May 13, 2008 1:09 PM
Every Senator but Allard votes to stop emergency oil shipments
The Senate voted 97-1 to stop shipping high-priced oil to the nation's emergency reserve.
Both Democrats and Republicans said such shipments make no sense when oil is costing more than $120 a barrel and could better be used to add supplies to a tight market and possibly lower prices."We are buying the most expensive crude oil in the history of the world and storing it," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. "When American consumers are burning at the stake by high energy prices, the government ought not be carrying the wood."
Until both chambers of Congress pass the emergency reserve directive and President Bush signs it - or Congress enacts it over a presidential veto - the legislation has no force of law. But the Senate's message to the president Tuesday was a strong one.
With Republicans joining Democrats, senators voted 97-1 to suspend the shipments - averaging about 70,000 barrels a day - until the end of the year. Only Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., voted against the measure.
The House was scheduled to vote on a similar directive later in the day. The Senate measure was added to legislation on flood insurance that passed shortly after the oil reserve vote.
Bush has been steadfast in continuing shipments of oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a system of underground salt domes on the Gulf Coast, arguing that the stockpile should be filled to its maximum capacity of 727 million barrels. It currently is 97 percent full at 701 million barrels, equal to two months of oil imports.
Will putting 70,000 barrels into the 21-million barrel U.S. market make any difference? Is is a worthy symbolic move? Is Allard correct to vote against it? Is 97 percent capacity in the strategic reserve enough?
May 13, 2008
2:28 PM
just sayin' writes:
What is Allard thinking? Maybe he didn't understand the issue. He does seem kind of dense.
May 13, 2008
2:39 PM
JMH writes:
Allard voting with his nose planted straight up G. W. Bush's ass? Who woulda thunk it?
This guy is an embarassment to Colorado. Does anyone know if he has EVER voted against W's wishes?
May 13, 2008
2:48 PM
Anonymous writes:
Stupid liberals, we are going to need the reserve while we bomb Iran and cut off the straights of hormuz. do you dipshits understand anything aside from your emotions? I realize they dont teach math or strategical thinking at those crappy liberal art colleges you all attended, but come on. Furthermore, without you nimrod liberals, we would have filled the reserves up long ago with OUR OWN oil. But you blocked all that and any new refineries. idiots.
May 13, 2008
3:02 PM
Anonymous writes:
I think that before we kill the guy, maybe we should wait and give him a chance to explain the rationale behind his vote. Could it be that he had a good reason?
May 13, 2008
3:08 PM
just sayin' writes:
so 97 Senators are stupid liberals?
May 13, 2008
3:16 PM
Anonymous writes:
JS ... not necessarily, and that's not what I said or was implying ... but there are people every once in awhile that do see things differently ... chances are that he was just a 'conscientious objector' or had a stick up his backside over something, and this was his way of protesting .... but I thought it might be nice to hear his point ... that's all
May 13, 2008
3:20 PM
jay writes:
it's about time we started leveraging our SOR's.
good for congress.
May 13, 2008
3:38 PM
DR writes:
Good too for Congress that they finally had the chutzpah to stand up to GW for once. Here's hoping that they make this a new operational standard. It would be about time.
May 13, 2008
4:10 PM
Shaggy writes:
Dr,
Don't be too hopeful.
It seems like just yesterday when I was hearing Pelosi and several other Democrats were rambling on about how they will end the War in Iraq now that they have the reins.
Congress's 20% approval ratings make Bush's ratings look good.
I don't know if this is a good decision or not but I know it is about time Congress did something.
How the picking coming?
May 13, 2008
4:18 PM
Tree writes:
Is that HP at 2:48? I don't recall your name coming up for parole. Oh, wife beating was only 6 months. Feel free to join the army tomorrow, send us updates when your checking for land mines in the sand dog.
May 13, 2008
4:19 PM
jay writes:
shaggy, don't confuse frustration with the lack of progress on enacting the will of the people because of republican obstruction with nonsupport for the dems plans for congress.
the only reason they were able to ram this down w's throat is because even the rubs in congress supported the vast majority of americans on this one.
let's try to keep her between the ditches pal
May 13, 2008
4:27 PM
Mary writes:
Does the poster who is brave enough to use an obscenity in his post - but not brave enough to include even an alias (Posted by on May 13, 2008 3:02 PM) understand that we currently have 2 months worth of oil in reserve, which is 97% full - which is NOT GOING TO CHANGE, and only another 27 million barrels will "fit" - which not even 2 day's worth? Wait - he too had to kiss W's rosy behind.
May 13, 2008
4:28 PM
Captain America writes:
I'm no fan of Wayne Allard's, but I'd love to hear his reasoning on this. To stand alone against the tide like this, the man must have his reasons. Can't for the life of me imagine what they might be, though.
May 13, 2008
4:51 PM
JMH writes:
Captain...
He reason is - he has a mna-crush on W! I'm sure that is it... haha... Like I asked before. Has Allard EVER voted against W's wishes? Does anyone know?
Considering Chimpy's track record, I would think at this point all Congress would do is ask W what he thinks about something and then just vote the opposite.
May 13, 2008
5:09 PM
Anonymous writes:
Mary, where is the obscenity in my 3:02 post?
May 14, 2008
10:16 AM
Mark writes:
Coloradoans have the good fortune to be represented by the sole smart, honest man in the US Senate. The other 99 senators are fools or panderers - or foolish panderers. The world produces 85.7 million barrels of oil each day and uses all but around 100,000 barrels of that each day. The other 100,000 barrels go into our SPR or China's SPR. Now that we've decided to stop buying 68,000 barrels per day for our SPR, it will simply go into China's SPR instead - for about 10 days. World oil production is dropping at about 6,900 barrels per day. 10 days from now depletion will have elimated the 68,000 barrel per day surplus our moronic, pandering senators say they are creating and in the meantime China will have put another half million barrels of oil into its SPR.
I'm from Wyoming and my pandering fools voted for the bill. Those of you who have criticized Senator Allard should google "Peak Oil" and read about what is really happening to us.
May 14, 2008
10:43 AM
Holier Than Thou writes:
This merely proves what I've been saying for years. Wayne Allard is George W. Bush's rubber stamp.
May 14, 2008
7:40 PM
Chimpy McFlightsuit writes:
you're doin' a heckuva job Allardie
May 14, 2008
7:40 PM
Chimpy McFlightsuit writes:
you're doin' a heckuva job Allardie
May 14, 2008
7:44 PM
Chimpy McFlightsuit writes:
you're doin' a heckuva job Allardie