Bob McCarty Writes

Photo Courtesy Chesapeake Energy

In a post one year ago today, I opined about the nation’s energy future under then-President-Elect Barack Obama:

While Americans wait for Barack Obama to take office, the nation’s energy future hangs in the balance.  Still, amidst so much uncertainty, a review of the president-elect’s statements and actions in recent months offers an ever-so-slight glimmer of hope.

Such cautious optimism followed several campaign-trail statements by then-presidential candidate Obama:

“Over the next five years, we should also lease more of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska for oil and gas production. And we should also tap more of our substantial natural gas reserves and work with the Canadian government to finally build the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline, delivering clean natural gas and creating good jobs in the process.” — Aug. 4, 2008, speech, Michigan State University in Lansing

“As president, I will tap our natural gas reserves.” — Aug. 28, 2008, speech, Democratic National Convention in Denver

Unfortunately, actions taken by Obama and his band of socialism-loving liberals since Inauguration Day prove one should never trust a liberal socialist from Chicago (or anywhere else for that matter) when it comes to energy security:

• On June 3, the folks at Goldman Sachs predicted that crude oil prices would jump 31 percent by the end of the year.  [Note: As of today, it's up approximately 19 percent -- to $79 from $66 per barrel -- with 49 days to go.]

• On June 8, American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard warned that the 2009 energy bill will punish oil consumers.

• On June 9, API officials announced that more federal regulations will cause U.S. oil and natural gas produciton to drop significantly.

• On July 17, 2009, the “smoke signals” coming out of the nation’s capitol were looking so bad that a “Big Oil” and “Big Labor” formed a historic partnership with an objective of saving jobs in the “oil patch.”

• On Sept. 16, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced plans to kill the royalty-in-kind program, effectively robbing $6.6 billion non-tax revenue from Uncle Sam.

• On Sept. 25, 2009, President Obama outlined steps he and other G20 world leaders at the Pittsburgh Summit 2009 have decided to take to change the world in many economic areas, including energy.  Most notable to me was his mention of “phasing out fossil fuel subsidies.”

• On Nov. 4, I reported that members of the mainstream media — people who call themselves “journalists” — seem to have paid absolutely no attention to a Congressional Research Service report on energy released Oct. 27 — this, despite the fact that two energy-related measures (i.e., the Kerry-Boxer and Waxman-Markey climate change bills) are at the center of heated debate now taking place on Capitol Hill.

If passed, according to the folks at API, the Kerry-Boxer Climate Change Bill could, according to API’s Gerard, cause gasoline and diesel prices to rise above $5.00 a gallon and result in net job losses of two million or more even after the creation of some green jobs.  Therefore, it must be stopped!

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS in Washington, D.C., and demand they work to stop Kerry-Boxer in its tracks, before the Senate can approve it.