The White House has made a new push for expanded offshore drilling to help lower fuel prices, days after new government data showed American petroleum product exports hit record levels.
“To reduce pressure on prices, we need to increase the supply of oil, especially here at home,” Bush told reporters…
Critics of the offshore drilling plan noted that the Energy Department released data this week showing that U.S. exports of finished petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel, soared to 1.592 million barrels per day in May.
The exports set a record for the month and were up 31 percent from a year ago.
Exports were equal to about half the 3.204 million barrels a day in petroleum products that the United States imported during May.
In May, U.S. oil companies shipped 183,000 barrels of gasoline a day out of the country, even as Americans saw prices at the pump steadily rise.
Trying to drill our way out of trouble is absurd. Deluded hypocrites.
Um are we importing processing and then shipping it back out? I think I read that a lot of the Alaska oil was being sold outside the US.
In the end we’ll drill where the oil is or we will learn to walk. Maybe both.
Well you’ve got the talking points down smartalix. Just like the Senator who objected even if the price of gas goes to $10 a gallon.
#63 smartalix
It should be no mystery why oil companies want to drill in the most convenient and profitable areas. As far as ecological impact, oil companies are concerned if for no other reason than if they create a mess they will bear the clean-up costs.
Off shore drilling has many benefits. It is safe and it solves the problem of appeasing people who don’t want the pumps in their backyard.
Not sure why you are opposed to oil companies making a profit for providing a service? A better complaint would be against the government who does nothing for their share of the profits.
#62 – No. The problem is that high costs force Americans to drive less and in smaller vehicles. Living in cities and using mass transit is not preferable to species ending armageddon.
#67, iHotAir
Living in cities and using mass transit is not preferable to species ending armageddon.
Then do the world a favor and be the first to go in our “mass extinction”.
66,
You are incredibly cavalier with our shores. The oil companies have demonstrated time and again (and again, and again…) that they only care about the environment as much as it affects their image. I do not trust them, and will continue to support legislation to ban drilling on offshore areas.
I would support legislation to immunize windmills from lawsuits based on beautification issues (while providing a mininmum shore stand-off distance) to stop overpriviledged morons from blocking wind farms offshore, but a blown windmill doesn’t dump thousands of gallons of crude into the water, either.
So I ask again, why are you shilling for offshore drilling interests? Are our shores that unimportant to you? Have you ever seen an oil slick at a beach? Do you have children? Why are you so casual with unreplacable resources?
We can replace oil, we cannot replace the environment. Do you agree?
I suppose the answer comes down to my car requires gas and oil to operate. Until someone invents a windmill powered car your argument is mute.
70,
First, it’s “moot”.
Second, there are electric and hybrid vehicles out there. Need a truck for business? That’s a different matter entirely. Want to schlep your ass around, there are many very good economical vehicles available at every price point and performance level. I drive a Dodge Caliber with a 2-liter engine and CVT, myself. You don’t have to have an electric vehicle to address fuel consumption.
That avoids asking the question about a wasteful vehicle being worth more than my children. You don’t want to know my answer to that one.