July 2, 2008 - 4:04pm
McConnell says Gulf states 'think oil rigs are pretty'
By Trey PollardA proponent of expanded drilling in both the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, incumbent U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) trotted out a unique defense while speaking to a meeting of Lexington area business and civic leaders.
"As you all probably know in Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana and Texas, they think oil rigs are pretty," McConnell said, according to Lexington television station WTVQ.
Those states - all with borders touching the Gulf of Mexico - are most likely to be home to offshore oil exploration, should a federal moratorium on the practice be lifted.
Lifting that ban is a principle plank of many Republicans' plans to lower gas prices this campaign season.
At the Commerce Lexington Public Affairs Luncheon on Tuesday, McConnell called gas prices the most important issue of the election season. The four-term incumbent said he supports allowing states to decide on drilling off their shores - an option currently barred by the moratorium.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee and Senator, John McCain (R-Ariz.), also supports lifting that moratorium and offering states a share of oil revenues for allowing offshore drilling.
Florida's Republican governor, Charlie Crist, recently switched his position on offshore drilling to align with McCain's position, amid objections from some in the state over potential environmental damage from offshore exploration.
McConnell recently formalized his own pro-drilling position in legislation that stalled in the U.S. Senate. He has since criticized his Democratic opponent, Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford, for not supporting the tenents of that legislation.
Instead, Lunsford termed the Republican-touted advantages of expanded drilling offshore and in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge as a "hoax."
"All the drilling we could possibly do cannot offset that deficit. We have got to get away from oil as our only source of energy," said Lunsford in Murray on Monday.
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Drilling Off Shore lets do the right thing
Both sides of this arguement are wrong and both sides are right. Why dont we ever do the right thing. Im for drilling offshore and in ground. As long as it gets us away from being dependant on forign oil. Meaning if we use a good percentage of the profits for cleaner alternate fuel programs. The oil companys just cant line their pockets with profit and its business as usual. How often do you here of oil spills coming from the rigs we get them from. Its actually mostly from tankers and thats currently how we get our oil. Also look at the prices per gallon where we get our oil from. Saudi is .47 cents a gallon, Venezuela is 12 cents a gallon. To be fair these prices are subsidized by the governments to share some of the profit their making on the oil sales to us. But one thing is for sure their not feeling the gas pinch. Democrats have always voted against oil drilling here in the U.S. based on the enviorment which is good and we have to protect, but at the same time in doing so has contributed to the problem were in now. The republicans have not pushed oil companies to expand into alternate fuel sources which also contributes to our current crisis. We need to push goals not policies.
The imediate goals should be to completely get away from forign oil reguardless how long it takes us, and to become the world leader in alternative fuel to reduce oil consumption and then we can ship are alternative fuel cars all over the world. If we dont take sides and have goals the banter will continue and will get nowhere. any thoughts?
Yea right Mitch . . . right perddy . . .
How much longer must we put up with Congressional shills, who's main concern is pleasing lobbyists and making stupid statements that insult the intelligence of those that vote for what they hoped would be a "representative of the PEOPLE"????
McConnell on Drilling
McConnell is living in a dream world. He's big oil's man in the Senate, he's Cheney's weak-kneed puppet, he's Bush's hand maiden in Congress. He knows nothing about energy policy, needs, future stress points- nothing! He still thinks we can drill the problem away with enough pretty oil wells, maybe even at at Churchill Downs since they're so pretty. Prissy Mitch is having a hissy fit about oil. Too bad.
McConnell
This is the same guy who is blocking tax credits for solar and wind. McConnell only wants to serve his oil company lobbyist friends and contributors.
John McCain Voted to Filibuster Minimum Wage Hike
Lott, Take McConnell WIth You.
I wish McConnell would have the courage to do what Trent did. Take himself out before the new ethics laws kick in. If he gets out now, he won't have to wait 2 years before making serious coin as an influence peddler.
Lugar is another on that should get out now. His stance on ethanol shows total disregard for reality. McConnell and Lugar - Out the Gate in '08!
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