California Conservative

Over the years, I’ve grown weary of Ms. Pelosi’s intellectual dishonesty. I’ve now reached a new level that’s best described as total aggravation. This Pelosi press release is the singular source of that aggravation. Here’s what Ms. Pelosi said that put me over the top:

“The President’s ‘drill only’ approach to energy has led us to record gas prices. The New Direction Congress will continue to fight for a greener, more affordable and less oil-dependent future that will expand our economy and make us more secure.”

That characterization is a bald-faced lie and Ms. Pelosi knows it. President Bush issued a fact sheet when he signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Here’s a factoid from that fact sheet:

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will help reduce America’s dependence on oil by:

Increasing the supply of alternative fuel sources by setting a mandatory Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requiring fuel producers to use at least 36 billion gallons of biofuel in 2022. Although the President proposed a more ambitious alternative fuels standard in his State of the Union Address, the RFS in the bill he signed today represents a nearly five-fold increase over current levels.

Reducing U.S. demand for oil by setting a national fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, which will increase fuel economy standards by 40 percent and save billions of gallons of fuel. Last January, the President called for the first statutory increase in fuel economy standards for automobiles since they were enacted in 1975, and the bill he signed today delivers on that request. The bill also includes an important reform the President has called for that allows the Transportation Department to issue “attribute-based standards,” which will ensure that increased fuel efficiency does not come at the expense of automotive safety.

That doesn’t sound like a “drill only” policy to me. I’ll bet that it doesn’t sound like a “drill only” policy to any intellectually honest person.

Here’s the fact sheet’s next paragraph:

By addressing renewable fuels and CAFE standards, this bill will build on progress made by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in setting out a comprehensive energy strategy for the 21st century. The Energy Policy Act signed by the President in August 2005 represented the first major energy security legislation in more than a decade. The Act encourages energy conservation and efficiency by promoting residential efficiency, increasing the efficiency of appliances and commercial products, reducing Federal government energy usage, modernizing domestic energy infrastructure, diversifying the Nation’s energy supply with renewable sources, and supporting a new generation of energy-efficient vehicles.

Again, I’m asking Ms. Pelosi if proof exists of President Bush’s mythical “drill only” energy policy. If Speaker Pelosi can’t provide documented proof of this allegation, I’ll write Ms. Pelosi’s statements off as spin intended to deflect criticism away from the Democrats’ failed energy policies.

There’s an old pollitical adage that says “If you’re about to get run out of town, you’re better off jumping in front and act like you’re leading a parade.”

If Ms. Pelosi’s unsubstantiated allegations aren’t enough to infuriate you, perhaps this statement will:

“Yesterday, House Democrats demonstrated our strong support for responsible drilling to increase our energy supply and our energy independence, including in already-designated lands in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. Unfortunately, 162 Republicans voted against our legislation, the Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands Act, preventing passage from the House.

“Opening new lands to drilling won’t save Americans one penny for at least a decade, but there is an immediate way to impact gas prices. The President has ignored calls for nearly two weeks now to free our oil by releasing a small amount of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which would increase supply quickly and increase our economic security.

This is circular logic if I’ve ever seen it. (Yes, I’m using that term lightly.) First Ms. Pelosi says that House Democrats want to lower gas prices by increasing supplies by letting oil companies drill where drilling is already allowed. Next, Ms. Pelosi says that increasing supplies “won’t save Americans one penny for at least a decade” even though there’s proof conrtadicting that.

BTW, before anyone says that prices dropped because consumption dropped, I’m not buying that. We’ve had fluctuations in consumption rates but this is the first time that I’ve seen price at the pump drop 42 cents a gallon in a week. Prior to this week, the biggest fluctuation I’d seen in a week’s time was in 14 cents.

Here’s how Ms. Pelosi opens the press release:

“This weekend, House Republican leaders will take their allegiance to the President’s failed policies to a new latitude. They will follow him all the way to the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska instead of touring the 68 million acres of onshore and offshore lands that oil companies have already leased, but have not developed.

It’s insulting for Ms. Pelosi to call Section 1002 pristine wilderness. While it’s true that parts of ANWR are truly pristine wilderness worthy of protecting, Section 1002 isn’t one of those majestic pristine parts. It’s barren tundra that looks best during the six months of darkness that envelop ANWR during winter.

It’s time Ms. Pelosi stopped with the demagoguery and started dealing with verifiable facts. If she insists on continually using unsubstantiated claims instead of facts, I’ll point them out, which will hurt Ms. Pelosi’s credibility. (Assuming that she’s got any credibility with a 9% approval rating.)

Technorati Tags: ANWR, President Bush, Energy Policy, Alternative Energy, NREL, Nancy Pelosi, Fabrications, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 20th, 2008 at 7:38 pm and is filed under Economy, Pelosi, W, Author: Gary Gross, Energy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.