A Social Network of Oil & Gas Professionals
Obama-Nomics & The Climate Bill
The Climate Bill-Cap and Trade
I have received several messages from members who oppose the current Climate Bill that’s now before the Senate. Some have asked me to broadcast a message to all members encouraging them to call their Senator, others have asked that I post the information on the main page of the site. I have done neither but encourage each of you to come to your own conclusions on this important legislation and act accordingly.
My opinions are that the Climate Bill is a tax in disguise on all Americans-It will be the largest tax increase in my lifetime and I am told the largest ever. It is also a very unfair tax, as the majority of the burden will be cast upon working class Americans.
All the costs of carbon emissions will be passed on to consumers, from the gas you burn to get to the rig, the fuel for your camping lantern, the gas for your 4 wheeler-if the climate bill passes ,anything that requires energy to make or operate is going to get more expensive.
What does this mean to you and I?
Well, first of it means we pay more for everything we purchase or operate. In America, 50% of our electricity is generated by burning coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels. Natural gas currently accounts for 30% of electrical generation in this country & is the cleanest burning of our fossil fuels No matter how many propellers the Democrats want to dot the American countryside with, the majority of our electrical generation needs will be met with fossil fuels. The sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow and I don’t know anyone, Democrat or Republican , that’s going to sit in the dark and wait on it.
I can remember several times up until last July, at the gas pumps, spending $70 to fill up and thinking to myself that I am fortunate to be a Driller, fortunate to make the wage I did so that I could even afford to fill up, while I wondered how others that made much less, were getting by! As long as natural gas was @ $13 and gasoline @ $4 I knew I would have a job to afford these expenses
That is how I am looking at this Cap and Trade Climate Bill. It’s going to hurt in the short term to all of us and continue to hurt many in the long term as well. But what does it mean to me as an oilfield hand? Well, it means that some of that 50% of electricity that is currently generated by burning coal will be switched to cleaner burning natural gas. Increased natural gas use means job security to me and allows me to take care of my family.
We all know we are sitting on an ocean of natural gas that was once unrecoverable. We all know Solar/Wind cannot meet this nation’s energy needs .We know natural gas is cleaner than both coal and oil. Without doubt , under the Climate Bill, the consumption of natural gas in this country is about to increase-Despite Obama-nomic’s attempts to bankrupt the industry.
The Bill, as sent to the Senate has no chance of passing in its present form. The votes to pass it are not there. For passage ,the bill will need the support of several mid-western Senators. Here in Oklahoma, one of those Senators has just co-authored a bill to increase CNG use as a transportation fuel. I plan to contact him and say look, ”These greenies need your vote to pass this Climate Bill-if you have to support it please make sure that it contains provisions to convert our transportation fuel to natural gas”
Each of us has to make these decisions for ourselves ,our families and our country.
Is this climate bill going to be good for America? I say no. is it going to be good for those of us that make a living drilling for natural gas? In the long term, I believe it will. It will be interesting to see what changes are made to the bill before being voted on in the Senate, but I feel the changes will be radical.
I encourage each of you to decide for yourselves what’s right for you and lend your support in that direction
How do I contact my elected officals?
I have received several messages from members who oppose the current Climate Bill that’s now before the Senate. Some have asked me to broadcast a message to all members encouraging them to call their Senator, others have asked that I post the information on the main page of the site. I have done neither but encourage each of you to come to your own conclusions on this important legislation and act accordingly.
My opinions are that the Climate Bill is a tax in disguise on all Americans-It will be the largest tax increase in my lifetime and I am told the largest ever. It is also a very unfair tax, as the majority of the burden will be cast upon working class Americans.
All the costs of carbon emissions will be passed on to consumers, from the gas you burn to get to the rig, the fuel for your camping lantern, the gas for your 4 wheeler-if the climate bill passes ,anything that requires energy to make or operate is going to get more expensive.
What does this mean to you and I?
Well, first of it means we pay more for everything we purchase or operate. In America, 50% of our electricity is generated by burning coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels. Natural gas currently accounts for 30% of electrical generation in this country & is the cleanest burning of our fossil fuels No matter how many propellers the Democrats want to dot the American countryside with, the majority of our electrical generation needs will be met with fossil fuels. The sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow and I don’t know anyone, Democrat or Republican , that’s going to sit in the dark and wait on it.
I can remember several times up until last July, at the gas pumps, spending $70 to fill up and thinking to myself that I am fortunate to be a Driller, fortunate to make the wage I did so that I could even afford to fill up, while I wondered how others that made much less, were getting by! As long as natural gas was @ $13 and gasoline @ $4 I knew I would have a job to afford these expenses
That is how I am looking at this Cap and Trade Climate Bill. It’s going to hurt in the short term to all of us and continue to hurt many in the long term as well. But what does it mean to me as an oilfield hand? Well, it means that some of that 50% of electricity that is currently generated by burning coal will be switched to cleaner burning natural gas. Increased natural gas use means job security to me and allows me to take care of my family.
We all know we are sitting on an ocean of natural gas that was once unrecoverable. We all know Solar/Wind cannot meet this nation’s energy needs .We know natural gas is cleaner than both coal and oil. Without doubt , under the Climate Bill, the consumption of natural gas in this country is about to increase-Despite Obama-nomic’s attempts to bankrupt the industry.
The Bill, as sent to the Senate has no chance of passing in its present form. The votes to pass it are not there. For passage ,the bill will need the support of several mid-western Senators. Here in Oklahoma, one of those Senators has just co-authored a bill to increase CNG use as a transportation fuel. I plan to contact him and say look, ”These greenies need your vote to pass this Climate Bill-if you have to support it please make sure that it contains provisions to convert our transportation fuel to natural gas”
Each of us has to make these decisions for ourselves ,our families and our country.
Is this climate bill going to be good for America? I say no. is it going to be good for those of us that make a living drilling for natural gas? In the long term, I believe it will. It will be interesting to see what changes are made to the bill before being voted on in the Senate, but I feel the changes will be radical.
I encourage each of you to decide for yourselves what’s right for you and lend your support in that direction
How do I contact my elected officals?
Tags: bill, burning, climate, energy, gas, increase, natural, obama, senate, senators
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tony Ackerman on -
"We know natural gas is cleaner than both coal and oil."
Not sure that I agree with this statement. If you're referring to the CO2 produced by the combustion of fossil fuels, it's largely a wash, the chemical equation is pretty much the same (and that presumes that you consider CO2 a pollutant). If you're referring to the SO2, NO2 and other trace element pollutants that result from the combustion of coal and oil, granted natural gas is cleaner in that respect, but the scrubber technologies that exist today are incredibly efficient at removing these pollutants. There are technologies today that utilized what was once considered low quality coal and are amazing at capturing and removing the embedded pollutants (http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/combustion/fluidized...). There is one of these plant pretty close to where I live and it is for all intents a zero emission plant; amazing thing to see. I'm not trashing natural gas fired plants, but I am advocating the utilization of ALL our natural fossil fuel resources, including natural gas, oil AND coal. All three are vital to our country's independence of foreign resources; all three exist within our territorial boundaries in great abundance.
But back to the point in question, the Cap and Trade climate bill. You've all probably seen my rant on the fraud of human caused climate change and all the big numbers in that rant. In short, if you take ALL of the human caused CO2 and distribute it across the planet and into the atmosphere, you end up with about one millionth of a spec of dust per cubic inch of atmosphere. Folks, this is FRAUD on a biblical scale, on a scale that make Bernie Madoff look like a choir boy. This bill is based on the junk science that is called climate change and the impact will be to take many, many dollars out of our pockets in the form of additional taxes. These taxes will impact the less affluent of our society to a much greater extent than those who are more fortunate (so much for the "no new taxes on those who make less that $250K / year). Think about what portion of your take home pay goes to fill your gas tank, to pay your power and gas bill and then add another 10% to 20% to that bill from the impact of this legislation. Whose budget does it hurt more, you or the moneybags down the street who makes more than $250K / yr?
You both use about the same amount of energy, but it takes a disproportionate amount out of your wallet.
I strongly urge you to contact your congress people and urge them to vote against this bill. It bad for us and it's bad for our country.
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Permalink Reply by Curtis on -
I agree that the technology exists to clean all 3 fossil fuels-but if you put 5 gallons of each, side by side and lit them on fire in an unrefined state, which is going to be the greater pollutant? Which is going to be 'greener"?
Natural Gas is ,for the most part, ready to go as soon as it is extracted from the ground.
Retrofitting Coal burning electrical generating plants would cost huge sums,and we both know that will also be passed on to consumers in the form of rate hikes.The choice to corporations will be a clear one-Natural Gas,and that supports drilling.
I also agree that much of "Global Warming" is a crock-but in the back of my mind,I remember the winters here in Oklahoma being much more severe than the mild temperatures we experience now. If reducing greenhouse gases will indeed reduce global temperatures and put the chill on the planet, then that also favors Natural Gas use...
I also agree that this is a very recessive and unfair tax burben on Americas working class-most all taxes these days are. Obama and Democrats, like it or not, have once again "Duped" the American Voter into thinking they were going to fix all that was wrong with the country and it was not going to cost working class America a dime. Just the fact that they hold public office says a great deal about how gullible the American public actually is.
The majority of American voters are now getting a 4 yr lesson in the consequences of their misplaced trust in Democrats
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Permalink Reply by Tony Ackerman on
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I started just skimming over this and as I got deeper into it, I realized that this is the encapsulation of the very things I've been railing against. I've felt like a lone voice in the wilderness, crying "Wolf" with no one heeding my call or trying to emulate my efforts.
I no longer feel alone, but after this paragraph...
"But yea verily, it was too late. The people eventually set upon "The One" and spat upon him and stoned him, and his name was dung. But the once mighty nation was no more; and the once proud people were without sustenance or shelter or hope. And the Change that "The One" had given them was as like unto a poison that had destroyed them from within, and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built."
I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and a sense of despair.
Are we too late to right the course of this country? I pray not...
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Permalink Reply by brandy leger on -
who ever wrote this did a verry good job , sad to say but it is verry verry true. hope every one is doing well in these rough times..
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Permalink Reply by Tony Ackerman on
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Here's a chance to make your voice heard. Sign up and participate
Join Me for a Special Energy Tele-Townhall
By Newt Gingrich
http://www.americansolutions.com/energytax/2009/07/energytownhall.p...
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Permalink Reply by Chris Keilberg on
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Permalink Reply by Harry Cannady on -
I find it very disturbing that some one that works in the patch would support cap and trade in any way. It may bring job security to you and others in the patch, but at what cost.
I am sorry but I think you are out of your mind. But then again you have a lot of company.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Keilberg on
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who in the patch is supporting cap & trade ? it can't be good for anyone, it will destroy the United States
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Permalink Reply by Tony Ackerman on
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The nightmare continues...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/28/hold-breath-epa-expected...
I urge all of you to sign the following petition and help bring this insanity to a stop!
http://www.americansolutions.com/energytax/petition_thank_you.php?s...
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