Gulf Oil Spill Could Make Republicans the Party of New Energy

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For the past eight years the Bush administration especially Dick Cheney has been like the fox guarding the hen house, saving a few dollars on deregulating the deep drilling has now cost BP billions and billions of dollars and has cost our environment who knows how much damage. Destroying the Atlantic ocean should be a jail able offense. I saw Dick Cheney's daughter on TV this morning defending her father and I wondered just how she had enough guts to even show up.

Kenneth Miller of OR 2:38PM June 06, 2010

I watch this thing continue to spew gas and oil out. Why doesn't BP, the local Responders and managers, or the federal governement get barges or ships in there to lower suction lines down to the head, turn on the pumps and use current, proven technology to capture most of the oil at the source instead of waiting on it to get to the surface?
I have seen vacumes and suction work on many spills and clean ups. Reduce it at the source, until a solution can be completed. Seperators are used in barge cleaning, oil seperators, and waste plants. The barges can get most of it before it gets to the surface.
Just my opinion, someone needs to take command and get things moving instead of waiting BP to work thier "ideas"
Ben in TX

ben meche of TX 8:10AM June 04, 2010

Let's see, for the past thirty or forty years Republicans have relentlessly savaged environmentalists, derivisvely portrayed anyone who spoke up for the planet as tree huggers, scoffed at conservation efforts as the pipe dreams of wacko environmentalists, etc.......now you suggest that you get Fox and Rush to undo the hate they have instilled in the faithful towards environmentalists and their ilk. Sometimes I wonder about you. Do people who watch Ox gradually become untethered from reality? Address: 711 E. Krayler
Stillwater, OK 74075
Phone: (405) 707-3700
1-800-270-0797

Mud of OK 11:14PM June 03, 2010

First let me say, yes we need new energy, but lets be realistic, with a population of 310 million people and growing windmills, solar panels and wave machines are not the answers we need. These answers when made affordable will help.
To keep our economy going and people working we need bigger answers. As I've said many times before, we need to push and promote our businesses and collage educated people to develope the safest and most efficient ways to use our natural resources. The resources are here for a reason, for us to use. We just need to use our best brains (of which I'm not one of ) to find the best way, safest way to extract and use them.
We need the power and we need the jobs that go along with getting it here at home as opposed to paying another country.
After all this is America, we have the best and the brightist, lets put them to work. WE CAN DO IT !! And keep the enviroment in tact and better.

Hunter of WI 7:54PM June 03, 2010

Republicans don't care about the environment. That's what got us onto this mess. We have got toget the gov offa our backs , remember. Deregulate, dereregulate. Or drill baby drill. For republicans to change would be like asking a fifty year alcoholic to sober up. It ain't going to happen.

Mud of OK 2:11PM June 03, 2010

You folks don't live in reality. Pull your collective heads out of the clouds. I adhere more closely with fiscal conservative values. But, I'm all for clean energy EXCEPT clean energy/fuel efficiency is a LOOOOONG way from meeting consumer demands and expectations.
Consumers will not be on board with your alternative fuel agenda until SUV's and Heavy Duty trucks surpass gas/diesel performance/benefits ie, increased horsepower, further distance without stopping, cheaper sticker prices, refuel/recharge in seconds versus hours.
The aditional problem with your "environmental agenda" is that alternative fuel is not commercially viable for the market.
To do so would require more hydroelectric dams for your precious electricity, require nuclear power plants, increase mining for the precious metals required for hybrids, and devote more agriculture for your ethanol, more drilling for natural gas.
What may be beneficial/effective for one consumer does not necessarily extrapolate the same for 300+ million vehicles in the US or 900+ million in the world.
So, do us all a favor and pull your head out of . . . the clouds.

David of ID 1:11PM June 03, 2010

Kay is right. As long as Rupert Murdock and his Arab sheik partner keep pumping out oil company propaganda, the Republican base will hate anyone who tries to move to clean energy. The Republicans are stuck with the monster they created.
As for alternate fuel, it would be viable if we didn't subsidize oil so heavily. The US leases the land at below market value, sends army into the Middle East to secure oil and pumps billions into roads instead of public transportation. If you took off these and the thousands of other supports, alternate energy would be very viable.
I left the Republican party over their anti-environmental stances which have become worse and more corrupt and oil company driven over the years. I will be happy if they join in the effort finally, but I will find it sickeningly hypocritical if they pretend to take the lead.

ZeeBee of IL 11:24PM June 02, 2010

Oh for heaven sakes, the GOP has fought every effort to move to green energy or fight climate change for at least 40 years. Do you think people are stupid enough to buy that they are suddenly the party of new energy? Anyway, they are much more heavily indebted to big oil that are the Democrats, plus Fox News has everyone believing that the spill was eco-terrorism and that climate change is a hoax.

Kay of MI 11:10PM June 02, 2010

Let me assist you with your research. This very website, US News and World Report under the section Nation and World there is an illuminating article entitled "Who gets money from the Oil industry"? Here's your top 10 and the amount of money they received.
1 Lincoln, Blanche Democrat AR Senate $265,650
2 Vitter, David Republican LA Senate $225,300
3 Murkowski, Lisa Republican AK Senate $203,326
4 Bennett, Bob Republican UT Senate $131,150
5 Specter, Arlen Democrat PA Senate $125,300
6 Cornyn, John Republican TX Senate $124,625
7 Edwards, Chet Democrat TX House $110,530
8 Barton, Joe Republican TX House $103,570
9 Conaway, Mike Republican TX House $101,350
10 Dorgan, Byron Democrat ND Senate $95,450
I'm glad to see Idaho's congressional delegation are not on the top 10 list. But I assume that they are on the list somewhere.

David of ID 3:35PM June 02, 2010

Greed? Really? You're a smart man. Have you seen that floating monstrosity. There was the potential for a myriad of problems not to mention they were drilling in over 5,000 feet of water.
In fact, if it were a case of so called "greed" don't you think greed would have been the reason to forestall any and every potential problem to eliminate the overwhelming costs for which they are currently on the hook to pay? From a business sense, this clean up / plug the leak is a non-value adding activity. It's proverbial money down the drain. I have yet to meet a businessman/woman who is so incensed with profit taking as to be willing to assume this risk.
You have to know that these oil companies understand the market and business environment in which they operate. They all knew well before this incident happened that something of this magnitude would rock their company to the core. I'm sure that CEO's of BP are living a nightmare.
It's simple minded to tag something like this as simply "greed". I'm sorry, I believe the crisis is much more profound than we can imagine.
I suspect the current administration will attempt to put this thing to rest as quickly as possible for fear of what is exposed once the surface is scratched. I suspect, if a full blown investigation took place, that we'd see many of our politician with oil on their hands.
Doubt me? Then do your own research and see how many US Senators and Representatives have been lobbied by the petroleum industry. See how many of them depend on the petroleum industry for campaign donations and financing by said industry. And guess what? It's not just Republicans.

david of ID 3:27PM June 02, 2010