gordontravels
Well-known member
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- Feb 19, 2005
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A bill just passed the House of Representatives yesterday dealing with our energy crisis. It was a very close vote with a handful of Republicans voting against it and a handful of Democrats voting for it. Still it was the Republicans that prevailed with a vote of 212 to 210. It is possible that the bill will fail in the Senate but if so we will continue to lose in the energy needs for our nation. We will continue to pay prices that, without this bill, will not only go higher but also face shortages in the future because of regional differences in our energy policy.
Among other things the bill would make it easier for small refiners to build new facilities which would help refinerys to be built in states beyond the Gulf Coast such as in the deserts of California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Other areas for better distribution such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Colorado and the Carolinas may help shorten distribution and help ease prices in the future.
It would spur exploration and development of oil shale in states like Colorado and Utah where some estimate nearly 100 years of energy needs could be locked away for the United States. It will relax regulations against new development off our coastal shelf which will still require further votes to allow said development. It would allow refiners to locate their facilities on federal lands such as military bases where costs and security would be much better while still standing environmental inspection.
One of the best things in this bill which Democrats and their Environmentalist supporters fought is to cut down on the 13 different blends of gasoline that are required for different regions of the country. These different blends mean that if a region like the Gulf Coast, California to Washington State or Florida may be hit by natural disaster, they will be able to receive shipments of fuel from other regions which will stop shortages and have an overall effect of moderating price spikes.
The bill also addresses price gouging at all levels of the energy industry including electricity, natural gas, home heating oil, propane, LNG, diesel, etc. This bill has teeth.
The Democrats stood after the vote and yelled, "shame, shame, shame, shame...". I think the shame would have been to not do the work and have no bill at all. This was politics on the part of the Democrats whereas if the Senate turns down the bill the Republicans will be able to point to the House victory and the lack of action of the nearly "lock-step" Democrats.
This bill will provide more energy in the future, provide for conservation, provide for dealing with price gouging from the street to the corporation, provide for natural disaster reaction in the energy market and help each and every American from the individual citizen with a car and people that provide products and distribution to the corporations that supply the energy in the first place.
By the way. It was largely due to the efforts of suspended House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R) from Texas that the votes were found and cast to move this legislation on. Those who hope Tom Delay is guilty may use this to oppose the bill but still, something is being done instead of nothing being proposed at all which is where the Democrats are coming from. Why should they. With the Republicans in charge if nothing is done then the Republicans can be blamed. Politics from a two party system rears it's ugly head.
You can find this reported today, Saturday, October 8, 2005 in the Washington Post Business Section. NBC news said the House vote was not "business as usual" but sure was "rare political theater". I say at least something was proposed and passed. Maybe we'll get something out of this for the people. :duel
Among other things the bill would make it easier for small refiners to build new facilities which would help refinerys to be built in states beyond the Gulf Coast such as in the deserts of California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Other areas for better distribution such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Colorado and the Carolinas may help shorten distribution and help ease prices in the future.
It would spur exploration and development of oil shale in states like Colorado and Utah where some estimate nearly 100 years of energy needs could be locked away for the United States. It will relax regulations against new development off our coastal shelf which will still require further votes to allow said development. It would allow refiners to locate their facilities on federal lands such as military bases where costs and security would be much better while still standing environmental inspection.
One of the best things in this bill which Democrats and their Environmentalist supporters fought is to cut down on the 13 different blends of gasoline that are required for different regions of the country. These different blends mean that if a region like the Gulf Coast, California to Washington State or Florida may be hit by natural disaster, they will be able to receive shipments of fuel from other regions which will stop shortages and have an overall effect of moderating price spikes.
The bill also addresses price gouging at all levels of the energy industry including electricity, natural gas, home heating oil, propane, LNG, diesel, etc. This bill has teeth.
The Democrats stood after the vote and yelled, "shame, shame, shame, shame...". I think the shame would have been to not do the work and have no bill at all. This was politics on the part of the Democrats whereas if the Senate turns down the bill the Republicans will be able to point to the House victory and the lack of action of the nearly "lock-step" Democrats.
This bill will provide more energy in the future, provide for conservation, provide for dealing with price gouging from the street to the corporation, provide for natural disaster reaction in the energy market and help each and every American from the individual citizen with a car and people that provide products and distribution to the corporations that supply the energy in the first place.
By the way. It was largely due to the efforts of suspended House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R) from Texas that the votes were found and cast to move this legislation on. Those who hope Tom Delay is guilty may use this to oppose the bill but still, something is being done instead of nothing being proposed at all which is where the Democrats are coming from. Why should they. With the Republicans in charge if nothing is done then the Republicans can be blamed. Politics from a two party system rears it's ugly head.
You can find this reported today, Saturday, October 8, 2005 in the Washington Post Business Section. NBC news said the House vote was not "business as usual" but sure was "rare political theater". I say at least something was proposed and passed. Maybe we'll get something out of this for the people. :duel