Obama Energy Secretary: no our goal is not to lower gas prices (video in context)
Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu says it all in this one piece of video.No the ultimate goal of the Obama administration is not to ease the burden of higher gas prices, it’s to get you in electric cars or … on trains … or buses to no where. Courage!
Here’s the video in context. Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-Miss.) does a nice job of explaining the pain his constituents feel at the pump right now and asks what the administration is doing to ease that pain hitting the middle class particularly hard. Chu’s answer I think surprises even Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-Miss.).
httpv://youtu.be/NRuvsvFpYwU
But Americans need relief now, Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-Miss.) said — not high gasoline prices that could eventually push them to alternatives. …
Chu expressed sympathy but said his department is working to lower energy prices in the long term. …
“But is the overall goal to get our price” of gasoline down? asked Nunnelee.
“No, the overall goal is to decrease our dependency on oil, to build and strengthen our economy,” Chu replied. “We think that if you consider all these energy policies, including energy efficiency, we think that we can go a long way to becoming less dependent on oil and [diversifying] our supply and we’ll help the American economy and the American consumers.”
Catch the rest here at Commentary … or here at Hot Air.
12 Comments
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A “we have to kill the patient to save him” strategy?
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I just love these “geniuses” in the ?bama administration.
Drill, drill, drill has not managed to lower the gas prices either.
Given that the current fuel price spike is blamed on speculation, one might expect that speculation that the US might actually take advantage of its own resources instead of kowtowing to greenies would cause prices to go lower.? Only when see lots of oil platforms in the Gulf, pipelines from Canada, and some of our own oil sand/shale resources producing, will we be able to comment on the results of a “drill, drill, drill” policy.
There have been barely half of the drilling permits issued that are available. The Gulf has been depopulated of drilling rigs. Many of the ones there lost their leases and had to cap their wells and the rigs floated to another location that allows drilling. We are no where near drilling on all likely sites where oil is suspected.
We all knew there is no desire on the part of the ?bama Regime to even try to get gasoline prices lower for the American people. Further proof of the elitist mentality that infects the
WH.
I hope the ‘Publicans have (at least) half a brain and will use this *revelation* by Chu in the late summer/ fall campaign.
The US uses about 20 million barrels/day and produces almost 10 million barrels/day. There is LOT of catching up to do to be “self-sufficient”. Drilling us out of this is not a very credible outcome in a short horizon scenario.
Lol and solar? powered cars and the flamable volt is.? we blew our biggest chance to go watermellon (greeniers are like watermelons, green on the outside red at the core), because this dumber than a rock ideology is all about, redistribution of wealth.? Decades ago with the destruction of manufacturing. We should have converted all the old factories that used to line the rivers to hydroelectric plants.? Why is no one talking about fuel cell cars either?
Agreed, sammy, but every time someone proposes drilling here or there, the dust is blown off the “well, it will take more than ten years to see that fuel at the pump” excuse.
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That was, what, twenty-thirty years ago?? Talk about kicking the can down the street!? Ten years from now, oil could be in very short supply.? Developing resources with that in view is critical.
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It seems that we have repeatedly passed those production horizons with nothing to show for it because the drilling wasn’t allowed back then, just as it is now.
I also agree that more drilling in the US must take place. And it’s occurring, but one should keep an eye on the facts. All the drilling in North Dakota amounts to 530,000 barrels/day. The Keystone XL pipeline is slated to carry 100,000 barrels/day.? These numbers are not large enough to affect neither the price of crude nor the price of gas in the short term.
Those are figures for what is currently allowed (or not).? Every drill hole is a step in the right direction towards “energy independence”.? Work that Bakken formation, Marcellus shale, offshore platforms.? Be super careful in the meantime, but not careful to the level of no permitting.?? Then, we will start to see a difference.? And if there is a(nother) crisis in the ME, we can simply buy from our own sources rather than a war zone full of terrorists and terrorist supporters.? Win-win.
Obamation rule #1 don’t let a crisis go to waste. Even if you have to help the crisis along. And believe you me $5-$8 a gallon is a crisis that’s coming at this rate.
Great post, Jim. Hey CHU, You Are On the Wrong Track!?