New GOP Approach: More And More Fracking, Drilling, Keystone = Standing Up To Putin
The hallmark of a Republican policy proposal is that it can be adapted to virtually any circumstance. Just as George W. Bush advanced tax cuts as the appropriate response to both budget surplus and deficit, congressional Republicans believe that fossil fuel promotion is the appropriate response to, well, everything. And so they have looked at the vexing problem of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea region and come up with a carefully calibrated answer: “Drill, baby, drill!”
First, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was struck with a brilliant insight: If Russia’s meddling in Ukraine is dangerous because Russia supplies Europe with oil and natural gas through pipelines that traverse Ukraine, then the U.S. should offer Europe an alternative source of fossil fuels. And so, she argues, the Obama administration should expedite approval of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. “Our ability to respond quickly and nimbly I think is somewhat hampered by the process that we have in place,” she told reporters at an energy industry conference in Houston on Monday. “If this was a situation in which we wanted to use as political leverage our natural gas opportunities here, we’re not in that place now, and quite honestly it may be some time.” In her speech to the gathering, she also called on Congress to repeal the ban on exporting crude oil, saying, “Lifting the oil export ban will send a powerful message that America has the resources and the resolve to be the preeminent power in the world.”
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), sensing an opportunity to portray generic Republican corporatism as a brave stand against Vladimir Putin’s bullying, issued his own statement Tuesday calling on Obama to approve LNG terminals. “The U.S. has a responsibility to stand up for freedom and democracy around the globe, and we have a responsibility to stand with the people of Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion,” said Boehner. “One immediate step the president can and should take is to dramatically expedite the approval of U.S. exports of natural gas. … We should not force our allies to remain dependent on Putin for their energy needs.”
Many energy experts would disagree with the premise of that last sentence. We are not forcing Europe to remain dependent on Putin if we don’t sell them natural gas. Europeans are free to simply consume less energy, or switch to cleaner sources. “The most effective way to loosen Russia’s grip on Europe’s energy supply is to help these nations dramatically reduce their demand for oil and natural gas via investments in fuel economy, alternative-fuel vehicles, energy efficiency, and renewable electricity,” says Daniel J. Weiss, director of climate strategy at the Center for American Progress.
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http://grist.org/climate-energy/republicans-use-putin-as-an-excuse-to-push-fossil-fuel-projects/?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed
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