With all of the political posturing about drilling for oil on the the Continental shelf or in ANWR, I have yet to see any politician provide a guarantee that any/all oil extracted from the Continental shelf/ANWR/Florida will stay within or be sold only within the United States market.
Where is my guarantee? Will we spoil our natural wonder just to ship the oil to East Asia at market prices? Before we go any further in this debate, I want a Drill Here, Sell Here guarantee!
Any and all new leases must pay reasonable royalties and ship the crude to US refineries/processors only. If a refinery can not handle the capacity, the oil is sent to the Strategic Oil Reserve. Now, don't even get me started on price. Should this crude be sold at market rates? Hmmm. The oil companies have wanted these leases for years. How about they sell it to us at 2002 rates? It was a good deal back then at those rates, why not now?
Many may say that the Drill Here, Sell Here movement smacks of price controls and nationalization. I say it is about cooperation and breaking our dependence on foreign imports. It is a national security issue. I am certain that all parties can agree on that. This isn't about profits, it is about patriotism!
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