week before, it hit its trading record of more than $147. "Perhaps by Labor Day we could see gasoline prices back below...

In his speech in Constitution Hall this week, former Vice President and renewable energy investor Al Gore extolled a stretch goal challenging America to achieve 100% renewable power within 10 years. The quote: "Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years." And my favorite part: "When President John F. Kennedy challenged our nation to land a man on the moon and bring him back safely in 10 years, many people doubted we could accomplish that goal. But 8 years and 2 months later,...

Despite the pessimistic headlines on energy, a beneficial long-term trend is underway called decarbonization. In his 2005 book, The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century, writer James Howard Kunstler declared that when peak oil hits, “We will have to downscale every activity of everyday life, from farming, to schooling, to retail trade….Epidemic disease and faltering agriculture will synergize with energy scarcities to send nations reeling.” Nobel Prize winner Al Gore has said that global warming will likely result in “a string of terrible catastrophes.” And in his Academy Award–winning movie, “An Inconvenient Truth,” he implies that...

Shortly after I became a daily visitor to the internet, I discovered Steven Den Beste.  To this day, I stand in awe of his intelligence.  Steven was one of the most widely read writers, at that time, blogging prolifically on science, politics, warfare, engineering and anything else that crossed his mind.  A phenomenally analytic and literate mind possessing the ability to reduce the complex to the simple and expose the complexities of apparently simple subjects. Den Beste impressed a wide variety of people and drew enormous attention to his website, USS Clueless.  As one would expect, he also drew the ire and contempt...

Former Vice President Al Gore urged Congress not to overturn a federal ban on offshore drilling and complained that lawmakers are "being stampeded by lobbyists for special interests" eager to lift the moratorium. In a speech and interview, Mr. Gore called for moving the U.S. toward "zero-carbon" electricity over a decade, and reiterated his support for a carbon tax accompanied by a "sharp reduction" in payroll taxes. "We have to switch from carbon-intensive fuels to renewable energy," Mr. Gore said. Although some recent opinion polls have found evidence of a shift in public opinion toward favoring more domestic drilling as...

The House for a second time defeated a Democratic bill to require energy companies to explore their existing oil and gas leases or lose them. The “use-it-or-lose-it” bill (HR 6515) was the Democratic leadership’s response to a drumbeat of Republican calls for legislation to open up new public lands and offshore areas to oil and gas drilling. It was a retread of a measure (HR 6251) that Democrats rushed to the floor ahead of the July 4 recess under suspension of the rules, an expedited procedure requiring a two-thirds vote for passage. The 223-195 vote on that bill June 26...

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Consumers who use heating oil to warm their homes will face higher prices this winter. Although some people are working on ways to deal with the problem, it threatens to impoverish even middle-class American families.About 8.1 of the 107 million households in the United States rely on heating oil as their main heating fuel, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. Heating oil prices used to be cheap, but now are around $5 per gallon and expected to go higher. That means that households could face home heating costs of thousands of dollars for the cold...

Energy: A day after House Democrats pretend to be in favor of drilling, Sen. Diane Feinstein calls offshore drilling a "distraction." Mark Sept. 30 on your calendar. It's the day Democrats have to put up or shut up.When President Bush lifted the executive order banning exploration and drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf, two things happened almost immediately: The world price for oil started to drop and the Democrats panicked. They could no longer hide under the umbrella the order provided. On Sept. 30, when the Interior Department's 2008 appropriations expire, the Democrats will have to reauthorize the congressional ban...

"The eyes of the world are now on the Volt," McCain said at a meeting... McCain: Electric car 'vital' to oil independence (AP) At GM plant, McCain calls for an electric vehicle tax credit Los Angeles Times, CA - 4 hours ago Trying to inject hope into a struggling auto industry, he says a $5000 credit should be given to consumers who buy cars like the Chevy Volt, now a prototype ... McCain Talks with GM workers Washington Post, United States - 2 hours ago By Juliet Eilperin WARREN, Mich.--Speaking to a group of General Motors Corp. employees, Sen. John...

Apparently complacent about criticism from the Tennessee Center for Policy Research that his family's energy use at his Nashville home is more than 19 times greater than the average American household's, Al Gore has committed conspicious energy consumption once again. In Washington D.C. Thursday to deliver yet another speech warning Americans about global warming caused, Gore believes, by excessive use of fossil fuels, Gore handed yet more evidence to critics who believe he's a hypocrite. He did so by traveling to his speech in what almost certainly was an unnecessary entourage of three luxury gas-guzzling vehicles -- two Lincoln Town...

Congress: Unwilling to allow any expansion of drilling in American territory, Democrats are instead focused on changing American lifestyles. It's consistent with the goals of the party that wants to run everyone's lives. Sponsored in the House by Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer and co-sponsored by four other Democrats and one Republican,Connecticut's Chris Shays, the Transportation and Housing Options for Gas Price Relief Act of 2008 is, like much of the nonsense dreamed up in Washington, misnamed. It should be called the Central Planning and Potomac Manipulation Act of 2008. Rather than dealing with the supply side by increasing domestic production...

WASHINGTON - In May 1998, at the urging of the state's coal industry, the Illinois Legislature passed a bill condemning the Kyoto global warming treaty and forbidding state efforts to regulate greenhouse gases. Barack Obama voted "aye." The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee now calls climate change "one of the greatest moral challenges of our generation," and proposes cutting carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. But as a state senator, from 1997 to 2004, he usually supported bills sought by coal interests, according to legislative records and interviews.

TEHRAN (FNA) - Iran's Air Force chief announced that the Islamic Republic has successfully launched the production line of radar-evading "stealth" fighter jets. Brigadier General Ahmad Mighani was quoted by press tv as saying Tuesday that the new jets would significantly enhance the Air Force's combat and defensive capabilities. Iran has recently started manufacturing superior "Quick Reaction" tanks to increase its defense self-sufficiency. Iran has also developed an electro-optical surveillance system that acts as a viable alternative when radars fail to cover a particular range. "We have upgraded our air force fleet, radar-systems, and missile systems over the past few...

Plenty of evidence has existed before, but now the conclusion is inescapable: the Democrats cannot understand the most basic law of economics, the law of supply and demand. Faced with spiraling fuel costs and a demand to act, the Democrat-controlled Congress cannot or will not act. Nancy Pelosi claims the idea to drill in protected coastal areas is a “hoax” and is “echoing the demands of big oil.” Ms. Pelosi, whose husband’s company has received millions of dollars worth of government contracts directly as a result of her efforts, states a plan to release the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to consumers,...

SANTA BARBARA: THE HORROR, THE HORROR! Published July 18th, 2008 “Santa Barbara is sometimes referred to as the American Riviera. Her beautiful beaches, majestic mountains and colorful culture make Santa Barbara a premier resort destination.” (Quoted from the City of Santa Barbara home page: http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/Visitor/) Do note that the first feature mentioned is the town’s “beautiful beaches.” Not mentioned is the fact that some of the most expensive real estate on the planet is located in and around the area. No, I’m not a Santa Barbara realtor. However, Santa Barbara’s beauty and prosperity put the lie to Speaker of the...

Former Vice President Al Gore challenged the United States this week to supply all of the country’s electricity by renewable and carbon free sources within 10 years. Gore’s proposal includes investments in solar, wind, and geothermal power. He calls for a promise to all coal and oil workers that they will have guaranteed jobs out in the sun and fresh air. He further calls for no new coal or oil exploration. His stand is one that why waste time and money on energy that will not ever decrease in price.

Demand, Supply, and Prices It's clear enough that even if the US economy comes to a halt -- and the Democrats seem determined to make that happen -- the demand for oil by China, India, and other growing nations will go up exponentially; and that greater demand without increased supply will keep the price of oil high and even drive it higher.Speculators already believe that and are bidding up the price of oil futures. I have seen estimates that the supply/demand price of oil is under $100/ bbl but that speculators have driven it to the present levels. I don't...

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer wants people to know that Democrats like oil drilling. A lot. They're just very picky about where. "Democrats are saying let's drill. Let's explore. Let's get energy for Americans from America and have it for Americans," Hoyer told reporters Tuesday. He was announcing that Democrats will unveil an energy production bill Thursday. Asked a minute later if the proposed bill would allow new offshore drilling, Hoyer told IBD no. ... "We want oil and gas companies to drill on the leases they've been given," Reid said.

A Trip Down Memory Lane Red Planet CartoonsRemember what President Bush was saying back in 2001? Think back seven years to when Bush delivered the same message THEN that Americans are demanding NOW of Congress: "Drill, Drill, Drill"? He was ridiculed and called a greedy oilman by the same cheerleaders who now run interference for Barack Obama and congressional Democrats: the mainstream press. Red Planet Cartoons has done an invaluable service, both in producing the cartoon above AND reproducing the quote below from a 2001 Time article on energy policy. In May, convinced the nation was terrified of going California...

In a speech yesterday here in Washington, Al Gore challenged the United States to "produce every kilowatt of electricity through wind, sun, and other Earth-friendly energy sources within 10 years. This goal is achievable, affordable, and transformative." (Well, the goal is at least one of those things.) Gore compared the zero-carbon effort to the Apollo program. And the comparison would be economically apt if, rather than putting a man on the moon—which costs about $100 billion in today's dollars—President Kennedy's goal had been to build a massive lunar colony, complete with a casino where the Rat Pack could perform. Gore's...

Al Gore today called for replacing all carbon based electric power generation with alternative forms, primarily wind, solar, and geothermal in the next ten years...I pulled up these Intellicast wind maps a few hours after he delivered his speech. They cover the entire eastern portion of the country at 10PM EDT. Seems to be a problem. It’s night (no solar) and there’s no wind. It happens!

PDOP Guest Post: ...Tom Daschle said, on June 22nd, on Fox News Sunday that we would have no oil until 2030. Is he is actually stating that it would take 22 years to find oil and drill for it? Just last week I was hearing ten years to bring oil to the pumps as gasoline....These sides all seem to feel that energy from renewable or from depleting resources is an all or nothing proposition.Here are some basics to consider to ease the frustration:

Dick Morris can be slimy and smarmy, but he’s smart. This week he put his finger on an issue that Democrats need to think hard about: offshore – or, as the Republicans call it – “deep-sea” drilling for oil. Clearly the Republicans have drilled down on this issue with some heavy-duty polling. Almost simultaneously, John McCain, Elizabeth Dole, Richard Burr and Pat McCrory came out for drilling to find more oil. Democrats – Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Kay Hagan and Bev Perdue – reflexively opposed the plan. They note, accurately, that drilling now will not produce oil for years to...

Henry Kissinger was reported to have said, “Control the food and you control the people.” Controlling people is as simple as controlling food, water and energy through a variety of controls. “No Farmers No Food,” the bumper sticker distributed by The Adopt a Farm Family ministry, is a message of warning. The Adopt ministry was started by Mary Myers, wife of Peter Myers, former Deputy Secretary of Agriculture who served in the Reagan Administration. She confided to me that God had instructed her to “watch over the food.” At that time there appeared to be no reason for concern. Now...

WASHINGTON, DC - Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today introduced the Drive America on Natural Gas Act to promote the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vehicles. Inhofe also introduced the American Affordable Fuels Act to relieve pain at the pump. "As Americans continue to suffer from high gas prices, we need to take advantage of our abundant domestic supply of natural gas for use as a transportation fuel," Senator Inhofe said. "The Drive America on Natural Gas Act adds flexibility to the current Renewable Fuels Standard...

The phrase, “Let them eat cake,” is often attributed to Marie Antoinette, but some believe that Jean-Jacques Rousseau also used the phrase when writing about a French Aristocrat insensitive towards peasants who could not afford bread at the time. Whoever quoted the line is for history to figure out, but it would seem that this is the same bit of advice that Americans are getting from Congressional Democrats daily. While Americans struggle daily with the high price of gasoline and demand that Congressional Leaders and the President do something long lasting to address the problem in poll after poll. Congressional...

ON AIR Q&A: T. Boone Pickens Fri. Jul 18, 2008 Tammy Haddad spoke with Texas oil magnate T. Boone Pickens for the July 18 edition of "National Journal On Air." This is a transcript of their conversation. Q: I'm Tammy Haddad this is National Journal On Air and we have the man of the hour with us, T. Boone Pickens, welcome Mr. Pickens. Pickens: Thank you Tammy. Q: You know, you have really changed the world with your conversation about wind energy, PickensPack.com is really an incredible website-these videos, the ads, what you're doing. For those who haven't seen it,...

Oilman T. Boone Pickens: Dems' new best friend Time to roll out the odd bedfellows clichés. T. Boone Pickens, an oil baron, Bush "Pioneer" and major contributor to the 2004 Swift Boat ads, is speaking before the House Democratic Caucus next Tuesday. At the invitation of Nancy Pelosi. This announcement comes a day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) talked about how Pickens was his "mortal enemy" for years due to his support for Republicans. Yet Reid says Pickens is "now his pal" after sitting next to him at a Senate energy hearing this week. So what's this all...

Under President Obama, a Democrat Congress will raise taxes, increase spending, increase regulation, abandon Iraq, while also winning the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban wherever they may be, except in Iraq. It will refuse to drill for oil or build nukes, while pumping billions of your tax dollars into dead-end dreams of energy independence via biofuel. The most efficient biofuel source on the horizon is fuel from Algae, which one development company states can produce up to 20,000 gallons per acre per year. If this is true, it will take 78 square miles to produce enough Algae fuel...

ScienceDaily (July 18, 2008) — A greener, less expensive method to produce hydrogen for fuel may eventually be possible with the help of water, solar energy and nanotube diodes that use the entire spectrum of the sun's energy, according to Penn State researchers...

One day Americans are moaning about the harmful impact of cheap oil and the next they're grousing about the harmful impact of expensive oil. Which one is it? As a disreputable sort, I freely confess to having a fondness for oil. Actually, I have a mild crush on all carbon-emitting fuels that feed our prosperity. But I'm especially fond of cheap oil. For many years, those who spread apocalyptic global-warming scenarios have warned me that a collective national sacrifice was needed to save the world. One option, we were told, was to make gas artificially expensive, forcing our ignorant, energy-gobbling...