It's The Supply, Stupid

Congress Can Lower Gasoline Prices By:

• Cutting gas taxes and banning earmarks that drive up costs
• Supporting Congressman Ryan's "Roadmap for America's Future" HR 6110 is a good first step.
• Increase American oil production by allowing drilling in ANWR and increasing exploration in the OCS.
• Authorizing the construction of new refineries and expansion of existing ones.
• Ending the moratorium on oil shale production in he US

America Deserves a Sound and Responsible Energy Policy

• The best way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and keep our money here, is to utilize the resources we currently have at our disposal while we wait on a viable market source of alternative energy.
• The free market, if allowed to work, will encourage the necessary innovation that will yield clean and cheap sources of energy.
• The United States is the most environmentally responsible and successful nation in the known universe, but current climate regulations proposed by the enviro-nazi wacko lobby would put a stop to this prosperity and ultimately do more harm than than good to the cause of energy independence and financial (and national) security.

First and foremost, the United States must increase it's domestic supply of oil and natural gas. Nearly 85% of the OCS is off-limits for drilling and exploration because of a dhimmicrat imposed Congressional mandate. Similarly, the vast supplies of oil contained in the northernmost portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) are impounded. These are two areas that are proven to contain vast reserves of oil and natural gas, that the government, (i.e. dhimmicrat and environmental lobbyists), has chosen to allow to sit idle. By opening these reserves for exploration and drilling, Congress could decrease the cost of fuel. According to recent pols, nearly three-fourths of Americans support drilling in these areas.

Seond, Congress must authorize the construction and expansion of oil refineries in the United States. There has not been a new refinery built in this nation for over 30 years. In 2007, the U.S. consumed nearly 21 million barrels of oil PER DAY, but produced only 5 million. By lifting burdensome regulations, we can dramatically increase the amount of oil produced in this country.

Finally, Congress should simply allow the free-market to work to meet the energy needs of the nation. Three things that Congress can do right now that would spur on the free market are cutting taxes, banning earmarks, and eliminating the wasteful spending that is rampant in Washington DC. If the free market is allowed to work with minimal intervention, then not only will we see a decrease in fuel prices because of increased domestic production, but we will also witness the emergence of viable alternative sources of energy.

The Congressional ban on offshore drilling expires on 30 September 2008. The best thing Congress can do is what has continually done, NOTHING. Let the ban expire. Free the market to run on it's own.

Let the American people do what they have always done, overcome adversity and show the world we are the greatest country in the known universe.

Cross posted at The Talon and DCProtestWarrior

Congress Teams Up With OPEC to Defeat Middle Class America

from Townhall.com

Walter Williams
Despite Congress' periodic hauling of weak-kneed oil executives before their committees to charge them with collusion and price-gouging, subsequent federal investigations turn up no evidence to support the charges. Right now oil company executives are getting a bit of a respite as Congress has turned its attention to crude oil speculators, blaming them for high oil prices and calling for tighter control over commodity futures trading.
Congressional attacks on speculation do not alter the oil market's fundamental demand and supply conditions. What would lower the long-term price of oil is for Congress to permit exploration for the estimated billions upon billions of barrels of oil domestically available, not to mention the estimated trillion-plus barrels of shale oil in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. Some politicians pooh-pooh calls for drilling, saying it would take five or 10 years to recover the oil. I guarantee you we would begin to see a reduction in today's prices even if it took five to 10 years for us to get the first barrel. Put yourself in the place of an OPEC member knowing there would be a greater supply of U.S. oil five or 10 years, hence maybe driving oil prices lower to say $40 a barrel. What will you want to do now while oil is $130 a barrel? You would want to sell as much oil now and OPEC's collective efforts to do so would put downward pressures on current oil prices. Right now the U.S. Congress is OPEC's staunchest ally.