by Jonny Velasquez
Supply and demand is one cause of the astronomical increase in gas prices with no promise of returning to the affordable $2.50 a gallon – a vision held by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
Republicans are quick to scrutinize the Obama Administration for the rise of gas prices. Gingrich wrote, “The Obama administration’s ideological refusal to expand American energy production continues to block the development of resources which could lower gasoline prices dramatically.”
The United States uses approximately 20 million barrels of oil a day. Over the 2012 summer, gas prices are predicted to rise even more.
Second-year Animation major, Kandice Rodriguez, commented, “Gas prices are unreasonably high. But we have to get gas. It’s a necessity.”
Governor Mitt Romney, the GOP frontrunner, blames President Obama, “There’s one promise he made that he kept. You see, when he was running, he talked about how his energy policies would cause energy prices to skyrocket.”
Second year Printmaking major Charlie Cofer said, “I don’t think you can blame one person entirely. I think Obama can do more, but you can’t blame one person. The gas crisis is a worldwide epidemic.”
President Obama said, “Every time prices start to go up – especially during an election year – politicians, they start dusting off their 3-point plan for $2 gas. They head down to the gas station and they make sure a few cameras are following them, and then they tell you how we’re going to have cheap gas forever if you just vote for them. And it has been the same script for 30 years. The same thing. It has been like a bad re-run.”
Governor Romney said, “I’m not predicting they’re going to go down to $2 per gallon. I know there are some who think that’s possible. Anything’s possible in this world, but I think gasoline prices are going to be high. However, they don’t have to be as high as we’re seeing under this president, if we develop our own energy resources and provide them to the refiners.”
Republicans criticize President Obama for declining the Keystone Pipeline – a pipeline designed to transport oil from Alberta, Canada to numerous destinations in the United States.
Gingrich commented, “As we saw most recently with the administration’s rejection of the Keystone Pipeline, the president is more interested in playing favorites with environmental extremists rather than embracing the ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy that could achieve energy independence and help all Americans now.”
Governor Romney said, “President Obama has once again blocked the Keystone Pipeline. He personally lobbied Senate Democrats to vote against the project, asking them to eliminate jobs and reroute desperately needed Canadian oil away from the United States and towards China. This decision makes a mockery of his so-called ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy and is the latest reminder that he has taken unprecedented steps to stifle energy productions and drive up energy prices in this country, all while wasting billions of dollars on failed green projects.”
President Obama said, “If we want to stabilize energy prices for the long term and the medium term, if we want America to grow, we’re going to have to look past what we’ve been doing and put ourselves on the path to a real sustainable energy future.”
President Obama said the proposed pipeline and drilling plans are not the “be-all-end-all” fixes for the oil crisis.
TransCanada – the company hoping to structure the Keystone Pipeline – will submit a new proposal for the Keystone Pipeline. President Obama said he would be happy to review new applications.
President Obama said, “The fact is that my administration has approved dozens of new oil and gas pipelines over the last three years, including one from Canada. And, as long as I’m president, we’re going to keep encouraging oil development and infrastructure and we’re going to do it in a way that protects the health and safety of the American people. We don’t have to choose between one or the other. We can do both.”
The original plans for the northern section of the Keystone pipeline was to transfer oil from Alberta, Canada to numerous Unites States destinations. President Obama denied the plan in January.
TransCanada will go ahead with the southern section of the pipeline, which requires no presidential permit, because it does not cross an international border.
Vice President Robert Jones is working on a new route from the northern pipeline that will avoid the Nebraska Sandhills region – a region of environmental concern. Jones hopes they can start construction by mid 2013.