High Energy Prices Are Obama's 'Explicit Policy Goal,' Inhofe Says
A prominent GOP senator on energy issues accused President Barack Obama Thursday morning of having set an “explicit policy goal” of making energy prices more costly for Americans.
“My message today is simply this: higher gas prices - indeed, higher prices for the energy we use - are an explicit policy goal of the Obama administration,” said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla), ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Let me put it another way: the Obama administration is attacking affordable energy.”
Inhofe’s comments come as crude oil futures traded up on anxiety over unrest in the Middle East and broke the triple-digit mark in recent weeks. As of Thursday, light crude was trading at over $101 per barrel.
“We have, in fact, 163 billion barrels of recoverable oil - nearly six times higher than what President Obama and the Democrats like to claim,” Inhofe continued. “Let's think about 163 billion barrels for a moment: that is enough to maintain our current levels of production and replace our imports from the Persian Gulf for more than 50 years.”
The senator, who regularly rails against the Obama administration’s support of so-called “cap-and-trade” legislation, said such policies are about starving the country of energy supply.
“You see, the cap-and-trade agenda is also about energy austerity,” Inhofe said on the Senate floor. “The hope is that if we restrict enough supply, the price will increase, and we can then simply shift to less costly alternatives. Yet this is wishful thinking.”
“If you think $4.00 is too much for a gallon of regular, fasten your seat belts.”
Inhofe made the speech in support of the Energy Tax Prevention Act, legislation designed to bar the Environmental Protection Agency from moving to regulate carbon dioxide emissions under the Clean Air Act, which Republicans claim is outside the agency’s purview. After he introduced the bill last week, it quickly picked up 42 more co-sponsors, including Democrat Joe Manchin (W.Va.).
- Christopher Neefus's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
Said it before
Submitted by jon_torlin on Fri, 03/11/2011 - 4:38pm.
Said it before, I'll say it again, the energy situation we are in is an absolutely ridiculous one and one that's totally unnecessary. Energy should NEVER be a luxury, and that's what the prices are gearing up towards.
So many people think that oil is only used for making gasoline, but nothing could be further from the truth. So many people act like we're addicted to oil, again, nothing could be further from the truth. We need oil as much as we need water. That's not an addiction. That's just living.
All this crap about "alternative energy" and everything that comes with it is just that....CRAP. It's a way of forcing population control to whatever these communists want, which in effect is limiting our freedoms.
If those communists want that, get the ***K out of America!
-Jon
Our energy situation is
Submitted by bassndude on Fri, 03/11/2011 - 5:45pm.
Our energy situation is created by this, and other administrations, Congress and the Senate. When a bill was introduced during Bushes terms to permit more drilling, it was killed by the Dems. We need to lift the drilling ban everywhere. We need to drill where there is oil. Yellow Stone has some, Alaska has a BUNCH! We have oil all over this nation, and a hand full of commies are holding all of it hostage for the sake of government subsidized fake energy. Just how much corn will it take to drive from NY to CA? Enough to feed a family for a week in Mexico.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal/troll!!
Of course Obama wants higher energy prices
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 03/11/2011 - 4:59pm.
What better way to topple a (semi) free market economy such as ours than to price what fuels its expansion further and further out of reach.
The coming increases in oil and gas prices, as well as the overall inflation they will be bringing with them, are going to push our failing economy into a depression - if we aren't there already.
It's time for the repubs in the House to stop bumping their gums and do something about this before it's too late.
Something has to be done to take some of the upward pressure off of gas prices, and it could be something as simple as resuming drilling right here in America.
This criminal president should be forced out of office for what he is intentionally doing to our nation.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
He did say so
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Fri, 03/11/2011 - 8:59pm.
Obama did say he wanted higher gas prices, he just didn't want them to go up so quickly.
Inhofe isn't telling us something Obama hasn't already said, himself.
Yes. We can get off foreign oil.
Submitted by The Vet on Sat, 03/12/2011 - 2:15am.
There is a revolution underway in this country with the new drilling techniques. The shale gale revolution is starting to impact oil. Our reserves of recoverable oil are rising every single day.
Oil-Drilling Boom Under Way