What is it about environmental disaster don’t they get? We have had a major oil spill off the gulf coast a nuclear disaster in Japan and these guys still want to drill in Alaska, off-shore in California AND support the nuclear programs.
Don’t they get it? What do they need — a disaster in their home town?
I wonder who’s pocket Congressman Bilbray is in? I can only assume that he is getting paid well or that he is stupid beyond belief.
I find it hard to believe that anyone with an ounce of empathy or foresight would not be able to see that what happened in the gulf and what happened in Japan could happen again, with disastrous consequences. Just because they want to drill in a far away place like Alaska doesn’t mean a spill won’t have an effect globally.
Are American’s so stupid and insensitive that they would trade a clean environment for their children for cheaper gas at the pump today? According to people like Bilbray, we ARE that stupid and insensitive. We think it can’t happen here, but our nuclear facilities are decades old, and we have proof that an oil spill can not only happen, but that the companies responsible will not clean it up. That one oil spill changed our weather forever, by changing the temperature of the gulf stream. (See article on this in this blog below.)
Apparently, the oil / nuclear power backers of congressmen like Bilbray are betting that we are hurting so much from the high gas prices at the pump that we will ignore the disasters that they cause. Meanwhile, they are raking in the dough.
My favorite part of this “personal letter” is that I can’t reply to it. So I decided to make it public. We need no further proof of the disregard of our “representatives” to their constituents. Who elected this bozo?
Following is the letter I received from Congressman Bilbray after I wrote to him protesting the stronghold that the oil/nuclear industries have on this country and on the world.
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Thank you for contacting me regarding our nation’s energy policy. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
Providing our country with an affordable and sustainable energy supply is an important priority of mine. Currently the United States imports 51 percent of the petroleum it consumes. We can work to reduce this amount by focusing on America’s ability to develop our own natural gas and other energy resources. Expanding domestic energy production will benefit jobs, enhance our energy security, and ultimately profit the American economy.
In an attempt to decrease our foreign energy dependence, I have co-sponsored H.R. 49, the American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act, sponsored by Congressman Don Young (R-AK), to direct the Secretary of the Interior to implement a competitive leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas resources on the Coastal Plain of Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This legislation will make available an estimated 5.7 to 16 billion barrels of oil. Once that oil is made available the world price of oil will decrease and gas prices will likely follow.
In addition, I support granting states the right to explore and drill for oil resources within their own domain. For example, if the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama want to grant drilling rights off their coast, Washington, DC bureaucrats should not impede their leasing authority as long as environmental and safety concerns are properly and adequately addressed and that there are no national security concerns.
However, increasing supply through off-shore drilling is only an intermediate step, and does not address the imperative need to pursue policies that reduce oil reliance. To prepare for the long term, we must invest in sustainable energy sources such as solar, nuclear, algae-based biofuels and hydrogen technologies. For this reason, I have introduced H.R. 1149 which will provide tax credits for algae-based biofuel producers. I have also been a long time supporter of a robust and sustainable nuclear energy industry in the U.S. Nuclear energy is much cleaner than coal and oil energy and is much more efficient. All of these legislative proposals, from drilling in Alaska, to allowing states the opportunity to drill of their coasts, from increasing the availability of biofuels, to expanding our nuclear energy portfolio, will help keep America independent of foreign energy sources and are the key to the future success of the American economy.
Please be assured that as we continue to discuss this issue and other matters that affect our nation’s energy needs I will keep your thoughts in mind. Again, thank you for contacting me. If you should have any questions, please feel free to call me or my office at (202) 225-0508.
Sincerely,
Brian Bilbray
Member of Congress
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