Obama: The Dartboard Approach to Energy

President Obama had this to say in a speech in Miami the other day:

[i]f we're going to avoid being at the mercy of these world events, we've got to have a sustained, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy.  Yes, oil and gas, but also wind and solar and nuclear and biofuels, and more.

All of the above, ahem, 'strategy' you say? I have a mental picture of Obama's energy team in the basement of the white house. On the wall is a dart board and on the other the energy team are drinking heavily and throwing darts. "Woo Hoo!," shouts energy secretary Chu, "Solar power again!"

To understand why I have this mental picture just take a look at the nonsense these people have put out as 'policy' over the past three years:

Exhibit A: Tire pressure as an energy policy -

"There are things that you can do individually though to save energy," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, said. "Making sure your tires are properly inflated, simple thing, but we could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling, if everybody was just inflating their tires and getting regular tune-ups. You could actually save just as much."

And these clowns wonder why no one will take them seriously when it comes to energy.


Exhibit B: Under my plan (the disastrous cap and trade nonsense) electricity rates will necessarily skyrocket:

"When I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, you know, under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I'm capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it, whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers." (Sen. Barack Obama, Interview With The San Francisco Chronicle's Editorial Board, San Francisco Chronicle, 1/17/08)

Great plan for getting the economy going, raise prices unnecessarily to fulfill some deep hatred of fossil fuels.


Exhibit C: Restrict ANY new oil exploration and demonize the industry:

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 8, 2011 - After imposing a nearly three-year moratorium on new offshore drilling by discarding the 2010-2015 lease plan that allowed for new development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the Obama Administration announced a draft plan today that closes the majority of the OCS to new energy production through 2017. The Administration's draft five-year plan prohibits new offshore drilling and only allows lease sales to occur in areas that are already open.

But wait, lest you get the notion that Obama is opposed to ALL oil exploration. Not so, my friends, Obama is only opposed to US oil exploration:

The Wall Street Journal reported that, "The U.S. government's export credit agency has authorized $3 billion in financing for Brazil, including $2 billion for the Brazilian government-run oil company, Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras." Somewhere investor George Soros must be smiling.

So if we are to understand this policy, oil exploration is only acceptable when it puts our national security at risk and lines the pockets of George Soros. Gotcha big guy.


Anyway back to the policies here in the US. Exhibit D: Curtail existing power as much as 40% in Texas.

A major Texas-based power company said Monday it will close two coal-fired power units in the state and lay off 500 workers in order to comply with an Environmental Protection Agency air pollution regulation.

The announcement comes amid growing resistance to EPA regulations from the country's electric utilities. American Electric Power, for example, said in June that it will be forced to shutter five coal-fired power plants in order to comply with the agency's pending rules.

Thank goodness those wind farms and solar panels are on line otherwise we could have a national emergency on our hands. Oh wait, you mean we don't have a viable green solution. Uh oh.


As you'd expect the, ahem, policies described above have had an intended? a disastrous effect on energy prices ($5 plus gas prices expected by summer). But wait, it has also dampened BO's elections prospects. It's this more than anything else that prompted a (semi) reversal on the XL pipeline. Jay 'the Card" Carney had this to say at yesterday's White House presser:

"But as we made clear, the president's decision in January in no way prejudged future applications. We will ensure any project receives the important assessment it deserves and will base a decision to provide a permit on the completion of that review." (My guess is that the decision will be made sometime after November, just the cynic in me.)

OK, looks like BO has abandoned the dart board approach. Why? It seems these gun clinging/bible toting voters care more about lower energy prices than they do about BO's reelection. But as they say 'you reap what you sow'. His administration has hampered cheap energy production for three years, but now its election time and Obama is in deep trouble.

My guess is that it's way too late to do anything about rising energy prices except of course to talk and divert blame. At least that's something he does do well. In the meantime we get to pay for all his energy policy fantasies mistakes in the form of higher prices on just about everything. Thanks BO!