Democrats frequently complain about gasoline prices, right before they take action to limit our available supply of oil — thereby increasing prices further. The energy bill that they passed last year is an excellent example. In that legislation, Congress reclassified oil derived from Canada’s tar sands as an alternative fuel which produced excessive amounts of carbon — thereby putting it off limits for use by the U.S. government. That could put a serious crimp in plans to increase U.S. consumption of this fuel from 1 million barrels per day to 3 million barrels. From Investors Business Daily:
Curiously, this provision poses problems for the U.S. and Canada — one of our most loyal and trusted allies. However, just like the decision to block the Colombian FTA, it also makes Hugo Chavez very happy, since it would leave the United States a little more dependent on Venezuelan oil. One wonders what the Congressional approval rating is in Caracas. In any case, the Air Force is weighing in heavily in an effort to get Congress to undo the ban. And Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) is expected to offer an amendment that would correct congress’ monumental blunder:
Let’s hope that Congress decides its better to address the interests of the Defense Department and Canada than it is the government of Venezuela. No sure thing.
