The President, and many economists, have claimed that the President can do little to reduce gas prices. One conservative blogger begs to differ, and offers his ideas on how he believes Obama can do it by Election Day. A naked list (with more explanation in the post):
Oh, and:
Considering that the Republicans are sure to (and already are) make gas prices a campaign issue, what do you think of this? Anything of value for the President? Anything that counters his (and others’) argument that there’s not much he can do?
Declare hydraulic fracturing & well design to be the regulatory domain of the states, not the EPA.
Would do nothing in the short/medium term for gasoline prices. We already burn little oil for raw energy in this country, fracking does not help us drill for oil, and natural gas prices are already at a rock bottom. Which isn’t to say I have made up my mind on how to regulate it, just that it wouldn’t help gasoline prices in the short/medium term.
Most of those aren’t even relevant to the price of crude, let alone being significant enough to move the price noticeably. Natural gas isn’t a significant form of vehicular fuel, and isn’t going to be any time soon. And American offshore oil reserves just aren’t large enough that drilling a bit faster will have much effect. The only way Obama could realistically Reduce Gas Prices Now would be to defuse the whole Iran/Israel nuclear saber rattling.
Meh, I started a point by point response. But its not really worth it, half the guys points don’t even match their headings. None of them would effect oil prices before November. I don’t see the guy putting forward a serious argument, so I don’t really see the point in responding.
Putting aside whether its a good idea on its merits, does anyone seriously think “10. Encourage development of a nationwide distribution system of natural gas as a transportation fuel.” is something thats going to happen by November
Exactly. And Congress will eventually get shouted into action and just before anything is about to get resolved or investigated the prices will mysteriously fall.
I was going to break down the OP’s points as being mostly fluff, but can you tell us why you think this is going to reduce gas prices? Who do you think are manipulating gas prices, and what evidence do you have that they actually are doing that?
Oh, and even if there is some substance to your claims, can you tell us how this can be accomplished in short order?
A conservative calling for lower corporate taxes and reduced regulation? Wow, that’s unusual.
Although now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I saw the same suggestions being offered last month as a solution to the New England Patriots’ weak defensive line.
A tenuous grasp of why gas prices are high, low or in the middle (or even what it means to BE high, low or in the middle) seems to be a problem for a lot of folks, regardless of -wing. I got into a big argument with my dad last weekend on this same subject, and it’s remarkable that some of his erroneous talking points mirror some of the same ones I’ve seen by left winger types on this board…though, from a different orientation (bottom line for him is ‘It’s all Obama’s fault’ as the main theme).
I’m guessing he means to open up drilling everywhere in the US, and to spur investment and exploration/exploitation in Canada and Mexico. I suppose it would allow for more oil on the market, and a more secure supplier for us, but it won’t have that much of an effect on the price of gas in the US, and it would take years or even decades to get that stuff in the, er, pipeline.
The bigger problem is that the US’s use of refined fuels like gasoline are actually flat or even in decline, and that this has meant that we’ve actually not built any new refineries in decades, and even shut some down. Also, even if Canada and Mexico were in full production along with the US, tapping every possible resource, and even if somehow that meant that the US could get the vast majority of it’s oil from these more secure sources, oil is STILL a commodity traded on the world market, so fluctuation (such as the one that’s causing the current higher prices) will still happen, as will price spikes. Right now Iran has stopped selling to several European countries in response to sanctions imposed on them because of the IAEA report on Iran’s purported nuclear weapons program…and that’s cause part of the spike. Worries over possible strikes against Iran, potential retaliations, problems in Libya, etc etc, are all making the market really skittish. That would still happen even if we got all our oil from domestic sources coupled with Canada and Mexico, unless we decoupled from the world oil commodities market, which ain’t gonna happen. And unless we built more refineries, which would mostly just sit around doing nothing except when we needed them to smooth out the price of gas, it’s still not going to effect the price.
Bottom line is folks who don’t even have a vague idea of WHY the price of gas is where it is (and I make no claims beyond having a vague idea) shouldn’t posts lists of ways to ‘fix’ the problem…unless they like looking like fools.
I’m unsure whether :rolleyes: or is more appropriate for this one.
Or, they could stop taxing gas at the pump if they really wanted to drop the price instantly. Of course, then we wouldn’t have money for roads and such, but it would work. I fail to see that the oil industry is being crushed under ‘punitive tax treatment’ thingies, but certainly state and local taxes (which vary widely) are part of the reason the price at the pump is so ‘high’…and I know that at least some state and local governments have upped those taxes as a way to bridge fiscal shortfalls.
Uncle Sam wants YOU to help drill America to a better future!
Good grief.
Well, there is a stunning revelation. And this will obviously lower the price of gas at the pump right there. We just have to realize that no one wants to have an deep, expensive wellhead disintegrate, spewing hundreds of millions of barrels of (very valuable and ecologically damaging) crude oil into the oceans and costing the company 10’s of billions of dollars! Look, can we all get on board with this one so that we can start seeing the savings??
Even pretending that this will have more than a small, almost miniscule effect on the price of oil being traded on the market, it would take literally years and most likely decades to put such wells into production and get the oil flowing. It’s not going to happen by the election, not even during Obama’s second term…hell, probably not during the next presidents term.
How would this have any effect on the price of gas at the pump??
Again, as far as I can tell this would have zero effect (well, vanishingly small) on the commodity price of oil being purchased, and thus on the price of gas at the pump.
Ok. But this isn’t going to have any effect before the election…or the next election either. Or maybe the next one after that.
Anyway, hope the above hasn’t already been covered…posting on the run here so haven’t read through the responses.
What amazes me most is that this may literally become an actual campaign issue. Gas prices. As if whether it costs 50$ (3.84) or, gasp 55$ (4.23!!!) to fill your gas tank every week means anything.
How about, will I lose my 6 figure salary? Will I lose $50,000 from my investment portfolio?
Couldn’t all of these be more effectively summed up as, “Give Big Oil (and, by extension, the GOP) everything they want, and hope they’ll lower prices out of the kindnesses of their hearts”?
is more appropriate for this one.