November 04, 2009
What's Inside:
Graves headed for D.C. to push for more drilling
Congressman Sam Graves heads back to Washington today as part of Republican lawmakers’ efforts to force a House vote on more energy exploration.
Mr. Graves, speaking in St. Joseph on Monday, criticized the Democratic majority’s position as self-limiting when it comes to drilling for oil and natural gas.
“We’ve got to increase supply to bring the (pump) price down,” the GOP legislator said. “I don’t know why they want to limit this.”
Mr. Graves spoke to the media outside the Fill-Up Guys convenience store on South U.S. Highway 169. His appearance was aimed at building pressure on Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call that chamber back into session for a vote on energy legislation.
While Congress remains out of session during August, a revolving group of Republican representatives is occupying the House floor to call attention to their drilling demands.
Today, Mr. Graves’ turn comes up.
In addition to pushing legislative points, the lawmakers recognize the value of energy action, and the curse of inaction, as the fall campaign approaches. Neither Republicans nor Democrats want to absorb voter blame for pump prices $1.24 a gallon higher than the time of the last congressional election.
The campaign of his re-election opponent, Democrat Kay Barnes, issued a statement Monday saying she agreed Congress needs to get back to work immediately.
Steve Glorioso, the Barnes spokesman, said, “Given Graves’ record of siding with oil and gas companies after taking $63,000 of their money and voting against alternative energies for the last eight years while consumers paid the price, Northwest Missourians might be better off if he stayed at home indefinitely.”
Over the weekend, Ms. Pelosi announced she would consider offshore drilling as part of an energy package. Mr. Graves warned this could be part of a “shell game” that leaves out critical areas for exploration.
Republicans, he said, want a vote that specifically lifts the moratorium on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on the outer continental shelf. “They’re for drilling in places where it’s already being drilled,” Mr. Graves said of the Democrats. “We want drilling where it’s easy.”
Ken Newton can be reached
at kenn@npgco.com.
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Hahaha he is trying to make people think he cares because he has an opponant this time!! Stop wasting time on this guy!
I can't believe they think people are actually falling for this. Experts have said it might make gas .03 cents a gallon cheaper. after 10 years to get the first drop. But they are acting like it is a big deal so their oil buddies want it. the future is in renewable energy, when are these guys going to start considering real solutions?
when are the Democrats going to bring real energy debate to the floor? We can't even get a vote on real solutions, because Democrat leadership fail to bring anything to a vote.
Coal gassification? Nuclear power? Wind energy? What exactly do you think we should be doing? I think its obvious we should be doing something, but obviously the Democrats don't think so.
I commend Mr. Graves for standing up to Democat leadership and voicing his opposition to Congress' vacation while you and I are dealing with outrageous prices at the pump.
And it isn't like these new technologies are just going to happen overnight. Maybe the long-term answer is alternative sources, but until we find those solutions we still will rely heavily on natural resources. You want to pull a barge, a train or get a combine in the field you still need a combustion engine, and so far the only energy source that works for that is fossil fuels.
Yet, we continue to handcuff ourselves by not going after our own resources and not building new refineries in this country, making our dependence on foreign nations even worse. Look at what China is doing, they don't care how they pollute the environment, yet they are building new lants on a daily basis. Our standards are so much cleaner, yet our environmental wackos won't let us go after our own resources and do it in a more environmentally friendly manner.
Just remember, when we're in some serious trouble come 10 years down the road, it will be the fault of the Pelosi's, liberal left extreme environmental groups, and people like you rmap that we can then blame.
here's a good synopsis of what yu're do-nothing Democrat Congress has been working on for you rmap and Mizzou. You should be so proud:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121910897089651793.html?mod=googlenews_wsj