# Oil questions, why no new US wells, refineries, why just light and sweet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 25, 2006, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-questions-why-no-new-us-wells-refineries-why-just-light-and-sweet/354122 "2006-04-25T11:13:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-questions-why-no-new-us-wells-refineries-why-just-light-and-sweet/354122/21 "2006-04-26T20:01:00Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > So it looks like a long time went during the '90s where CAFE standards weren’t touched. Wasn’t that a Democrat led government for most of that time? If we’re talking about Congress (which, IIRC, would be the body that actually instigates changes to the CAFE standards), then that was Republican-controlled for the majority of the '90s. Newt Gingrich and all that. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-questions-why-no-new-us-wells-refineries-why-just-light-and-sweet/354122/22 "2006-04-26T22:08:28Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > If we’re talking about Congress (which, IIRC, would be the body that actually instigates changes to the CAFE standards), then that was Republican-controlled for the majority of the '90s. Newt Gingrich and all that. So those same republicans then get credit for the budgets that were passed, and all other prosperity in the 90s as well correct? The republicans in charge now HAVE raised the CAFE standards for light trucks and will be raising them again next year. All I am saying is that this is not an R / D red/blue issue. To lower it to that level solves nothing. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-questions-why-no-new-us-wells-refineries-why-just-light-and-sweet/354122/23 "2006-04-28T00:35:49Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > So those same republicans then get credit for the budgets that were passed, and all other prosperity in the 90s as well correct? I dunno – are budgets and CAFE standards set solely by Congress? Or do they get submitted by Congress and approved/vetoed by the Executive? In short, are we comparing apples to apples? ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-questions-why-no-new-us-wells-refineries-why-just-light-and-sweet/354122/24 "2006-04-28T00:46:27Z")
Well, noone can know for sure what the Clinton Administration would have done if they had been able to…Surely, their environmental record was mixed. \*\*However, the Administration was not able to raise CAFE standards for most of its administration because the Republican Congress specifically forbid it to do so in funding authorizations. \*\*[Here](http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/archives/98sep.php) is the story as of September 1998: > [@](#): > > In 1994, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to explore raising the CAFE standard for light-duty trucks. However, Congress included provisions in the FY1996 Department of Transportation Authorization (P.L. 104-50, H.R. 2002) prohibiting the use of authorized funds to promulgate any CAFE rules. The prohibition was also included in the FY1997 (P.L. 104-205) and FY1998 DOT Appropriations (P.L. 105-66), and is included in the House version of the FY1999 DOT appropriations (H.R. 4328). Legislation has also been reintroduced in the 105th Congress (S. 286, H.R. 880) that would freeze the standards, subject to change only by legislative enactment. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-questions-why-no-new-us-wells-refineries-why-just-light-and-sweet/354122/25 "2006-04-28T01:09:37Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > I dunno – are budgets and CAFE standards set solely by Congress? Or do they get submitted by Congress and approved/vetoed by the Executive? In short, are we comparing apples to apples? Good question, I really don’t know. CAFE looks like a hot potato that nobody wants to touch. I can’t beleive that the standards for light trucks have actually been increased during this administration. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-questions-why-no-new-us-wells-refineries-why-just-light-and-sweet/354122.md?page=1)