In the Pipeline: 3/22/12

The best part of this is that Congressman Markey is always in favor of people sending their heating oil to Massachusetts (think LIHEAP).  Maybe someone should introduce a bill outlawing the transport of energy across State lines Juneau Empire (3/21/12) reports: U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., told oil giants BP, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil his natural gas export bills now in Congress would block a proposed $40 billion pipeline to export Alaska natural gas to Asia…The bills, originally introduced in February, drew a sharp response from Alaska’s Sen. Mark Begich…The $40 billion plan was covered by Financial Times reporter Ed Crooks on Wednesday (on.ft.com/GF4pMJ). Markey released an announcement the same day in which he “decried the plans” to allow export of “American natural gas to China.”

$100K Fisker’s dying on owners; $12.50 a gallon for Volt to pan out. And Obama laughs at Americans who want to drill for oil Reuters (3/21/12) reports: Scott Kluth has a love-hate relationship with his new Fisker Karma luxury electric sedan…The 34-year-old car lover bought the plug-in hybrid electric Karma in December for $107,850, but five days later the car’s battery died as he was driving in downtown Chicago. While the car he affectionately calls a “head turner” was fixed in a recall, Kluth remains uncertain how much he will drive it…”I just want a car that works,” Kluth said. “It’s a fun car to drive. It’s just that I’ve lost confidence in it.”

This guy makes a lot of sense Forbes (3/21/12) reports: If you are opposed to the continued use of fossil fuels in the world, then you are not in the position to embrace the modern-day renaissance of oil and natural gas in America…Since President Obama’s election three and a half years ago, he and his administration have done everything in their power to stop fossil fuel usage, including a carbon tax, increased federal regulations, delays in federal permitting, infrastructure permitting denials for the Keystone XL Pipeline, capital starvation for drilling by the elimination of intangible drilling costs, and depletion allowance.  All of these actions are designed to result in higher costs at the pump for the consumer.  At the same time, there are billions of dollars in subsidies being given to solar, wind and all other alternative sources of energy.

The President isn’t quite lying, but he’s not telling the truth either.   Which should make you proud as an American.  What he is doing is trying to do is avoid the simple fact that we have 200 years’ worth of oil in the ground in the United States.  Right now.  And the only thing keeping us from getting it is the federal government which he, I think, leads Politico (3/21/12) reports: President Barack Obama visited an oil and gas field in New Mexico Wednesday night to distance himself from rising gasoline prices by framing the issue as one controlled by fickle international markets…”Every time there’s instability in the Middle East, we will feel it at the pump, even if we are drilling nonstop here in New Mexico and all across the country,” Obama said…Obama cited an Associated Press analysis that concluded there is no statistical correlation between domestic drilling and prices at the pump.

I am willing to bet a lot of money that Ed Markey is going to tweet something about this Forbes (3/21/12) reports: A federal judge in Mississippi has ended a long-running suit that attempted to hold a selection of U.S. utilities and coal and oil companies responsible for flooding damage caused by Hurricane Katrina…U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr., in a decision released yesterday, dismissed Comer vs. Murphy Oil with prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled or reconstituted. The decision should serve to preclude, other similar lawsuits accusing companies of emitting global-warming gases that cause damaging weather patterns.