Las Vegas Sun

May 15, 2008

Sun editorial:

Prices at the pump

Congress should be forming a long-term energy policy to prevent spikes in gas costs

Thu, May 8, 2008 (2:04 a.m.)

As gasoline prices continue to hover at record levels, Congress is starting to debate plans aimed at easing the pressure on drivers’ wallets.

Lawmakers’ focus should be on crafting policies that prevent future spikes in the price of gas. The debate, however, may be derailed by Republicans, who have revived ideas that have failed in the past, such as allowing gas companies to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other areas where oil exploration is off limits. The GOP is also pushing another nonstarter, promoting coal-to-gas as an alternative to oil.

The current high cost of gasoline is not a good reason to support bad proposals. The problems with the Republicans’ plans are the same as they were when they were originally defeated. Drilling in environmentally sensitive areas for minimal return is still wrong and turning coal into gas with the technology that exists is inane. The coal plan would create twice as much carbon dioxide as current methods of refining oil. It is also incredibly expensive and uses an immense amount of water.

Democrats have long championed renewable energy and cleaner fuels, but they have made little progress because they have been opposed by the Bush administration, which is filled top to bottom with oil industry cheerleaders.

To start the debate, Democrats are discussing a temporary freeze on purchases for the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to provide more oil for the open market. It is hoped that would nudge prices down.

In addition, Democrats point to potential manipulation in the oil market as a reason for high gas prices and have called for tighter regulation.

Those are basic, common-sense proposals, but because of the Bush administration’s obstructionism, it may be another year before Congress can pursue plans to truly address the problem and lessen the nation’s dependence on oil.

Discussion: 4 comments so far…

  1. By HelenWeils
    5/8/08 at 8:17 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    Hello, John McCain already proposed a moretorium on the strategic oil reserves which is the only good idea listed above. Demorats don't have the brains to run the economy. Of course they won't let us drill for oil, after all, the recent find of a stockpile that is the largest in the world and increases supply by 50% is a non starter for
    the Demorats.
    Here's a real "duh" from Chuck Muth's column yesterday.

    ANOTHER DUMB DEMOCRAT JOKE
    An old, blind man wanders into a bar in Washington, DC, by mistake. He finds his way to a barstool and orders a beer. After sitting there for a while, he yells to the bartender, "Hey, you wanna hear a Dumb Democrat joke?" The bar immediately falls absolutely silent. In a very deep, husky voice, the woman next to him says:
    "Before you tell that joke, sir, I think it is only fair, given that you are blind, that you should know five things: One, the bartender is a Democrat with a baseball bat. Two, the bouncer is a Democrat. Three, I'm a 6-foot-tall, 175-pound Democrat with a black belt in karate. Four, the woman sitting next to me is a Democrat and a professional weightlifter. And five, the lady to your right is a Democrat and a professional wrestler. Now, think about it seriously, Mister. Do you still wanna tell that joke?"
    The blind man thinks for a second, shakes his head and finally mutters: "Well, no; not if I'm gonna have to explain it five times."

  2. By JohnF
    5/8/08 at 10:46 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    The price of oil ain't coming down. Ever. Get used to it folks. C'mon Helen, do you really think that opening up ANWR to oil drilling is going to lower the cost you pay at the pump?

    The only answer that makes any sense at all is to find alternatives to oil. What are we waiting for?

    Oh yeah. We're wating for January when the oil men leave the White House. Or if McCain's elected, we'll be waiting for January of 2013. In the meantime, European nations are leaving us in the dust on this and thousands of Americans are being killed in Iraq to protect the supply of oil.

    As for your joke...ha ha, very funny (actually it is sort of cute), but if you want to convince people of the superiority of your position it's probably best not to call them stupid. And you say Obama's an elitist.

  3. By jfnance32
    5/8/08 at 12:13 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    This story of spiking energy prices will occur again and again and again.

    Energy price spikes occur Every 15 to 20 years.
    And it gets worst each cycle.

    The jack-in-the-beanstalk belief in alternative energies will only cause energy prices to go up because alternative energy is expensive.

    Also, the people who are selling us on these magic beans will continue the suppression of investment in gas, oil, coal and nuclear energy.

    This will cause the supply of energy to remain stagnant like it has for the past 15 years (see the pattern yet?).

    The demand for energy grows because the population grows and because of needs of the emerging India and China nations.

    The next energy crisis (15 to 20 years from now) will be 10x worse than this one. It could be the trigger for the next great economic depression.

  4. By JohnF
    5/8/08 at 1:43 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    As the price of oil continues to go through the roof the cost of alternatives, relative to oil declines. That is why alternatives are more cost effective now than they ever have been. Drilling more oil will not bring the price of oil down.

    Once you develop a renewable energy source your fuel cost is zero and will remain zero. That's why renewable energy is the way to go.

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Tracy Lawrence

Tracy Lawrence

With special guest Randy Houser ( House of Blues)