The Public Policy
In Contempt of Court
The usual drill from no-drill Democrats.
It takes energy, not just to keep an economy going but to be as dumb as the Obama administration seems when it comes to energy policy.
Various Capitol Hill Democrats think the Senate sometime this summer is going to pass some kind of energy bill that makes them, and the President, look half-way alert concerning the means by which cars and machines do their stuff. Don’t count on it: not least because, concerning energy, Democrats know no tactics other than coercion — the brass knucks, the shillelagh, the bung starter, brandished in the face of anyone naïve enough to suppose Democrats actually want someone to find and supply oil, gas, coal, and such like.
A case in point: the revived offshore drilling moratorium. The federal courts (instruments of the same government wrestling nominally with the BP oil spill) rejected at both the district and the appeals level an Interior Department attempt to shut down drilling in water deeper than 500 feet. Both courts found the government as having overstretched its authority on very, very slender grounds.
Well, now, a little thing like a legal reverse isn’t going to stop a guy like Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who says, so you don’t like our moratorium, huh? Well, then, here’s another one.
Back came Salazar with a new, improved moratorium, whose interim rules won’t even be ready before the end of August — following public hearings and discussions conducted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The idea is to keep deepwater drilling shut down until Nov. 30, assuming the 33 idle deepwater rigs won’t have moved by then to less persnickety overseas jurisdictions.
The American Petroleum Institute sees the moratorium as overkill, arguing that the rigs in question “have passed thorough government inspections and are ready to be put back to work.… A resumption of drilling would proceed only under the most intense and regulated oversight.” Bottom line: get going.
Fifty thousand jobs in the oil industry are at stake, as well you might suppose from the production figures for deepwater wells. Of all the oil presently being extracted from the Gulf of Mexico, 80 percent comes from deepwater wells, as does 45 percent of the Gulf’s natural gas production.
The New York Times, predictably, is thrilled: “[T]he administration has reaffirmed one of the basic lessons of [the oil spill] mess: that industry’s claims cannot be accepted at face value.”
Not so with the government’s claims to wisdom. Government by definition — the Times’ definition, reflective of Washington, D.C.’s highest-level thinking — is public-spirited. By contrast, industry is driven by self-interest, hence pretty squirrelly when it comes to Public Responsibility. Just why, apart from “self-interest,” anyone would want to sink up to $100 million into the drilling of a deepwater well is a question vainly begging an answer.
“Drilling,” declares the Times, with upturned nose, “cannot be resumed on faith alone.” What an interesting observation, inasmuch as any Texan (let us say) could tell you “faith alone” is the foundation of the oil and gas industry.
The oil prospector, out there with his pickup, or sitting before a computer, knows the stuff is down there, waiting. He can almost smell it, taste it, blacken his hands with it. What he can’t do is see it — not until the drill bit penetrates the formation at which he aims. Sometimes he’s right; more often he’s wrong. Faith keeps him going back to the well.
Or it did once. The Democrats are on a campaign to outlaw faith in favor of the certainty we should get from the presence on the drilling platform of a federal employee with clipboard in hand. There’s your Democratic energy policy — the one that’s going to want reversing starting the day after the November elections.
About the Author
William Murchison, a Dallas-based columnist for Creators Syndicate and author of Mortal Follies: Episcopalians and the Crisis of Mainline Christianity (Encounter Books), is completing a biography of John Dickinson..
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Tim Williams| 7.15.10 @ 8:18AM
Worse still, the administration has now piled onto the off-shore drilling moratorium the EPA's shut-down of Texas refineries. They are actively working to drive up the American energy dependency and costs, and it would be foolish to believe this is by incompetence rather than by design.
SirJason | 7.15.10 @ 4:06PM
'The First Global Revolution', the Club of Rome had this to say regarding Agenda 21:
"The common enemy of humanity is man. In searching for a new enemy to unite us,[Agenda 21 members] we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill.
All these dangers are caused by human intervention, and it is only through changed attitudes and behavior that they can be overcome.
The real enemy then, is humanity itself."
For a much more in-depth look at the Club of Rome, click here or (google).
What is Agenda 21?
Agenda 21 is the framework for a completely new paradigm in the 21st Century. It is the outcome of the aforementioned United Nation’s Earth Summit.
Agenda 21 outlines in detail the UN’s vision for a centrally managed global society. You don't have to worry about your future because Agenda 21 has a plan for how you will live, where you will live, how you commute, what you will eat, what you will learn (or be taught), and even who your God will be.
http://spinpolitico.com/forum/.....es_network
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 7.15.10 @ 8:59AM
Look at it this way.
When gas is $5 a gallon, Obama and the Democrats political desires won't be worth two cents.
gypsy| 7.15.10 @ 9:22AM
They're not worth two cents right now. These clueless imbeciles look at every crisis, and their fix instinct is always to fix the blame instead of fixing the problem. That's why the oil is still gushing and our shorelines are under assault: because the TelePrompter in Chief sent down lawyers and the DOJ instead of skimmers, booms and engineers
JS| 7.15.10 @ 3:15PM
Gypsy,
I respectfully disagree that they are clueless (you got the imbeciles and everything else in your post right). The current regeme that occupies the Oval Office does nothing without their end game in mind. They are implementing the Cloward Piven strategy. They are trying to crush our economy. Texas has the strongest economy in the nation and they have declared war on us. It has come from multiple fronts. They include increased BATFE inspections and harrassments at gun shows and the EPA rewriting our clean air standards and other environmental policies. This is their plan. Fortunately, they are truly incompitent in their executing of the plan.
crookedwren| 7.15.10 @ 9:14AM
In the meantime, the rigs will go south to Brazil and Petrobras where, with $2B from Obama and many more bucks from Soros, the drilling will go three times deeper.
The Obama Administration is not renewing shallow drilling permits -- nor is it renewing permits for some VA coal.
Not only will we be dependent and poorer for it (while Soros will be much, much more affluent), we will also find our energy needs will not be able to be met.
By the way, why is it no one in ObamaWorld finds Soros a "fat cat" who is greedy???
David| 7.15.10 @ 9:36AM
because like the other liberal fatcats (Al G, John K, John E, and the Hollywood rich elite) the support Obama and the Democrats. You don't go after the ones who support you... at least until you get rid of the ones who don't support you. Then it is too late for anyone else to stop you (Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, etc., come to mind).
Pete| 7.15.10 @ 10:14AM
If the mainstream media did half its job, an angry mob would descend on DC to tar n feather every suit they came across. This is blatant redistribution of money from viable technologies to non, from productive people to non. And with help of the media, they just lie their way through it. It is sickening.
Enemy of the State #666| 7.15.10 @ 9:21AM
Yes they do desire to rule over us don't they. In that fact they too have much faith in their resolve. Well what are they going to do when the life blood they are trying to kill, oil or the lack of production is upon them as well. Are they going to turn to us then and proclaim it was the greedy Capitalist's who are responsible. No, and when they again say it was the desire to rid this Nation of it's riches to ensure the redistribution to the other less fortunate, because afterall, we are in fact racist, are we then going to agree on their answer for their mistakes? No. What we in fact will have to do is "burn their evil house to the ground" and fix their misdeeds and heal this great Country from their desires. We will then have to "burn them to the ground" in the most visious manner, dust to dust terms. They may think with equally good hearts and equally good minds but, in the end, they will answer for their crimes and misdeeds towards the good Lord's people. Meanwhile be an instrument of God's wrath. Force them to own the results of their good and well intended failures. This article reminds us all of their evil intentions and what must come of it, failure at all levels and the willful destruction our our beloved "One Nation under God". That's a faith they can ill afford to misread and let go unanswered.
AMENBRO| 7.15.10 @ 9:43AM
Aggregate Demand's gonna solve that issue also. KEYNESIAN Energy subsidies for all.
In dipshit Barry's own words ENERGY BILLS WILL LIKELY SKY ROCKET under my plan end quote from POSPOTUS.
I truly loves this country. It pains me to use insulting language in reference to the Commander in Chief. That's a feeling that passes as quickly as flatulence with this guy.
Got even less confidence in Kerry in anything he even thinks much less legislates. Lost what little respect I had for Joe Lieberman. SALAZR must have one hell of a brain-trust-less staff. NONE of this is coming from any of the titular respective elected participants in any legislation. The LEFT has been slowly cooking this stew since the first EARTH DAY when they scared the crap outta America & went underground after Carter failed them miserable.
God Bless Us Keep Us & Hols Us in your hands for IN GOD WE TRUST is the only thing holding this country together at all. Folks may you find him now.
AMENBRO| 7.15.10 @ 9:52AM
Last but not least that cloey, sickening insult to his GOMER PYLE personage LYNDSAY GRAHAM.
Well let's just say SAM ERVIN he isn't.
Academic| 7.15.10 @ 10:06AM
General Jaralzhuski (misspelling) alsmost stopped Polands march to freedom by cutting off gasoline. Obama knows what he's doing: Shutting down America's freedom and creating subservience. I hope he's got a supply of Zils limosenes.
dw| 7.15.10 @ 10:20AM
There doesn't seem to be any democrat worth a damn. They have all gone off the deep end and insist on taking all of us with them. The stupidity of their policies is thicker than oil. They really seem to think green energy is just a matter of snapping their fingers when in fact any realistic implementation of it is multiple decades away and that is after it first gets invented. Obama has let his rise go to his head and seems to believe he can magically replace a heavily oil based world with some sort of pixie dust energy source.
davelnaf| 7.15.10 @ 10:29AM
It would be great if there were REAL alternatives to oil, gas, coal, and even nuclear energy, but there are none. This doesn’t stop the Obamocrats from perpetually interfering in anything and everything energy related that might benefit them politically.
Does it bother Obama that his pandering to his less than rational base makes him look very unpresidential? Given the fact that losing in 2012 would a narcissistic catastrophe for HIM we should understand why he is doing this: HE is more important than the country’s welfare.
So, come on people; show some understanding of the Bamster’s needs. The moratorium will be lifted at some point, but until then Obama must make it look like he is at least trying to destroy the evil and REAL energy industry.
Oldefarte| 7.15.10 @ 11:05AM
Great thoughts, William, and TRUE! As one who has lived on the Gulf Coast all of my life, I know that [especially southern Louisiana] every business from oil contractors to snowball stands depend in one form/fashion upon the oil industry. This moronic drilling morotorium will destroy the Gulf region's economy [which is probably what they want to accompolish anyway for political purposes]. As to the NYT and it's yankee base, maybe the oil supplies from the Gulf region should be cut off from being transported to the northeast and let them FREEZE THEIR GLUTAMOUS MAXIMOUSES off! These morons are sucking up to their environmental wacko friends in another attempt to NOT LET A DISASTER GO TO WASTE by taking advantage of the accidental oil spill to completely shut off oil drilling. The result will be an eventual oil/gas/fuel price spike and motorists may end up paying $4-5/gallon for gasoline. American taxpayer-voters have two options-----go strangle environmental wackos, or go to the polls in November and defeat these idiots that are ruining our country!!!!!!
SCM| 7.15.10 @ 3:13PM
Why not both?
Dixie Pixie| 7.15.10 @ 11:15AM
How about a 6 month moratorium on shipping oil and natural gas to the Northeast in general and Manhattan in particular. I wonder how the New York Times would like the “Natural Life” of living in New York City without lights, power, transportation or food brought in from the outside.
Only when deprived of the energy provided by oil and gas would New Yorkers realize how dependent they are on the Gulf Coast for their very lifestyle.
Anthony| 7.15.10 @ 3:12PM
Don't you worry, those intrepid folks over at the NY Times are prepared for every contingency. The Times' entire news room and editorial staff, all 15 of them that are left, are prepared to wear propeller beanies in order to produce energy at the Times.
Krugman, Dowd, Rich and little Pinch, have all their whirlies going at full speed.
One slight problem, Rich can't figure out which end goes where.
Richard| 7.15.10 @ 11:32AM
Salazar, you look phony in that western hat. You do not embody the values and character of the West. I have a pointed hat for you to wear, instead.
Anthony| 7.15.10 @ 3:20PM
Amen to that bro, Salazar looks like Peewee Herman on steriods.
Cabermon| 7.15.10 @ 6:22PM
Best description I've seen of ol' Ken! There are plenty of us back here in Colorado who'd like to put our "boot on his neck." And not everyone out here wears cowboy hats, either. He besmirches them.
Ken (Old Texican)| 7.15.10 @ 1:25PM
Mr. Murchison,
Thank you again.
As I am sure you have heard from some of our counterparts in the energy industry...
"Why don't we go pro-active?"
ie: shut down the pipelines and our wells, and let the communists, (pardon the shorthand), boil in their sweat this summer without air-conditioning...then freeze in the dark this winter.
SCM| 7.15.10 @ 3:16PM
I like the idea, but since this would create another "crisis", Obama would try to pull a Hugo Chavez on us and nationalize the oil industry.
Ken (Old Texican)| 7.15.10 @ 3:22PM
SCM,
Heh...he cannot. If the "hands" sit down...there is NO ONE who can fill their shoes...no one.
JS| 7.15.10 @ 3:30PM
This is a perpetual problem out here in West Texas. When oil prices started going up exploration and production companies couldn't find enough 'clean' workers to staff the rigs - clean meaning no drugs in their system. The residual problem we see south of us in the Permian Basin is businesses having problems filling lower wage jobs because the oil field pays too much. These are good problems to have.
I would like to see those liberal neardowells try and figure out how to run a drilling rig. I could sell tickets and people would come from miles around to the middle of no where to watch these idiots kill themselves...hey it could be like the Roman gladiators, only humans against machines. Popcorn anyone?
DM| 7.15.10 @ 4:34PM
The States of Texas and Lousiana ought to tell the Obama Regime to, "GO POUND SAND!".
Texas, which had a viable and working policy regarding emissions at refineries that the EPA denied, ought to authorize reopening these refineries and restoring lost jobs. Lousiana, whose economy is tied to oil exploration and production should defy Salazar and the Dept of the Interior and resuming drilling and pumping. A federal court and an appeals court have already sided with plaintiffs, twice.
The Federal Government has already upped the ante by sueing Arizona for upholding federal law which the the Obama regime refuses to do because it is not politically expedient to their goals. Let's see how the Obama Regime responds to defiance by Texas and Louisiana.
supra skytop | 7.15.10 @ 10:51PM
Well said. I never thought I would agree with this opinion, but I'm starting to view things from a different view. I have to research more on this as it seems very interesting. One thing I don't understand though is how everything is related together.
Marc Jeric| 7.16.10 @ 12:34AM
I luved under nazism and communism, then I escaped. Then I saw socialism in France, before I arrived here. what we have here with Abu Hussein al-Mombassa (or wherever in Kenya this communist Muslim was born) is without any doubt a serious attempt to communize America. And we are halfway there already. What they need now and fast are two things: the globaloney warming hoax to be translated into the Cap & Trade power grab, and the amnesty for 20 million Mexican Indians. If that passes we are cooked for ever, without possibility of repair. Vast nationalizations will occur - with mortgage and insurance companies already done, automobile companies largely done, oil & gas companies. coal mines, and electricity companies ready to go. I forget - hospitals are getting ready to go bankrupt.
Yosemeti Sam| 7.16.10 @ 1:05AM
" In Contempt of Court ...."
More significantly in contempt of:
Lady Liberty.
A traditional nurturing Lady Liberty.
Breast-feeding to citizens and rightful immigrants the right to the PURSUIT of BOUNTIES per The CONSTITUTION of The United States of America.
Folks, what's that saying - Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
The Democrat party led by the Spit-czar-in-Chief: are spitting upon our Lady Liberty.
May the November 2, 2010 elections - hear women across the land ROAR in SOLIDARITY
to SPITE the Democrat to political oblivion!
Or Hell - whichever is handier.
Vic| 7.16.10 @ 4:25PM
Like this administrations holding Arizona hostage till they get their amnesty, the thug in chief will hold our energy hostage till he gets his crap n trade.
Hope and change you can believe in. If your suicidal that is.