Can Democrats be persuaded to allow drilling for oil?

on the continental shelf and in Alaska? I intend to vote for Barack Obama, but I'm for drilling in the aforementioned places. Alaska is a big place, so a few oil wells are not going to kill off the caribou. Plus, is it not hypocritical to ban offshore drilling while importing oil from countries who do drill offshore? I mean, it's like saying I'm a vegetarian, but I will eat meat if someone else kills the animal.Can Democrats be persuaded to allow drilling for oil?
As soon as they see the democrats sitting next to them get voted out of office for that reason, they'll switch fast, real fast.





For the others, I've been to the site where they want to drill in ANWR and it is a northern desolate barren patch of nothing with no trees, no plants, just a polar bear or two and they don't eat plants. The animals live in the wilderness much further south in ANWR. Same argument was used for the Alaskan oil pipeline while it was being built and the elk and caribou populations increased rather than go extinct as ';experts'; said. That's why you don't hear anything about it because they were wrong and no, I don't work for oil. I work for a consulting firm for the DEP and EPA. Our job was to assess the permit classification based on environmental impact. It was an easy permit because you can't damage what doesn't exist. No one complained when we had to go and assess up in the nearby region of ANWR for the mining of diamond, boy, that has a lot more negative environmental impact than people think, but they still got the permits against our recommendation, diamonds have deep pockets. So for all you chicks buying diamonds, you realize how many animals and their habitats was destroyed for that rock ?





People actually think that alternative fuel will be cheaper and will be available to the masses in less time than drilling for more oil? How many years have we been hearing about alternative fuels and we still don't have it everywhere like gas stations? 10? 15? Try 25 years and still nothing, just talk and a couple of ';experimental'; stations. Nobody will use it if it is more expensive than oil, just like people won't buy gas guzzlers anymore.





Sorry for it becoming a rant.Can Democrats be persuaded to allow drilling for oil?
The oil companies are already leasing 33 million acres of land here in the states, as well as 66 million acres offshore. The oil companies choose not to drill for oil on these 99 million acres.


Congress is now considering legislation to compel the oil companies to ';use it or lose it';, i.e. drill on the 99 million acres they're currently sitting on or have the leases voided.


There is no value in leasing more of the same land to them. They're enjoying record profits. They're currently trying to take control of Iraq's enormous oil resources, though the Iraqis recently rebuffed them. Good for the Iraqis!
It's probably inevitable.





Don't for a second think that it's for anything BUT big oil profits though....it has nothing to do with securing the oil supply. This oil won't be pumping for 10 years and it wouldn't meet 1% of our needs.





If they really wanted to secure the oil supply or cut prices they would start with conservation and write tax laws to promote alternatives. They are fighting this to the end though....against the best interests of American citizens....cause they will sell out security for their big oil partners.





This drilling in Alaska and off-shore is just a smokescreen.
Oil Execs testified in congress that actually, they don't have the equipt necessary to increase drilling, and even if they were to start in new locations, that oil would not be on the market for another7-10 years. They aren't drilling in the millions of acres already under oil leases. Their strategy is similar to what happened at ENRON...limit production, quietly stock up the oil stockpiles (at high prices), any bad news in the Mid East results in higher price per oil, any disaster is an excuse to cut supply. The Iraq occupation is for oil, for the no-bid contracts. The thought that people die so that oil companies can plunder a country and steal oil. They try to put puppet goverment in so that they can cut deals.





Our dollar is crap. We are printing money like crazy, in debt to the top of head, when we borrow (from Communist china, of all places) our credit risk is high, so we have to pay higher interest to make our begging attractive., and oil price s go up.





We can't allow oil companies to dictate our wars and to prevent us from being independent of THEM. The Tesla would be great, Honda has cars that run on water. Electric cars keep getting better, and the cost would be 2 cents vs 3.95$ per gallon equivalent.


If the economy wasn't trashed, we could afford to put solar panels on our roof, plug in our electric cars (which have less moveable parts, less costly to run, no co2, no global warming) If our pres and vpres weren't oil guys, if elections hadn't been stolen so we are cursed for 2 bush terms, we could have taken all our surplus left by Bill, and had some decent tax credits for energy solutions. We've got so many smart scientists who have already figured out super solar plants which have the equivalent of nuclear power output They've figured out how to sequester co2. Current admin has covered up the environmental problems (Hansen NASA scientist) Oil will kill us ecologically, economically.





so, sorry off topic...This is all a game by the Republicans. Find a topic that they know has people's concern...price of gas..get the word out that the solution is simple...drill in ANWAR...make sure that it isn't a position that that Dem's will agree with, and then beat it to death. They that control the media control the message. The native people in Alaska still can't fish close to the coast because of the Exon Valdez oil spill still is an environmental problem.





We all have to read between the lines, and look at a bigger picture, look past the current H_ _ _ _ we find ourselves in. IF things don't change, if we don't all fight for the smart path, it will be much worse. Democrats certainly aren't perfect, but I have faith in the next generation, we have to push the Dems harder, weed out the weak ones, listen to the Green party, and protect our right to vote, which has been stolen.
Sure, as long as there is no oil on the land they will be drilling in.








I REALLY wish Democrats would stop using gasoline. They hate it so and run the cost up for those of us who like it. there should be a law against them
Oil companies already hold 68 million acres of Federal land (that has more oil than all of ANWR) to drill in.





But they make money by NOT drilling.














Think about it;


If they were to drill today, the supply would be up, causing the prices to go down.





If they didn't (which they have);


There is a shortage of oil, and speculation can come in to help drive the prices (and their profit) up.











Let them drill in the land they ALREADY have before they try and take land that we're more than blessed to have.
If we put as much energy into the argument for drilling into a search for an alternative to oil we would be so much better off
SURE!


Right after someone fixes the fiscal policies coming out of the whitehouse and brings the value of the dollar back up, and the governments crack down on foreign exchanges to make sure no unethical speculation is occuring.





But then the oil companies will not want to drill, because that should cut the price of oi in half.





only people who can't think for themselves really thinks there is a shortage, but nobody has started rationing yet.
Let's see... Bush wants the EPA to hold off on issuing a statement that carbon emissions don't cause global warming until he is out office. Hmm.





BUT he wants Congress to OK offshore drilling before he leaves office without a study that determines how much Big Oil will profit (because they are exempt from windfall profit taxes, after making record profits) against guarantees that they will be ABLE to reduce gas prices WITHOUT contributing to global warming or CARBON emissions that pollute the air.





WTF?
They can only be persuaded if voters knock them out of office. I am concerned about Obama though. He claims to be able to rid the world of nuclear weapons, which would be impossible. Check out here: http://thelonesentinel.blogspot.com/
Yes. The Democrats in Congress are ready to pass an energy bill that, in exchange for ';investments in clean and renewable energies, a crackdown on oil speculators, and proof that the oil and gas companies are fully utilizing land that is already leased for exploration,'; will legalize additional offshore drilling.
Why risk it when the oil from those wells would go on the world market and not for our own use?
Actually, the House was debating a bill today that would allow it -- and it is a Democrat sponsored bill.





However there were 3 additional requirements that will probably prevent it from passing, at least until Bush leaves office. First, it makes the Federal oil leases ';use or lose.'; That will put an end to the industry practice of squatting on oil leases until prices rise enough for them to jack profits even higher. Secondly, it will prohibit the EXPORT of any oil from Alaska. Frankly, I'm all in favor of both conditions. It will put the brakes on speculation even without the 3rd requirement: The repeal of the so-called ';Enron Loophole'; that has run up speculative prices with no oversight or regulation at all.





If this bill does not pass, you will have ONLY the Republicans and Bush to thank for it.
Sure, they can be convinced, after November,





That way they can blame it all the problems on President Bush.





edit: For those that think they are truly negotiating.


';the 68 million acres'; argument is a ruse. The oil companies have already explored most of those areas, dug exploratory wells, and decided it was not economically feasible to drill in those areas. thew use it or lose it is also a ruse. if they are not producing on that land in 10 years, the lease reverts back to the US.





The speculators argument is a ruse also. They are speculating on oil supply beyond 2013.
I will not support destroying ANWR so we can have oil for 2 years.
only if usa citizens get so pissed off at them and vote them out, but without a 3rd party its not going to happen. 10 dollars a gallon gas is coming when Obama gets elected
You really don't get it , do you. We can open up every acre in the U.S. to drilling tomorrow and there won't be any drilling. It is up to the oil companies who are making record billions by not drilling. They have no incentive to drill and aren't about to.
I am not for it......if I knew gas prices were going to come down in the next few years -- great. But since they aren't going to come down until around 2020-2030 after drilling starts, that is kind of a waste. We are better off looking for an alternative fuel.
Absolutely.


Simply tell Polosi that her government provided jet back and fourth to California has run out of fuel.
That would mean they would take action, thats not realistic.
conservative dems can be persuaded. only far left are against drilling.