At The GOP soiree in the House today:
While the U.S. oil industry wants access to more federal lands to help reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, American-based companies are shipping record amounts of gasoline and diesel fuel to other countries.
A record 1.6 million barrels a day in U.S. refined petroleum products were exported during the first four months of this year, up 33 percent from 1.2 million barrels a day over the same period in 2007. Shipments this February topped 1.8 million barrels a day for the first time during any month, according to final numbers from the Energy Department.
The surge in exports appears to contradict the pleas from the U.S. oil industry and the Bush administration for Congress to open more offshore waters and Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.
“We can help alleviate shortages by drilling for oil and gas in our own country,” President Bush told reporters this week. “We have got the opportunity to find more crude oil here at home.”
Anyone? Might make for some interesting discussions when mentioned in conjunction with this:
Chevron Corp. said Friday that its second-quarter profit rose 11% to a record $6 billion, even though production slipped and the San Ramon, Calif., company lost money refining and selling fuel.
Someone tell Lou Dobbs that we are shipping oil to furriners. Pretty please.
It really pains me that people think the solution tto our problem is as simple as “DRILL MORE!”