Obama Is to Blame for Soaring Gas Prices

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As usual, Roff continues the Republican ploy (make that lie) that opening up more leases and allowing pipelines is the answer to our energy problems. Although I could list many reasons why such actions cannot lead us to energy independence, instead I will ask one simple question. Why is it that no legislation introduced by Republicans to increase drilling, open up leases and allowing KeystoneXL ever had a stipulation that all oil produced by such projects must be process in US refineries and all gasoline produced by those refineries be sold only in the US? Pretty simple question. Why don't you "drill baby drill" advocates address this to your Congressional reps and see their response - meaning, listen to all their excuses and guarantees that such requirements are not necessary because all of our US petrochemical companies are Americans first and capitalists second!

Mike of TX 11:37AM February 24, 2012

Canada gets lots of oil from tar sands, and shale oil is also coming into play. Neither of these resources are oil shale.'
With both tar sands and shale oil there is actual oil trapped among the rock lays (in sands or within the shale layers). Oil shale is not oil, it is not 'trapped' in the rock. It is kerogen within the rock itself. major difference which the Heritage Foundation and others are either too dense to grasp or which they intentionally conflate to confuse their minions.

Pete of CO 2:56PM March 24, 2011

Although oil companies currently control over 70,000 acres of the best oil shale lands--encompassing the so-called Mahogany Layer--and although they have been working robustly on this for decades, they have yet to demonstrate that there is a commercially viable means to extract and develop this resource; they have yet to demonstrate how much water--0all coming from the over-allocated Colorado River system--a commercial oil shale industry (should one ever be viable) would require; they have yet to indicate how much power would be needed and where that would come from--although it would be massive, requiring several new coal-fired or other power plants.
If the Heritage Foundation says it, take it with a grain of salt. If not an outright fabrication they are undoubtedly not telling the whole story.
To be converted to a fuel (since oil shale is neither oil nor shale) it has to be mined and retorted (leaving vast scars and gashes and massive quantities of 'pop-corned' toxic tailings; or baked in place ('in-situ') for years and years at 700 degrees Fahrenheit). Thus to compare it to oil in Saudi Arabia is dishonest, inaccurate, and (I suspect intentionally) misleading.

Pete of CO 2:47PM March 24, 2011

Everyone wants to drill our own oil, convert the shale to oil, but what everyone seems to forget is when the Middle East and other big oil producers run out of oil, we will still be sitting on our reserves. Buy when we can, reserve ours for our use when the others run dry.
Or we could just learn to produce better solar operated machines, cars. Imagine that. Capturing something that floods our environment every day and converting it into usable energy. What a thought.

Donnie of TX 6:16PM March 16, 2011

I have a bit of knowledge about the natural gas fracking because it is going on all over the country and in the area where I live. The huge amounts of water they need to blast into the earth and the mixture of chemicals they use have been harmful to the drinking water of many areas. In my area there have been site explosions with several young men killed. Several cows died after drinking contaminated runoff from a well and it was a terrible death as reported in our local newspaper. I am concerned about the drinking water in America if this continues. Now we are hearing that all the fracking in Arkansas has been a factor in the earthquakes they have had in the last year - 800. Natural gas explorations is scaring me.

Vicki is a Liberal of LA 11:31PM March 12, 2011

I would never trust one word written by the Heritage Foundation. This is a right wing organization and they are guilty of greed and corruption in the GOP at this time. President Obama will work to do what is necessary to help Americans, but will be blocked by republicans who don't want Americans to be helped. That is what we are in for for a long time with the most right wing extremist morons in our government who act as stupid as possible for their base of idiots.

V of LA 11:14PM March 12, 2011

Bush and Cheney were in the oil business and they were responsible for the oil subsidies and policies that were for oil corporations like Halliburton to make billions and get be given billions. President Obama has no such association and is a Democrat which means he will care about the people of this nation before he will be concerned about oil billionaires. I do not blame the president, but it is republicans in the House that give the greedy oil speculators and CEOs the go ahead to do their worst to the people of America.

Vicki is a Liberal of LA 11:08PM March 12, 2011

I'm retired from a major oil company. The sudden spike in prices is not a result of Obama's policies. It is primarily due to the turmoil in the Middel East.
The arguments Mr. Roff makes regarding Obama's policies will lead to higher oil and gas prices in the future. Restricting development of resources in the US will lead to higher prices. Any sane economist will tell you the same thing.
Don't be surprised to see European level prices in the US in the next 5-10 years.

Bob of TX 2:59PM March 11, 2011

Try buying $4 gasoline in Europe. You can't. Price in Norway spiked today at $10 a gallon. Should be back to $8.50 or $9 if crude oil keeps dropping. And remember that Norway is the world's third largest oil exporter. I haven't seem European gas at less than $7 in a long time. But we must keep taxes low until no one else will loan us money. We certainly need more cars on the road and more babies to drive them--unless we realize that global warming in a major problem and that overpopulation is THE major problem of the world. But why worry. Japan or Haiti will never have an earthquake. Neither will California. Did you ever hear of an ostrich's reaction to real or imagined fear?
And--Obama has absolutely nothing to do with the oil prices, except for the fact that he had to bail out failed businessses. But the dollar value has still not dropped below the Bush low.

ProfBob 1:11PM March 11, 2011

Were you among the group that blamed Bush for the last spike in prices? If so, turnabout is fair play. Get over it, and get real.
As to electric cars : as an engineer in the automotive field, I can safely state that electric cars ARE NOT the answer to our hydrocarbon-based fuel problems - the electricity has to be generated somehow, and at this time the majority of it in the US is generated through burning coal and natural gas (68%), with the burning of oil accounting for only 1%.
This means that the use of electric vehicles only shifts the energy consumed to another part of the fossil fuel type range - it DOES NOT decrease the use of fossil fuels (with the exception those areas services by nuclear generation).
Until the citizens of this country wake up and start consciously sorting through their own use of energy and make the necessary changes to substantially reduce their individual energy consumption instead of continually increasing and wasting what they use simply because energy remains relatively inexpensive, all the alternative energy programs in the world will not fix our current reliance on fossil fuels.

junior of DC 12:02PM March 11, 2011