Durbin's pathetic path to gas price relief

Ran across a post this morning by a conservative at the Franciscan University in Steubenville (OH), who wrote to our Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin about the nation's intensifying gas price crisis. 

Durbin responded to Mr.Moehlenhof with a long, drawn out, meaningless fluff email that acknowledged the problem but offered no real solutions. Durbin could have conserved energy by wrapping it up as such:

Yeah, I know. Gas is close to $5.00 a gallon. Sorry, I feel your pain, but it's not my fault.  Blame the commodity exchangers, speculators and those awful, evil oil companies who are just a evil and wicked as the tobacco companies used to be. 

But no fear, I have found a way to deflect your anger and relieve some of your stress! I will introduce legislation to increase government control and punish those whose fault all this really is. 

We can't promise anything will come from it, but it doesn't matter.  You're stupid and you'll leave me alone because I've led you to think we're fixing the problem.  In reality, nothing can be done right now, so get used to skipping a couple of meals now and then to put a couple more gallons in your tank. 

Sometimes life is tough.  This is one of those times.

The Democrats are in control . . .

Have a nice day!

Dickie

The post from a fellow American in faraway Ohio hit hard.

It was a reminder how our Illinois conservative movement and its onging lack of vigor, organization, cooperation, leadership and focus continues to enable such arrogant politicians to run roughshod in our nation's highest offices. 

When one thinks of Durbin -- and now Obama -- rising to these national levels simply because we as conservative Republicans either can't figure out how or really don't want to win politically, it is unexcusable and we are responsible for what we've allowed to negatively affect the nation and now, the world.

We put up with leaders more concerned about protecting the bi-partisan combine and increasing their own coffers rather than coalesce around good, decent people willing to offer themselves and their fortunes to run for office.  Finding the balance between political compromise while holding tight to ideological convictions is something we haven't mastered yet.  It's a modern day dilemma, one we'll have to explain to our grandkids someday.

Yes, sometimes life is tough.  This, evidently, is one of those times. 

And until we find it within ourselves to implement change by working together as a force, the Democrats will remain in control  . . .

************************

Durbin's response in its entirety, was posted originally at "The Franciscan University of Stuebenville Conservative"

Dear Mr. Moehlenhof:

Thank you for contacting me about increasing domestic energy production. I appreciate hearing from you.

Record high fuel prices have sparked increased interest in opening additional areas in the outer continental shelf (OCS) and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas leasing. I share your interest in addressing our nation's energy needs and support safe and environmentally responsible oil production. But I also recognize that an energy policy based primarily on drilling will not meet the needs of American consumers.

Large areas of our onshore and offshore oil and gas reserves already have been made available for leasing and development, yet prices remain at unprecedented levels. The Minerals Management Service estimates that 79 percent of recoverable offshore oil and 82 percent of offshore natural gas is already open to drilling. Onshore, the numbers tell a similar story. Roughly 72 percent of oil and 84 percent of natural gas resources are leased or open for exploration pending the completion of land-use planning or environmental reviews. The oil companies continue to demand the right to drill on federal lands and on our coastline, but they are failing to produce on lands currently under lease.

According to the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration providing increased OCS access in the Pacific, Atlantic, and eastern Gulf regions would not have a significant impact on domestic oil and gas prices before 2030. An analysis released by the Energy Department in May 2008 projected that at peak production oil from ANWR could reduce the price per barrel of oil by $0.40 to $1.44 on the global market, an amount equal to one percent or less of the price of crude oil. This would amount to a savings of just a few pennies per gallon for consumers. We cannot drill our way out of our energy troubles

It would be at least 20 years after opening ANWR before oil production reaches its peak of 750,000 barrels per day. In comparison, the fuel economy standards passed by Congress in last year's energy bill are expected to save between 2 million and 2.5 million barrels of oil per day by 2025.

Others in the oil industry blame short supplies on federal refinery laws. However, the industry itself reduced its refinery operations and capacity over the past decade, closing many competitive, independent refineries. Meanwhile, domestic utilization of operable refinery capacity is lower than it has been in years, averaging just over 85 percent during the first four months of 2008.

I am deeply concerned about the effects of high fuel prices on Illinois residents. Increases in energy costs affect consumers in countless ways. High prices at the pump drive up food prices and further deplete the savings of consumers who in many cases are struggling just to pay for the necessities of life.

Several factors continue to put significant pressure on gasoline prices. Since the price of oil is quoted in dollars, a weak U.S. dollar has triggered a rise in world crude oil prices. Increased world demand for crude oil and lasting concerns about the threat of supply disruptions have contributed to an increasingly volatile market.

Many experts have suggested that today's high fuel prices cannot be fully explained by the market interplay between supply and demand. Excessive speculation and manipulation in energy commodity markets may be a significant factor in higher prices, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) does not have the resources or the authority to fully address this risk.

For this reason, I introduced the Increasing Transparency and Accountability in Oil Prices Act of 2008 (S. 3130). My legislation would promote greater transparency in the trading of energy commodities and provide the CFTC with increased resources so that it can better monitor energy markets and prevent traders from engaging in price manipulation and excessive speculation.

I will keep your thoughts in mind as I continue to work for legislation to set our country on a path toward a more stable energy supply and a more secure energy future.

Thank you again for writing. Please feel free to keep in touch.


Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator
RJD/hw