I was prepared to say that this Coleman for Senate press release called Al Franken’s energy positions into question. Then I realized that isn’t a harsh enough rebuke of Franken’s energy policy. Here’s what his website says about “gas prices”:
Let’s not fall for gimmicks and false promises. A “gas tax holiday” would take billions of dollars out of our already-under-funded national highway trust fund and hand that money directly to the oil companies, and it wouldn’t reduce the price at the pump. And although I’m not categorically opposed to off-shore drilling if it’s environmentally sustainable, Senator Coleman’s proposal wouldn’t increase production at all in the next decade, and thus wouldn’t be any help to consumers at the pump. And the oil companies it would benefit already have plenty of drillable areas that they’re not using. We need real solutions, not thinly-veiled giveaways to Big Oil.
Here’s what Mr. Franken said during his appearance on Don Shelby’s show just 2 weeks ago:
Shelby: Okay. Now let’s talk a little bit about energy. The President of the United States now has reversed himself in saying that $4 a gallon gasoline ought to be incentive enough to go and reserve himself on his policy against allowing offshore drilling in the OCS, the outer continental shelf. The Democratic presidential nominee says no he still doesn’t like that. Do you think that there is anything in that policy that would bring the price of gasoline down below $4 if we allowed that?
Franken: I very much doubt it. I’d certainly like to see what the environmental, the potential environmental impact of something of that would be. And I imagine that’s why we haven’t been doing it.
Let’s first examine this Franken statement:
I’m not categorically opposed to off-shore drilling if it’s environmentally sustainable.
Whether he is or isn’t, what’s certain is that he thinks it wouldn’t help gas prices. It’s obvious that the first question he wants answered is whether it’s environmentally safe. If he knew more about drilling on the OCS, he’d know that it’s ecofriendly. When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ripped through the Gulf, the rigs were down for awhile but there weren’t any spills reported.
SIDENOTE: Sen. Coleman already did his homework on that. Sen. Coleman wouldn’t have put his legislation together if he wasn’t certain of the construction safeguards.
When Franken says “the oil companies it would benefit already have plenty of drillable areas that they’re not using. We need real solutions, not thinly-veiled giveaways to Big Oil”, is he saying that increasing oil production is a giveaway to ‘Big Oil’? That’s what it sounds like to me. The truth is that Mr. Franken has a problem with capitalism until it benefits him. Then he’s Mr. Capitalist.
By comparison, Sen. Coleman isn’t an on-again-off-again capitalist. Sen. Coleman knows that we need to expand our energy supplies. Logically, that means oil companies have to increase production, which will help their bottom line. Unlike Mr. Franken, Sen. Coleman knows that you can’t increase oil production without ‘Big Oil’ companies.
It’s telling that Al Franken hasn’t stopped debating himself on energy policy. It’s telling that Sen. Coleman has a multi-faceted, thoughtful plan that will increase energy production, which will lower energy prices to consumers.
As an energy consumer, I’ll vote for Sen. Coleman’s plan because it’s logical whereas Mr. Franken’s plan is still ‘evolving’.
