Promises, promises. Mitt Romney certainly knows which camp he's beholden to ...
Mitt Romney Energy Plan Favors Big Donors In Oil, Gas And Coal Industries
by Paul Blumenthal, huffingtonpost.com -- 08/24/2012
On Tuesday night at a $7 million fundraiser hosted by Exxon Mobil chief executive Rex Tillerson and attended by 125 guests, many of them executives in the oil and gas industry, Mitt Romney declined to lay out his energy plan, stating that he didn't want to talk about it with reporters in the room. Two days later, before a crowd wearing a mix of hardhats and cowboy hats in Hobbs, N.M., Romney unveiled his energy plan, which makes no mention of climate change and focuses on reaching energy independence by 2020 through increased extraction and use of oil, gas and coal, accompanied by reduced regulation for these industries.
The plan underlines the fact that the Republican Party and the oil, gas and coal industries, long in agreement on policy and ideology, have grown closer than ever before. Romney, whose top energy adviser is the wealthiest oilman in the country, is on pace to raise more money from these industries than either George W. Bush or Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) did when he ran for president. The industries are also pumping millions into the new unlimited money vehicles, super PACs and dark money nonprofits, that are spending tens of millions of dollars per month to influence the election.
[...]
The billionaire energy titans, David and Charles Koch, plan to spend more than $100 million through their nonprofit Americans for Prosperity and other groups, none of which will disclose their donors, to defeat President Barack Obama. The Kochs are opposed to climate science that says that fossil fuel use by humans is to blame for the rise in global temperatures and have spent millions to convince politicians and the public that climate science is false. David Koch hosted a fundraiser for Romney in the Hamptons back in June that brought in millions for the presidential hopeful's campaign.
[...]
A central part of the plan is taking the power to permit and license new onshore drilling on federal lands out of the hands of the federal government and putting it into the hands of the states. That means that states like Alaska or North Dakota, which is enjoying a massive oil boom under the current regulatory regime, would be able to allow drilling on federal lands with no oversight from Washington.
North Dakota stands out, in particular, as it is where Romney's top energy adviser, oil billionaire Harold Hamm, is making his fortune. Hamm, whose stump speech is only three words, "Beat Barack Obama," has given $985,000 to Restore Our Future and raised money for the Romney campaign. [...]
Meet the New Boss, same as the last Republican Big Oil Boss ...
Financed in large part by you, and those higher prices at the pump -- isn't the oil-subsidized Free Market swell?
Golly-gee and Mitt Romney promises even more of the same ... if we choose him ...
Mitt Romney Energy Plan: More Oil & Natural Gas Production On Federal Lands
by Steve Holland, HuffingtonPost.com, Reuters -- 08/23/2012
[...]
The centerpiece of Romney's energy plan is to permit individual states to manage energy development on federal lands within their borders, according to a "white paper" released by the campaign and a briefing for reporters by senior aides in advance of the speech.
Currently the federal government controls development on these lands, and Romney's aides said that under Obama, this has led to a sharp reduction in exploration over the past year.
Letting states issue permits for exploration on federal lands would speed up the process, Romney will argue.
Romney would also open up areas off the East Coast to oil exploration, and in particular would reverse Obama's decision to suspend development off the coast of Virginia following the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
He would establish a five-year offshore leasing plan that would open new areas for development beginning with those off the coast of Virginia and the Carolinas.
[...]
Sooo, Mitt Romney DOES have an Energy Plan -- it's called
"Garage Sale USA."
Step right up Big Oil, Mitt Romney promises to clear away all that Environmental "Red Tape" just for you. You're so conscientious and trust-worthy afterall. When have you wise all-powerful corporate-oil-persons ever steered America wrong?
Mitt Romney’s Energy Plan: By Big Oil, For Big Oil
by Christopher DeMorro, gas2.org -- August 27, 2012
[...]
Picking Favorites On An Uneven Playing Field
First, just the facts. Romney has already called for eliminating special deductions for electric cars and green home improvements, as well as government funding for green energy projects like wind farms and solar arrays. Romney has also pledged to maintain the $40 billion in subsidies the oil companies receive from Uncle Sam.
The rest of the Romney oil plan is basically a point-by-point of the Republican party platform; fewer regulations + more drilling = larger government receipts. The Romney Energy policy would open new Federal lands to drilling, including large tracts off the coasts of Florida and Virginia. According to Romney, this plan would result in an extra $1 trillion in government revenue, more than 3 million new jobs, and American energy independence by 2020, and all without sending a single dollar to the Middle East.
Unfortunately, there are so many problems with this proposed policy that I almost don’t know where to start.
Feeding The Hand That Drills
I could start with the fact that the oil and natural gas lobby, which just donated $10 million to the Romney campaign, had a hand in writing this "policy." Reports indicate that oil magnate Harold Hamm, an Oklahoma billionaire, had a large hand in writing this pro-Big Oil policy. While some may argue that the private sector knows better, many regulations are already so poorly enforced that further deregulation is almost scary to think about. Can America really afford another BP oil disaster?
Moving on, the Congressional Budget Office reports that fully 70% of federal lands are already open to oil and gas exploration;
[...]
Since Mitt Romney no longer accepts Climate Change as a serious, scientific consensus of concern
(this week) -- Why should we expect anything less from him, other than a giant gift give-away --
wrapped with a $40 billion subsidy bow -- for his new BFF's?
It's not like Mitt Romney promised to bring Scientific Literacy back to Americans ...
It's not like Mitt Romney promised to help your kids and grandkids ...
It's not like Mitt Romney promised to restore his own credibility on the topic.
It's not like Mitt Romney promised anything at all -- except to the Oil Magnates, who are now underwriting his own say-anything CEO ambitions.
It's not like Mitt Romney has grandkids of his own -- wait scratch that -- but they can afford Air-conditioned domed-living for decades -- Nevermind.
Carry on America -- And Filler up! Post haste. Your destiny-deciders need you.