Same Democrats, Same Bag of Tricks
Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic majority are playing games again. This is getting REALLY TIRESOME. This morning, Ms. Pelosi used the Democrats’ weekly radio address to announce that the Democrat majority would vote on more offshore drilling. The minute I read it, I knew there’d be a catch. I was wrong. There were three catches:
In the Democrats’ weekly radio address, Pelosi of California said expanding drilling areas would be part of a broader bill which addresses other energy issues. “It will consider opening portions of the (offshore) Outer Continental Shelf for drilling, with appropriate safeguards, and without taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil,” she said.
Pelosi said the legislation would require oil companies to pay billions of dollars in drilling royalties, which would be invested in clean energy resources.
Democrats also want to release supplies from the U.S. emergency oil stockpile to help lower gasoline prices, increase drilling in an Alaskan oil reserve that is already open to exploration and require utilities to generate a portion of their electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind energy.
In addition, Pelosi said, the legislation would seek to rein in excessive energy market speculation that many U.S. lawmakers blame for running up crude oil and gasoline prices.
TRANSLATION: Require oil companies to pay billions of dollars in drilling royalties = major tax increase. That, in turn, means higher prices at the pump.
TRANSLATION II: “Without taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil” = Another major tax increase to oil companies. That also means higher prices at the pump.
TRANSLATION III: “Require utilities to generate a portion of their electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind energy” = House Democrats pick the winners, not the marketplace. ADDITIONAL: That also means a guaranteed return on Speaker Pelosi’s investment in T. Boone Pickens’ wind farm project.
This legislation isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. It’s loaded with major tax increases. It also sounds like it’s got a provision in it that sets a standard for how much energy must be generation will be generated by wind and solar. It’s also troubling in what isn’t mentioned. What isn’t mentioned is increased generation of electricity by nuclear power plants.
It calls for drilling in NPR-A, which is already open to drilling. In other words, this is DRILL Act II, with the only difference being a little more drilling on the OCS and two tax increases instead of one tax increase.
Republicans from John McCain on down should reject this package ASAP as unacceptable. I suspect it will be rejected because of this information:
In an interview with THE WEEKLY STANDARD aboard his campaign plane last week, McCain made clear he has not ruled out a change in his position–to one that endorses drilling in ANWR. “I continue to examine it,” he said. So does his staff. McCain’s campaign has been quietly studying the ANWR issue and discussing the potential consequences–good and bad–of a policy change.
But in our conversation on August 13, McCain added a new wrinkle. When I asked him if he had consulted Palin about ANWR, he said that he had not yet done so. He added, “I probably should,” he said. “I will.”
So I called Palin to ask what McCain can expect to hear. The answer is that Palin, who has been mentioned as a possible McCain running mate but has not been vetted, will make a straightforward case for drilling in ANWR. She says McCain’s willingness to take another look at ANWR is “very encouraging.”
“It bodes well for him as a pragmatic and wise and experienced statesman,” says Palin. “What he’s doing here is he’s calling an audible when conditions on the field are changing. And that’s what you do if you want to win the game here. One of the pieces of a solution is allowing exploration on that little 2,000 acre plot of land out of the 20 million acres up there in the coastal plain.”
These are the GOP’s marching orders. I agree with Captain Ed. I don’t believe that McCain’s serious about drilling in ANWR. I agree that this sends a message that Republicans shouldn’t compromise on a weak bill like the Gang of 10 disaster. I’m betting that McCain senses that Democrats are ripe for rolling. I’m betting that Sen. McCain knows that the public is clearly on the GOP’s side on this, which gives them greater latitude.
The Democrats’ drilling plan isn’t the robust drilling plan that Americans want. The Democrats’ comprehensive energy package isn’t about significantly increasing America’s energy supply. It’s about tax increases on Big Oil, currently the Democrats’ favorite boogeyman.
The next important step for the GOP is to get behind the American Energy Act. I(t’s time to start campaigning loudly on the bill because I suspect that Americans would look it over and say that that’s their type of energy bill. It’s robust in its energy production. It includes a provision for building additional nuclear power plants.
Right now, people don’t know that Republicans have something solid on the table. Until they know that the Republicans’ plan is exactly what they’re looking for, their support for Republicans will remain tentative. The minute the AEA becomes the centerpiece of the GOP’s energy policy is the minute the public’s support of the GOP solidifies.
Knocking aside Ms. Pelosi’s plan is a great first step. Replacing the Democrats’ tax increase plan with a robust energy-increasing plan like the AEA is the knockout punch.
Technorati Tags: Drilling, Nancy Pelosi, Tax Increases, Red Tape, T. Boone Pickens, Wind, Solar, Big Oil, John McCain, Sarah Palin, ANWR, OCS, Nuclear Power, Gang Of 10, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog