For some reason, perhaps simply because he was elected in a landslide repudiation of Virginia Democrats last November, Bob McDonnell sends some Democrats off-tilt in the same way Dick Cheney used to. Every action he takes is analyzed, scrutinized and hacked apart for any bit of controversy that can be used to bash him or the other statewide Republicans.
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This was clear three weeks ago, when the Democratic blogosphere tried to use the West Virginia coal mine disaster to bash McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli. After calling them out on it, I thought that, at the very least, they might choose to take the high road the next time a disaster happens and not try and find a tenuous link between the event and Virginia.
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Clearly, I was being too optimistic.
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This morning, Ben over at NLS puts up a one line story – “Thanks Bob McDonnell,” with the text of “Coming to VA soon…” with a link to an article about the tragic accident on a Louisiana oil rig that has left 11 oil patch workers missing. What’s the connection between Bob McDonnell and this oil rig? Nothing. But, apparently, because Bob McDonnell has supported off-shore drilling, he supports oil rig accidents too, and because of his support, if anyone were to get hurt or, god forbid, die on an oil rig off Virginia’s shore line, it would be his fault. That’s Democratic logic for you.
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And, not to be left out, Miles Grant over at Blue Virginia wastes no time linking the story to Bob McDonnell as well. As with the West Virginia coal tragedy, the bodies of the workers have yet to be recovered and we’re already seeing the Democrats using this accident in political attacks.
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But why stop there? I’m surprised that Ben and the other Democratic bloggers have only focused on man-made disasters. Seeing as how all Republicans are evil, corporate shills who enjoy destroying the environment and causing global warming (it’s what we do when we’re not on the golf course or stuffing ballot boxes), I’m surprised they haven’t found a link yet between Bob McDonnell and the Iceland volcano. Then again, maybe that’s really Bill Bolling’s fault, arranged so he could extend his trip to Italy and miss presiding over the veto session. Or, perhaps, Bob McDonnell is truly to blame for the death of a beloved middle school principle in the District (we, after all, do support cutting administrative overhead in public schools). And, of course, since Bob McDonnell is Catholic, he’s also to blame for the ongoing abuse scandal that has been rocking the Vatican for the last few months.
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Sure, I know this sounds crazy – it is crazy. But for some reason, the Democrats – at least online – seem to think that no matter how tenuous the link, any event that happens can and should be used to attack Bob McDonnell, Ken Cuccinelli and the rest of the Republican Party in Virginia. West Virgina coal mine accident? Cuccinelli’s fault. Oil rig blows up in Louisiana? Blame McDonnell. Your favorite American Idol contestant gets voted off? McDonnell did it. Stub your toe? Cuccinelli moved your furniture in the middle of the night. It’s ridiculous. But it doesn’t stop them from making those arguments.
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I said it before, but apparently it hasn’t really sunk in – exploiting the deaths of innocent people for political gain is wrong. And when I say “exploit” I am not arguing that we shouldn’t try and fix problems that become evident through a tragedy. But attacking Bob McDonnell because of an oil rig accident in Louisiana because he supports offshore drilling, attacking Ken Cuccinelli because he’s taken campaign contributions from a mining company that owns a coal mine in another state involved in a disaster, or the efforts of gun-control zealots to close the “gun show loophole” by trying to tie it to the Virginia Tech tragedy goes too far. It’s not trying to solve problems, it’s pushing a political agenda built on tragedy. It was wrong when Republicans tried to tie non-national security related programs to 9/11, and it’s wrong now when Democrats use these tragedies for their own political gain.
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This isn’t just a Virginia blogosphere issue, either. Nationally, the Democratic leaning media has been exploiting the 15 anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and using it as a sotto voce way of attacking the Tea Party movement. By trying to create a link between today’s anti-government rhetoric and Timothy McVeigh’s terrorism, they’re trying their best to lay the groundwork to blame any future domestic terror attacks at the feet of the Tea Party protesters. It’s transparent, and it’s an insult to the hundreds of thousands of law abiding Tea Party activists, but that doesn’t stop them from doing it.
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I’m tired of it. It cheapens debate and injects unnecessary emotion into politics. Accidents are, quite often, simply accidents and there’s no reason to try and link every accident that occurs to some disliked political figure or party. It this kind of attitude – that government should protect us from every possible negative potentiality in life – that is slowly eroding the traditional emphasis on individual responsibility that has made America unique.
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UPDATE: Both Ben and Miles have updated their stories in response to my comments here. Miles writes “Brian over at Too Conservative says it’s outrageous that we keep using the deaths of workers to suggest maybe we stop doing things that kill workers.” Well, Miles, if “we” had blown up the oil rig on purpose, you might have an argument here. No one wants to see industrial accidents, especially those who are directly impacted by those accidents – the workers and the companies.
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Apr 22nd by Brian S
Brian, it’s the 40th anniversary of “Earth” Day, and the world is a much better place–so much so, that we now must become aware of threats that are invisible:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sci_earth_day_issues
Head on main yahoo page for that story was “Dangers to Planet Now Largely Invisible”.
This is just timely talking points killing two birds (enviro/political) with one stone, for a made up holiday of our new state religion.
No, no, no. Loose women will be to blame if a volcano erupts in VA. According to Iranian clerics, earthquakes are caused by immodestly dressed women. Since earthquakes and volcanos go hand in hand, it is only logical.
That article is unintentionally hilarious, Barbara.
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And I totally forgot about that, Pgreer – I’m sure if an earthquake happened here it would be the result of Bob McDonnell not cracking down on sagging pants. Where’s the AG on this?!
Brian, your post is spot on. Volcanoes are definitely caused by Virginia republican elected officials, by virtue of them being republican, and elected, and from Virginia.
What I don’t understand is why McDonnell wasn’t responsible for man made and natural disasters last fall before the election. His power and evil are so pervasive that no one was safe even then.
Thank you for giving Ben a second (or third, or fourth) chance before making this post. At least he probably won’t ban you.
I am led to believe that the volcano gods are particularly fond of Virginians and that if we throw a few Virginians into the volcano everything should be just fine.
Sure, Dan! Let’s start with those who don’t work.
Great points, Brian…but why care? The more attention you pay to those guys the more you feed their ego and encourage them to continue doing it.
I guess it’s a Catch-22. Don’t say anything and they appear to not have a balance – say something and you give them credence.
Personally, we at BD just try (not always successfully) to talk about what’s going on in the Commonwealth and offer an alternative to the obvious sensationalism produced by the left.
Jack, why did you feel it necessary to take that gratuitous shot at the tea party people? Just because they don’t work and have lots of time to protest all government spending except that which is paid directly to them is no reason for you to make nasty comments about them.
J.R., I see your point. In my experience, however, there need to be rational voices on the right pointing out the irrational voices on the left. The echo chamber over at Blue Virginia is full, apparently, of liberals who seem to think there’s nothing wrong with trying to score a few points off a tragedy. At the very least, if we can shine a spotlight on that kind of ignorance, we can hope to deter some of it from happening.
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For most of the silliness, I agree – ignoring it is the best policy. But this kind of thing needs to be called out. If we’re ever going to clean up the tone in politics, we need to start by not letting anyone – left or right – get away with this kind of stuff.
“Bob McDonnell sends some Democrats off-tilt in the same way Dick Cheney used to. Every action he takes is analyzed, scrutinized and hacked apart for any bit of controversy that can be used to bash him or the other statewide Republicans. ”
You mean, like Republicans feel about Obama?
And obviously is a volcana erupted in Virginia it would be the fault of Republicans who wanted to take the money for “volcano monitoring” out of the budget — I refer you to Gov. Jindal’s response to the state of the union.
I think in this case, calling them out was completely warranted. It’s not something I like to do, but I completely understand. We’ll probably have a post up this afternoon on it.
J.R., I don’t think the sensationalism of which you speak comes only from one point on the political spectrum. It is, unfortunately, pervasive today and comes from many, many quarters.
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Perhaps you missed the year of Republican elected officials (who one might hope would be a bit more responsible than bloggers) shouting about “death panels” and health care reform proposals as being a greater threat than terrorism? And these are hardly isolated examples.
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I agree that sensationalism and over the top inflammatory rhetoric are epidemic today. And it would be a good thing if reasoned discourse could squeeze in amongst the crazy talk once in a while. But if you are going to decry such things only when they come from those you disagree with and completely ignore the equally numerous and equivalent examples from people you agree with then you are not part of the solution. You are part of the problem.
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In short, to have credibility when calling out the other guys you have to call bullshit on your own guys when they do the same thing. If we all do that then shame may have an effect on them and things may settle down. I am not holding my breath. Too often calling out your own guys just subjects you to attack by the crazies in your own group. But maybe we all need to try it more often. It might work eventually.
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Okay, I know I am dreaming.
I had the strangest feeling that this would be on some of the NoVA blogs this morning. If I get the gist of Miles’s post correct, it is that Virginia will not be getting all the revenue we deserve from oil production. So, it looks like he is using this to forward your agenda.
The phrase “tongue in cheek” comes to mind here…
“Virginia will not be getting all the revenue we deserve from oil production”
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That’s pretty much what I got from it too. He’s correctly pointing out that a couple of assholes from New Mexico and West Virginia are prematurely trying to stick their hands in our pockets.
Unless I misread Miles post, Tx, the point he’s making is that McDonnell is trying to bring exploding oil rigs to the coast of Virginia and we may not even get any money out of doing so. Not exactly “trying to forward [our] agenda.”
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Dan, if you’ll note, I pointed out how Republicans used 9/11 to push non-national security related stuff. As for the “death panels” and the rest of that rhetoric, yes it may have been over the top, but it wasn’t related to a recent tragedy. Exploiting fear is a bipartisan exercise that there’s really no way of stopping. We say death panels, you say killing old people and starving school kids. Both sides do it.
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But what really bothers me is the political attacks that start up when the bodies of the innocent dead aren’t even cold. That’s what I’ve been pointing out, not simply the rhetoric. If this had been a Virginia oil rig (or a Virginia coal mine), I would expect to see people questioning if the government was doing it’s job – that’s fair and even expected, although most news outlets wait a day or two before pointing fingers. Here, the accidents didn’t even occur in Virginia, but the Democrats are using them to attack our leaders. It is, as I said before, unseemly (which apparently is an ad hominem attack to some Democrats).
Hi all! I hope I’m welcomed to comment so here goes. As a Democrat I see Brian’s point completely in regards to this. As he notes it does happen on both sides but I recognize that elections have consequences and Bob McDonnell is our Governor he’s going to govern the way he deems best. Regarding the oil right explosion I think it’s premature for anyone to try and gain political points because we don’t even know that fate of some workers. Nearly every occupation and industry has accidents and sometimes lives are lost and some are more dangerous than others BUT it doesn’t reduce that amount of need for them. It does happen on both sides but to pin all these things on anyone when it doesn’t even occur here is pushing it and weakens the argument.
Lastly, I think Democrats do need to give credit where credit is due for McDonnell and Cuccinelli. I say this in regards to their handling of the Jens Soering matter. Coming from a law enforcement background this is important to me since Kaine’s actions could have allowed for a convicted killer to be walking the streets without any real rational explanation. Both McDonnell and Cuccinelli are correct in their handling of this and so far this hasn’t been politicized but I would be surprised if it does as time goes on (i.e. suing the government). I know this is off topic but it goes to the point that while it’s easy to criticize this correct action by them is being completely overlooked and not given the praise it deserves.
You’re always welcome to post, Daniel, even if you’re disagreeing with us. This isn’t Blue Virginia. We welcome opposing viewpoints.
So if we are talking cold bodies we’re good?
Not really, Ed. But it’s slightly less distasteful.
Actually Brian, there is a clear link between Bob McDonnell’s carbon emiting energy policies and the earthquakes.
That’s because climate change warms surface ocean temperatures, upsetting thermal gradient layers and altering the long-standing course, depth and speed of ocean currents. Current changes refocus the crushing mass of water columns on top of previously stable tectonic joints. The new stresses cause sudden plate shifts (aka subductions or earthquakes) like those that occurred earlier this year off the coast of Chile and in 2004 off the coast of Indonesia. The eruption in Iceland is only the most recent Bob McDonnell caused seismic disturbance.
So please, go by streetcar or ride your bike; then you too can prevent seismic trauma, death and disruption and build that strong green economy that we can rely on to drive us into a prosperous future.
Lets Be Free,
Here is a somewhat simplified version of your explanation of the connection between climate change and earthquakes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLDgQg6bq7o
“Let’s start with those who don’t work.”
Jack: How about those who do work, but whose chosen work is stealing the money of these rest of us? You know, the libertarian thieves on Wall Street!
tP3: How about those who do work, but whose chosen work is stealing the money of these rest of us? You know, the libertarian thieves on Wall Street!
Let’s not forget TV preachers, they fit that category too.
Gentlemen, the idea is to appease the volcano god. Not to further piss him off. If you start chucking Wall Street types and religion salesmen into the volcano you are courting disaster of epic proportions!
“How about those who do work, but whose chosen work is stealing the money of these rest of us? You know, the public sector union members!”
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Fixed.
Cato, whatever your opinion of public sector union members may be, it is hard to imagine that they could possibly steal enough to keep up with Wall Street when it comes to theft. Wall Street is in a league of its own. Always has been. If there were a Crime Hall of Fame, Wall Street would dominate it.
How has Wall Street stolen from you, Dan?
You know what’s funny? Bloggers from pretty much around the blogosphere come here to post – Ben at NLS, JR from Bearing Drift, Chris from Mason Conservative, 200Grande from Crystal Clear Conservative.
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But I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who posts on the front page over at Blue Virginia has ever come over here to debate. Go figure.
Perhaps I am mistaken. They are all virtuous and the whole derivatives scam and all the other things through the decades are just misunderstandings. These guys have sterling ethics and small investors play on a level field.
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I am not speaking of myself in particular. I am speaking generally.
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Are you saying the markets are not rigged? That is a difficult case to make. Although frequently the “theft” is called something else. These guys own the folks (of both parties) who write the laws. That makes it ever so much easier.
Tom, don’t those “libertarian thieves” donate mostly to Democrats? Didn’t 0bama get over $1M from Goldman Sachs employees?
Still waiting Dan. Tell me how Wall Street has stolen from you, personally.
But HisRoc, that cheapens my theory, I bet I worked on it for five or ten minutes.
“Tom, don’t those “libertarian thieves” donate mostly to Democrats? Didn’t 0bama get over $1M from Goldman Sachs employees”
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GS was his second largest donor. Democrats are awash in Wall Street cash at a 2:1 ratio over Rs at least. For them to turn around and try and paint Rs as “the party of Wall Street” is a new level of dishonesty, even for Democrats.
Coming soon to a state capitol near you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdREEcx0-Qc
Give me us the money, save the children!
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I like what going on in NJ, Christie has every public employees union member gasping for breath because the people are voting down the bloated county and local budgets. It’s a beautiful thing.
Surprised that you could have written “Every action he takes
is analyzed, scrutinized and hacked apart for any bit of
controversy that can be used to bash him …” and not realize
your observation could easily be applied to both Gov. McDonnell
AND President Obama.
At least Job Bob doesn’t have anything like the Fox goon squad
working 24-7 with the end goal of having him lynched.
Ace of Spades — how clever Cato.
Right wingers are the masters of ad hominem attacks and
ramping up polariztion.
“ad hominem attacks”
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Although I try not to, I really can’t engage in discussion with you types without dropping into ad ad hominem mode, as you’re basically despicable human beings. Apologies in advance.
Look, Wall Street bets on the winners. They saw a D victory and paid up. During the Bush years they paid the Rs.
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Timing.
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Why the race card? Who mentioned race? Is this a preemptive race card?
Big Dog,
“Right wingers are the masters of ad hominem attacks and
ramping up polariztion (sic).
I see. And left wingers are guiltless in ad hominem attacks on the Tea Party, the Republican leadership in Congress (”the Party of NO”), Fox News (as if MSNBC is fair and balanced), the Washington Post whenever they deviate from the DNC talking points, and Bush-Cheney?
Grow up.
Big Dog,
And I almost forgot to mention the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Roberts was confirmed by 78 Republican and Democratic senators. 22 left wingers voted against him, including then-Senator Biden and then-Senator Obama. Now Obama conducts ad hominem attacks on the Roberts Court during the State of the Union Address, no less.
Shameful.
Ed, I think Big Dog’s lynching comment could be taken that way.
“I like what going on in NJ”
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I like what is going on in NJ because, in this deep blue bastion state, voters told public sector unions to go to hell at the ballot box. They said that they’re no longer willing to fund automatic 4% raises and outrageous pension contributions from their wallets when over ten percent of them don’t have jobs at all, and an additional ten percent are working part-time and want full-time work. In the words of that fictional character Maximus Decimus Meridius; “the time for honoring yourselves will soon be at an end.” (namely: November, 2010)
All the name calling and finger pointing on both sides is a big distraction and a time waster. Back in the world of rational thought, it is true that more offshore oil rigs mean more chances for spills and other accidents. Spills are not a rare occurrence and when they happen they cause considerable environmental damage and cost a lot of money. It’s very likely that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will wonder why we didn’t seriously dedicate ourselves to energy conservation and alternative energy instead of continuing to rely on ever more difficult and expensive to produce petroleum and coal energy sources. Our leaders at all levels are failing to lead on this issue.
AMEN Elder!
HisRoc, The Alito confirmation was beyond shameful. Mr Obama can not wag his finger at the R’s on opposition to his Supreme Court nomination. Chuck Shumer is a complete disgrace, and he will be the President’s point man on any nominee – it’s disgusting to watch this man in action.
“Spills are not a rare occurrence” – can you cite some documentation to this very broad and problematic stmt?
This article from the Houston Chronicle a couple of years ago seems to give an even handed appraisal of the situation with offshore drilling.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/5897424.html
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The technology is better. The article points out that if current technology had been available in 1969 the Santa Barbara spill wouldn’t have happened. But it also gives statistics on the frequency of spills and shows that they are indeed not a rare occurrence. Leaks and seepage are concerns as well as the more spectacular spills that make the headlines.
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We may proceed with drilling off the Virginia coast. It may be good public policy. But no one should be surprised at the nasty black stuff all over their feet after a walk on the beach if we do. That stuff is a bitch to clean off. I remember it from Santa Barbara.
The other thing that isn’t being mentioned in these Virginia specific discussions of offshore drilling is the true potential of the areas off the Virginia coast as opposed to other coastal areas. I have read that the great potential reserves that are known lie off the West Coast. That the potential reserves off the East Coast are questionable.
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I know I teased about McDonnell pretending that this was how he was going to pay for transportation during his administration and how completely unrealistic that was. I joked about using a leprechaun’s pot of gold to pay those bills. Is it possible that we are chasing a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with this idea? Have we really taken a hard headed appraisal of it?
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As I say, we may do this. It may be wise public policy. But I am not sure we know enough yet to make that judgement. It would behoove us to do a realistic analysis of the true costs and potential benefits before we find out we were chasing returns that don’t exist and paying a price that wasn’t worth the payoff.
No one is arguing that off-shore drilling is 100% safe and 100% environmentally sound. It isn’t. Frankly, no energy production method is 100% safe and 100% environmentally sound. Even solar requires some pollution in the production process, and people being killed by wind-mills is not an unheard of event.
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Whatever the risks, they are significantly less than they were just a decade ago, and they’re going to continually get better. Any kind of waterborne transportation has the potential for a fuel leak that could have environmental impact. That’s a fact of life. Unless we decide to go back to wind power to power ships, that’s not going to change.
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I also think it’s funny that the Democratic blogs both went after Bob McDonnell without saying a word about President Obama’s push for off-shore drilling a few weeks ago. I guess he gets a pass because he’s a Democrat with “redeeming qualities.”
Dan, we don’t know what the reserves are until we get out there and explore.
Brian,
So again, based on this post, had the Xmas Bomber been successful, we would have heard no political criticism of President Obama from you?
Somehow I doubt that very much. But that being said, I do NOT believe two wrongs make a Right. Nobody should be using the oilrig explosion or the coal mine to criticize others politically. There SHOULD be an underlying assumption that our leaders actually are doing their best to protect each and every one of us. Really what is happening here is R’s & D’s alike are just tapping into public cynicism (a cynicism they helped to cultivate) because of expediency. They do not have to worry about having their OWN ideas scrutinized this way – it is simply intellectual cowardice. But we the voters are part of the problem as well because we react to it as predicted. Heck, your own post is designed to promote public cynicism (they normally are).
I have little hope anything will change.
[...] on April 23, 2010 by isophorone Fatalities from Dangerous Energy Technologies Hat tip: Too Conservative There has been a lot of debate about expanding new energy sources in Virginia and around the [...]
Barb,
54 comments later, I must ask, are you suggesting you must be able to see/sense something for it to be dangerous? I think you need to change your handle to Mme. Curie.
“Dan, we don’t know what the reserves are until we get out there and explore.”
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I understand. But the folks who seem to know a lot more about this than I do (and have a sizable financial stake in it) seem to be saying that what is likely to be produced off these areas of the East Coast is chump change compared to what is off the West Coast. It seems to me that the potential costs are similar on either coast, so we are possibly going to take the risks in exchange for a much smaller payoff. My point being we might want to take a more sober analysis of potential costs and benefits than “drill baby drill”.
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If people are looking for this to be either the answer to our dependence on Middle Eastern oil or a panacea to funding our state’s transportation needs they are kidding themselves. If it is part of an overall national energy policy (something we haven’t had for thirty years) then I am certainly open to supporting it. But we gotta get off oil and onto renewable sustainable sources of energy. We need a strategy to get there.
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For automobiles, compressed natural gas seems like the best short term solution. Unlike hydrogen cells, the technology is currently available. And I am sure the big oil companies can retrofit their current gas stations to dispense CNG. So they won’t miss a beat and shouldn’t oppose it like they have opposed so much else that made sense for America. The kicker here is that the West Coast seems to have the far greater potential for producing natural gas too.
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For electricity generation we need to take a genuine look at the potential of wind. It doesn’t appear like it is realistic for more than about 20% of our electricity generation needs, but that ain’t a bad start. And the Arabs don’t control the wind.
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We have to take a hard look at nuclear too. Although I am least comfortable with that. As bad as an oil spill is, it can be cleaned up and the area recovered over time. A Chernobyl at North Anna or Calvert Cliffs is not something I would ever want to see. But the potential for power produced at reasonable cost that doesn’t come from the Middle East has to be seriously considered in the mix.
Eric, please don’t call that guy the Xmas Bomber. It taints a wonderful holiday (Always keep the X in Xmas I say). And underpants bomber sounds so juvenile.
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The best name I have heard yet is a play on the Unabomber. This guy should be called the Eunuch Bomber. Fitting considering where he had the explosives.
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Those seventy-two virgins would have been disappointed.
“Unless we decide to go back to wind power to power ships”
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Brian, that’s not a very realistic idea. But it would be grand!
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I didn’t say offshore drilling had to be 100% safe. Simply that a realistic assessment of the potential risks MUST be weighed against a realistic assessment of the potential benefits before a wise decision can be made whether or not we should proceed.
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And I am talking primarily about the potential risks/benefits to the people of Virginia. I don’t begrudge the companies who will be extracting the oil a profit from the venture. But it isn’t enough that it is good for them if it isn’t a good deal for the state. We need to be sure Virginia gets a sufficient cut to make the risks WE are taking are worth it.
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I think the strongest proponents of this have the greatest responsibility to drive a hard bargain and get the very best possible deal for the state.
“The best name I have heard yet is a play on the Unabomber.”
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Wow. How did you miss “fruit of kaboom?”
Fruit of kaboom is good. I still like the Eunuch Bomber.
Eric, I would have waited until we had some idea what happened before I made any criticism, and I wouldn’t have blamed Obama unless he had done something that made the bombing possible. I don’t think he has, and I have not criticized him for the attempt – I have criticized for treating the bomber like a criminal and not a terrorist, but not the fact that he was able to board the plane in the first place.
Yes, we want wind. We all want wind. Except of course when it would affect the view from the Kennedy compound.
The cynicism that Eric is talking about is giving rise to the tea party movement. The public is catching on — one for you one for me collectivism and nannyism of conventional politics has driven us into this hole. With time, increasing influence will come from thinkers and activists who are independent of (or pivot to act independent of) the D and the R political machinery.
Thank you for inspiring some snark on my part. I linked!
On oil spill data, a lot of that has to do with hurricanes recently. And Virginia’s offshore doesn’t see as much of that as the Gulf. From that Houston Chronicle (perhaps the worst major metro newspaper in the country) article, they also note: “The amount spilled by industry pales in comparison with seepage from natural fissures — an estimated 1,700 barrels per day off the coast of North America, regulators note.” In that context, it sounds like the industry is doing a good job.
As far as getting our fair share, the royalty rates on offshore leases are set by the federal government. Whether or not we share in those royalties depends on whether Congress amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). In that last case of royalty amendments, you had Sen. Landrieu, President Bush and Hurricane Katrina as forces to push this through.
“On oil spill data, a lot of that has to do with hurricanes recently. And Virginia’s offshore doesn’t see as much of that as the Gulf.”
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I wouldn’t depend on that continuing indefinitely. These things tend to be cyclical. Those of us who are old farts remember plenty of years when the hurricanes seemed to like hitting the East coast more than the Gulf.
Brian, not that it literally disproved your comment above, but I have been offered (and once or twice have accepted) full front page blogging opportunities at Blue Virginia. That I don’t take more advantage is personal and tempermental– I enjoy the give and take of the comments section more than the statement making of blogger front page. But as I think everyone should know, I read carefully and interact with TC very often. (I read most of the dem and repub blogs throughout the state but simply don’t have the time to comment on more than a few.)
Anyway, I just mention it because I share you (admirable!) obsession with trying to set the record straight.
Here’s a hurricane probability table, state by state, looking at long term history.
http://www.e-transit.org/hurricane/StateImpacts-GeolabVersion.xls
Virginia is a long ways down the list in terms of probabilities, and perhaps more importantly, in terms of intensity. By the time hurricanes get this far north they’ve lost some of their punch and they’ve picked up forward motion speed so they wouldn’t linger long near oil drilling platforms.
Gretchen, that’s good to see – at least one BV poster over here. I doubt that we’ll ever see Miles or Lowell over here. They don’t seem to get out much beyond Daily Kos or their own site.
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I guess when you’re in this to make money, it doesn’t pay to actually debate with the other side.
“The kicker here is that the West Coast seems to have the far greater potential for producing natural gas too.”
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I’m not sure about that. The Barnett Shale in Texas has been accounting for most of the new reserves of natural gas. We have a much larger shale formation up here called the Marcellus (it spans PA, NY, WV, Ohio, and a tiny sliver of MD and VA). Unconventional sources like these are where most of our new supply will come from (assuming natural gas prices rise again). The problem with West Coast gas is not as easy to get it to the primary users in the North East. We just now have the Rockies Express Pipeline through Ohio. Other than that the gas flow to the North East and Mid West is mostly Gulf States up to here.
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If we plan on using natural gas to replace or make a significant dent in oil AND coal consumption, then we will need to explore all possible production sites. And that would include off the East Coast even if that turn out not to be as big as someplace else. There is nothing to say that Virginia’s offshore production won’t turn out to be mostly gas instead of oil. And we can have wind farms and wells out there. I haven’t seen anything noting they are mutually exclusive events.
Eric, I realize that things invisible to the naked eye still have effect–microbes, gases, etc.
I am having problems with the yes, religious intensity, and the glossing over of how much progress has been made in the last forty years before ramping right back into that doom and gloom sendmeallyourmoneyandyouWILLSTILLgotohell endtimes religous bs.
The invisible dangers here are primarily that too many people are making too much (tax) money on the Emperor’s new clothes.
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For those interested in nuclear, will this state admin allow the ban on uranium mining to sunset right here in the Old Dominion?
That was set back in the early days of waiting in fear for perennially silent springs, and I can report from right here in my “cookie cutter paved over rape of the natural world McAnywhere” that we are up to our ass in birds and other wildlife (ducks, geese, herons, hawks, wide varieties of songbirds, finches, icterids, hummingbirds, vultures, foxes, skunks, coons, possums, deer, turtles both snapping and box, lizards, frogs, toads, snakes and the occasional EAGLE and COYOTE).
This spring has been anything but silent, thank God, so when do we get to stop worshipping Saint Rachel of the Gathering Doom? lol
To be more clear, the birds and other wildlife (ducks, geese, herons, hawks, wide varieties of songbirds, finches, icterids, hummingbirds, vultures, foxes, skunks, coons, possums, deer, turtles both snapping and box, lizards, frogs, toads, snakes and the occasional EAGLE and COYOTE) are up to their asses with you.
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Just a note on the oil thing… one cannot expect to not take a hit for saying offshore drilling is perfectly safe now, when there is a rig burning and falling into the ocean.
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It’s just the way it goes. All you folks that were laughing about global warming during the blizzard know this. Right?
edmund, a varied ecosystem is generally held to be a healthy one. The chipmunks and the skinks engage in war over the tunnels under the front walk, and the bunnies come up on the porch to eat the needleleaf maple, much to the continuing delight of the dog.
It would appear we didn’t poinson this land out of existence, as all the little “lollipop” trees are taller than the houses now, and the birds fight to nest in them.
Wasn’t much of that going on when it was a cow pasture.
Who said drilling was perfectly safe?
And do you drive a car?
Heat and/or cool your home?
What powers your computer?
Oh, holy holy holier than thou! lolol
“Those seventy-two virgins would have been disappointed”
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Hell no. They were probably rejoicing in the fact that they didn’t have to put out for another loser.
Wow. How did you miss “fruit of kaboom?”
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How did I miss this one? ROFL!
LOLOLO!!!!
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Barbara, I’m just making an observation. There are many Rs (Drill Baby Drill, remember) that said drilling was safe. Come on. You know it.
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Or are you just giving us the leftovers from that big ‘ol cow pasture?
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LOLOLOLOOL!!!!
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By the way, my car runs on baby tears.
I understand, edmund. This is the part where you start with a sweeping generalization stated as pointed fact, then gradually back away from it as challenged.
Enjoy.
Your car–what does the sodium do to the engine? fascinating.
(I learned a great new word today in the Post article on the Appleseed shoots: “rururb”. As in “past the suburbs, exurbs, and RURURBS”. I’m guessing that might be where a lot of the folks who complain about what other people do to nature by existing live, and commute to their urban jobs from? Could be.)
Brian- What you say about the money has some validity. I suspected as much when Lowell argued with me that a Democrat can win the 1st CD as currently configured.
A democrat with a stripper name?
About the hurricanes, if you look at the academic paper describing the design of that web page, you see a way to calculate the 50 year probabilities, which for oil exploration and extraction seem more relevant than the one year probabilities.
To get the 50 year, it’s 1 – (1 – one-year) raised to the 50th power. It looked as though the one-year hurricane probability for our coastal region was 5%.
Can anyone else do the math.
“When you look at Republicans you see the scum off the top of
business. When you look at Democrats you see the scum off the
top of politics”.
P.J. O’Rourke.
We need more pragmatic independents and not the Kool-aid drinking
jerks at the extremes of both parties that too often
run the nominating contest and leave us with people just
like them – beady eyed party hacks that can only mouth
approved slogans.
RINO? DINO? How about an intelligent reasonable person
with an open mind that is intersted in doing a decent job
more than preaching a rigid political gospel?
I agree with that, Big Dog.
It seems to be the case that too much of the time, what you have to do to get elected ought to disqualify you from holding office.
Thanks Barbara. I will enjoy.
Seems that the most recent declaration that being liberal is equated with a mental disorder were true…if we;re to read some of this whining as serious attempts to bash Bob McDonnell.
LL: The stripper name is probably a plus, at least it’s easy to remember. Her bigger problem is that there are just not enough Democrats in the 1st CD to win an election. It’s like expecting a Republican to win the 3rd. It just isn’t happening. But I guess if you’re taking money from the candidate, you can’t be that honest about it.
DOn’t know if this thread is still active but I would hesitate to laude the Marcellus Shale as the cure all for “clean” natural gas. Please look into the resource impact of taking millions of gallons of water out of a watershed, use it to hydrofac a formation then extract that now brine and discharge it back into the watershed. Then look into oil and gas production exclusions to stadard industrial environmental regulations (like RCRA) and you can get the picture of how “clean” these newly found resources really are.
I noticed that in addition to Volcanos, Loudoun;s BOS may be creating a volcano of their own by volunteering all the residents of Loudoun as the newest members of the Chesapeake Bay Act. See Facebook’s “Loudoun’s Chesapeake Bay Act.”
I didn’t say that unconventional sources of natural gas were without drawbacks. But all extraction industries are dirty. Is it as awful as mining oil sands in Alberta for crude oil? When the price gets high enough, we will go to greater lengths to extract the resource.
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We need fuel though to power our ever expanding economy (unless it doesn’t expand). And we need even more resources for all of the new people who get added to the world population every day. And even more as the standard of living for emerging economies increases (well that or a giant wealth transfer that leaves us poor).
[...] is absolutely pathetic, and Brian S. over at Too Conservative is right to call them out on it: For some reason, the Democrats – at least online – seem to think that no matter how tenuous the [...]