Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies

Invest in a Clean Energy Future by Ending Fossil Fuels Subsidies

Earlier this month, President Obama called on Congress to repeal the $4 billion annual subsidies we give to oil companies, and they are scheduled to vote on doing so today.

Congress "can either stand up for oil companies, or they can stand up for the American people," the President said in a recent Weekly Address. "They can either place their bets on a fossil fuel from the last century, or they can place their bets on America’s future."

Investing in an all-of-the-above energy strategy—one that relies on domestically produced oil and gas, clean renewable resources like wind and solar power, and new technologies that help us use less energy altogether—requires the putting the right incentives in place.

Instead of subsidizing the fossil fuels of the last century by giving away $4 billion of taxpayer money each year to oil companies that are more profitable than ever, we should be investing in a clean energy future—especially when gas prices are high and drivers, whose budgets are already stretched thin, are feeling the pain at the pump.

President Obama explained earlier this month in New Hampshire:

“We want to have successful oil companies that are able to get the oil that we have in our country, but we also understand that our future requires us to make investments in clean, renewable energies.  And that has to start now.  We can’t wait.  We can’t wait until gas has skyrocketed more and people are desperate.  We need to start making those investments now.”

ICYMI: Gas Prices Sink Obama’s Ratings on Economy, Bring Parity to Race For White House

Excerpts from The Washington Post

By Dan Balz and Jon Cohen

March 12, 2012

"Disapproval of President Obama's handling of the economy is heading higher - alongside gasoline prices - as a record number of Americans now give the president 'strongly' negative reviews on the 2012 presidential campaign's most important issue, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

"Increasingly pessimistic views of Obama's performance on the economy - and on the federal budget deficit - come despite a steadily brightening employment picture and other signs of economic improvement, and they highlight the political sensitivity of rising gas prices.

"The potential political con­sequences are clear, with the ­rising public disapproval reversing some of the gains the president had made in hypothetical general-election matchups against possible Republican rivals for the White House...

"Gas prices are a main culprit: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they disapprove of the way the president is handling the situation at the pump, where rising prices have already hit hard. Just 26 percent approve of his work on the issue, his lowest rating in the poll. Most Americans say higher prices are already taking a toll on family finances, and nearly half say they think that prices will continue to rise, and stay high.

"Friday's employment report showed a gain of 227,000 jobs in the past month, continuing an upward trend and offering the White House something positive to point to. Still, the survey - conducted Wednesday through Saturday - finds 59 percent of Americans giving Obama negative ratings on the economy, up from early last month. Now, 50 percent give him intensely low marks, the most yet in a Post-ABC News poll, and a jump of nine percentage points.

"The negative movement has also stalled what had been a gradual increase since the fall in the president's overall approval rating. In the new poll, 46 percent approve of the way Obama is handling his job; 50 percent disapprove. That's a mirror image of his 50 to 46 positive split in early February. The downshift is particularly notable among independents - 57 percent of whom now disapprove - and among white people without college degrees, with disapproval among this group now topping approval by a ratio of more than 2 to 1, at 66 versus 28 percent...

"In addition to low ratings on his handling of gasoline prices, Obama's approval rating on the deficit hit an all-time low, with a slender 32 percent giving him positive marks. Among independents, 70 percent disapprove here, also a new high.

"Even on foreign policy - a onetime strong point - Obama's ratings look worse. For the first time in nearly a year, as many Americans disapprove as approve of his handling of the war in Afghanistan. On Iran, a slim majority now disapproves of how he is dealing with the possibility of the country obtaining nuclear weapons.

"On energy issues generally, almost half the country gives Obama negative marks..."

Click Here To Read The Full Article: http://wapo.st/yoXnuF

Source: RNC

Infographic: Obama and Gas Prices

Today, the President received a new progress report, showcasing the Administration’s historic achievements in pushing for an all-of-the-above approach to American energy – a strategy aimed at reducing our reliance on foreign oil, saving families and businesses money at the pump, and positioning the United States as the global leader in clean energy.

Check out the report and view the infographic that highlights the Administration's commitment to American energy.

Get the Facts: Our Dependence on Foreign Oil is Declining

America's dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year since President Obama took office. In 2010, we imported less than 50 percent of the oil our nation consumed—the first time that's happened in 13 years—and the trend continued in 2011.

 

We're relying less on imported oil for a number of reasons, not least that production is up here in the United States. In fact, America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years.

 

Despite all this, Americans are still paying more at the pump when we fill up. That's because drilling for more oil here at home won't affect the price of gas on its own.

 

So we have to do more than drill now to bring down prices for the future. Relying on the fossil fuels of the last century won't be enough, especially as demand keeps increasing. We need an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy.

 

This is the strategy President Obama has been pursuing since he took office, but there's still more to be done.

Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Obama Threatens to Cry “Wolf” Again

With gasoline prices causing unrest among voters, President Obama is considering tapping America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This purely political move would cause more harm than good—including costing American taxpayers $1.5 billion dollars.

 

Gasoline prices have surged 42 cents a gallon in the first two months of 2012, setting new records for the most expensive January and February ever at the pump. Americans now pay an average of $3.72 for one gallon of regular gasoline, a 101 percent increase since President Obama took office. Energy analysts project even higher gas prices this summer, warning us to brace for pain at the pump in excess of $4 per gallon.

 

When faced with voter anger over similar prices last June, President Obama sold more than 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) – a pool created for use only in emergencies to safeguard the U.S. economy and national security against severe supply disruptions. The SPR had sold oil twice before in response to supply emergencies. President Obama’s sale of reserve oil was for strictly political reasons.

 

Now Democrats are urging President Obama again to misuse the SPR in a transparent election-year attempt to look like he is doing something about skyrocketing gasoline prices. The White House has pointedly said that all options, including tapping the SPR, remain on the table.

 

There are five primary reasons why repeating this political draw-down would be bad for the American people.  (Read more)

ICYMI: President Obama Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline

“Obama’s Keystone pipeline rejection is hard to accept”

  

 Excerpts from the Washington Post:

“On Tuesday, President Obama’s Jobs Council reminded the nation that it is still hooked on fossil fuels, and will be for a long time. ‘Continuing to deliver inexpensive and reliable energy,’ the council reported, ‘is going to require the United States to optimize all of its natural resources and construct pathways (pipelines, transmission and distribution) to deliver electricity and fuel.’

 

“It added that regulatory ‘and permitting obstacles that could threaten the development of some energy projects, negatively impact jobs and weaken our energy infrastructure need to be addressed.’

 

“Mr. Obama’s Jobs Council could start by calling out . . . the Obama administration…

 

“We almost hope this was a political call because, on the substance, there should be no question. Without the pipeline, Canada would still export its bitumen — with long-term trends in the global market, it’s far too valuable to keep in the ground…”

 

Read the Full Editorial Here.

 

“Obama’s pipeline decision delays energy security”

Excerpts from USA Today: “The Obama administration's kick-the-can decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, at least for now, leaves a confusing muddle that exemplifies the continuing fecklessness of U.S. energy policy…

 

“The pipeline should be built because of the steady stream of oil it would bring to refineries in the United States, which still imports almost half its oil. Environmentalists have raised strong objections to tar-sands oil, which is dirtier than ordinary crude and exacts a greater toll on the climate. But until the nation finds a better way to power the quarter-billion cars, trucks, buses and other vehicles on its roads, it needs reliable supplies of oil. And it's not as if the Canadian oil will stay in the ground if Keystone isn't built; the Chinese will be glad to buy it…

 

“What's really going on here, of course, is the most craven sort of election-year politics. The Obama administration seemed to be on its way to approving Keystone when environmental groups made the pipeline a key test of their support for the president, who suddenly decided the administration couldn't possibly make a decision until sometime after the election…”

 

Read the Full Editorial Here.

“Pipeline politics: Misguided Obama block Keystone pipeline"

Excerpts from the Chicago Tribune: “The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it will deny a permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline, an important link between a U.S. market that's thirsty for energy and a rich source of petroleum in nice, stable, neighborly Canada…

 

“The problem is, Keystone should be approved. This is a good project. It will give us energy and give us jobs. You want stimulus? This is a $7 billion deal to be done with private-sector funding…

 

“Obama made a decision that will deny the U.S. a reliable source of oil…

 

“Obama made a decision that will cost the U.S. good jobs. He seems to think those jobs will still be there when he gets around to making a decision on the pipeline. But they may well be gone for good.”

 

Read the Full Editorial Here.

 

“Obama GOP back in tussle over oil pipeline”

Excerpts from the Associated Press: “Obama blocked the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline on Wednesday, at least temporarily, but Republicans immediately signaled their intention to try again to force the issue. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he will call Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who recommended Obama's rejection, to testify at a hearing as early as next Wednesday, the day after Obama gives his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress.

 

"This is not the end of the fight. Republicans in Congress will continue to push this because it's good for our country and it's good for our economy and it's good for the American people," especially those who are out of work, said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.”

 

Read the Full Article Here.  

Source: RNC

RNC Chairman’s Statement on President Obama’s Decision to Block the Keystone XL Pipeline

By Johanna Persing

 

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus released the following statement regarding President Obama’s decision to block the Keystone XL pipeline:                                

 

“President Obama’s decision to block the Keystone XL energy pipeline is both economically destructive and politically self-serving. He has sacrificed 20,000 American jobs and an affordable, secure energy source simply to please his liberal base. With Americans suffering from high unemployment and high energy prices, the president has once again ignored the needs of the American people,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.

 

“Obama’s failure to lead on the economy is a reminder of how desperately America needs a new direction. Today, Barack Obama proved he will say anything to save his job but do nothing to create jobs for the unemployed. America cannot afford four more years of misplaced priorities.

 

"We need a president who puts the interests of the American people ahead of the special interests.”

Ron Paul Issues Statement on Libya

Yet another unconstitutional and costly adventure

LAKE JACKSON, Texas– Today, 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul issued a statement on the situation in Libya. See comments below.

“The current situation in Libya may be a short term victory for Empire, but it is a loss for our American Republic. And, I fear it may be devastating to the Libyan people.

“There is no doubt that Moammar Gadhafi is a bad guy, and that he has brought harm and misery to his country. However, our involvement in another country’s civil war is costly and unconstitutional.

“We have spent over $1 billion on a war that this administration has fought not with the consent of Congress but under a NATO flag and authorization from the United Nations.

“It is a serious thing for a President to engage us in a war. He is bound by our Constitution to seek authority from the People, through our Congress, prior to engaging in any military action unless that action is to address an imminent threat to our safety and security. The situation in Libya is a civil war contained within that country’s sovereign borders, and it presented no imminent threat to the United States.

“And so, our government continues to spend trillions of dollars in overseas foreign wars while we face unsustainable debt, a looming dollar crisis, and our Constitution seems to lose any meaning. These actions will sink our country if we do not reverse course.

“Meanwhile, we must beware of any ‘Mission Accomplished’ euphoria. The conflict in Libya is far from over, and there could very well be war in Libya for a long time to come.

“While I hope and pray that the hostility draws to a close and the people there find peace, I fear this is only wishful thinking. We face a situation where a rebel element we have been assisting may very well be radical jihadists, bent on our destruction, and placed in positions of power in a new government.

“Worse still, Gadhafi’s successor is likely to be just as bad, or worse, than Gadhafi himself.   Alternately, Libya may descend into anarchy like Somalia after the overthrow of dictator Siad Barre.  Much like when we removed Saddam Hussein, another thug in Iraq, the likelihood of either a new brutal dictatorship or tribal violence and a protracted insurgency are much more likely than the peaceful transition to democracy we are all hoping for.

“With all these problems and the predictable chaos that will likely ensue, we must ask why this administration was so eager to embark on this Libyan operation in the name of ‘humanitarianism.’ Governments in Bahrain and Yemen have this year used military force to put down democratic protestors. The Saudi regime, which practices Sharia Law, has also been repressive, yet we have not intervened there. These countries continue to sell us oil, while Libya had begun to turn their exports toward Russia, China, India, and Brazil. Could this war largely be about protecting our oil interests at the expense of our Constitution?

“This episode is all too familiar. We were already involved in two wars that have dragged on years longer than the people who led us into them initially predicted.  We can no longer afford to police the world, in terms of both dollars and American lives. We will destroy ourselves if we do not stop, build a strong national defense at home, and focus on trade and commerce with the world instead of Empire.”

VIDEO: West Wing Week 8/11/2011 or "Made in America"

Welcome to West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the President announced new initiatives that will put unemployed veterans back to work and new fuel economy standards for trucks, buses and other heavy duty vehicles that will reduce oil consumption and pollution and save businesses money. He also traveled to Holland, Michigan to visit an advanced battery facility that is using innovative technologies that will help America achieve these new fuel standards and used an address to the nation on the credit downgrade to talk about how we can create more jobs. That's August 5th to August 11th or "Made In America."

Green Party supports protesters opposing massive 'Via Verde' gas pipeline through Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico's colonial status must be replaced with self-determination and independence, say Greens

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party has joined Puerto Ricans protesting a proposal by Gov. Luis Fortuño to construct a huge natural gas pipeline that would endanger Puerto Rico's communities and ecosystems. Green Party leaders said that the problem of Puerto Rico's high electric bills and dirty air from burning oil must be resolved through alternative energy instead of burning another fossil fuel.

"Everything about the project is wrong, beginning with Gov. Fortuño's Orwellian name for the pipeline -- the 'Green Way' [Via Verde]. A pipeline that threatens people living nearby and damages green mountains is not green, by any stretch. The top contract for the $450 million pipeline has been awarded to a company with no experience constructing pipelines. It's a corrupt deal to benefit a favored corporation," said Rosa Clemente, the Green Party's 2008 nominee for Vice President. Ms. Clemente is Puerto Rican.

The contractor, Gas Natural de Puerto Rico, is also seeking tax exemption, while the bill for the pipeline will be covered by Puerto Rican taxpayers ("Pide exención contributiva al Gobierno," Perla del Sur, http://www.periodicolaperla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2585:pide-exencion-contributiva-futuro-usuario-del-gasoducto-del-norte&catid=81:locales&Itemid=198).

For more information on the serious risks of the pipeline, see "Casa Pueblo: scientific paper on the pipeline," RedBetances.com (in Spanish) (http://www.redbetances.com/component/content/article/51-en-portada/390-casa-pueblo-html).

"Puerto Rico's colonial status makes it especially vulnerable to the kind of corporate influence, official corruption, and disregard for the well-being of residents and the environment in evidence now with the pipeline proposal. Puerto Ricans were also forced to accept weapons testing by the US Navy on the island of Vieques, until widespread protests shut down the firing range in 2003. The Green Party supports the efforts of Puerto Ricans to stop this misnamed gas pipeline, and we support self-determination, independence, and democratic sovereignty for the people of Puerto Rico," said Michael Canney, Florida Green and member of the Green Party's International Committee (http://www.gp.org/committees/intl).

Green Party leaders said that the Puerto Rico's energy problems must be solved by diversifying energy sources (excluding nuclear power), aggressive energy conservation and efficiency, and finding ways to reduce the island's reliance on expensive fossil fuels. The top priority, in Puerto Rico and throughout the world, must be protection of the health of humans, other living beings, and ecosystems and action to curb the advance of global warming.

On May 9, the Jacksonville office of the US Army Corps of Engineers, in an unprecedented move, removed all documents related to the permitting process for the Via Verde pipeline from the Corps' San Juan office and transferred jurisdiction to Florida. (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&&note_id=118899578193054&id=109915969091415) This decision leaves the San Juan Office, which has spent six months evaluating the project, without jurisdiction. It also distances the people of Puerto Rico from the permitting process. Greens urge the US Army Corps of Engineers to return jurisdiction to its Puerto Rico office, and to decline approval for the project.

"While Gov. Fortuño is promoting Via Verde, President Obama is calling for expanded domestic drilling for oil, with more drilling in Alaska, Atlantic coastal areas, and the Gulf of Mexico. The problem isn't just dependence on foreign oil, as the President seems to think. The problem is the US's addiction to fossil fuels regardless of their source, with a US energy policy driven by corporate greed rather than the public interest. Increased drilling and new pipelines are insane in the context of climate change and last year's BP oil spill disaster," said Hector Lopez, Connecticut Green and member of the International Committee.