| Obama Is for DRILL THERE not HERE |
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Dirty Energy Abroad, Cap and Trade At Home? William R Collier Jr- Reagan 2 Washington DC, August 24, 2009 While President Barack Obama threatens to place cost-prohibitive fees on US companies using oil, natural gas, and coal, he also appears to be investing American tax dollars to increase energy production for multiple nations, including Iran, ostensibly as new energy partners, even though these supplies will not reach US shores. Is this the new Blood For Oil plan, clean green for dirty energy from Iran and other totalitarian regimes? It is not clear what the US hopes to gain by promoting energy exploration and production abroad in nations, with little, if any, environmental restrictions, while promoting strict anti-greenhouse measures at home that would drive US energy productions cost up prohibitively. This shock to the economy comes just as the Obama administrations appears to be pursuing a systematic lessening of trade restrictions and high technology restrictions against American enemies or opponents abroad. Marry this aggressive pursuit of deregulation with the efforts by the Administration to indict CIA operatives and a picture begins to form that warrants, at the very least, further investigations by what’s left of the Fourth Estate. Overseas, things are churning beneath the surface…. Burma- working on its own nuclear weapons program Yemen- Iranian-supplied rebels are successfully resisting the US backed government in an all-out civil war, Venezuela- buying arms from Russia while having threatened both Colombia and Honduras with military action The White House was quick to initially side with Venezuela and Cuba over the Honduran crisis that formed when the former president was constitutionally removed from office for violating the law, as well as direct orders from their Congress and Supreme Court. Here are a few headlines over the past few months that make us curious: WASHINGTON -JULY 30, 2009 Recognizing China’s growing market economy, the US has agreed to loosen restrictions on the export of hi-tech goods to China, Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Qishan has disclosed. The decision came on Tuesday after a meeting between US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Qishan during the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington. “The US pledged to facilitate exports of high-technology products from the US to China,” he said, while calling the SAED a “full success”, China Daily reports. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/cuba/4969049/Obama-prepares-to-relax-restrictions-on-Cuba.html US lifts curb on Cambodia, Laos trade BANGKOK – The removal of Cambodia and Laos from a United States blacklist that limits government support for US companies doing business with the two countries represents the latest strategic move by Washington to counterbalance China’s rising influence in mainland Southeast Asia. The new designation will open the way for more American investment in two of Southeast Asia’s poorest nations, both US adversaries during the Cold War era. Obama maintains “sanctions” on Syria, but loosens trade restrictions- http://en.timeturk.com/obama-maintains-syria-sanctions–23143-haberi.html If this is not troubling, consider new development in Iran which seem to indicate a potential unofficial, if not official, easing of trade restrictions there. In Tehran this week, US Firms, among whom Tyco Instruments and Shell, attended the Iran Oil Summit in Tehran, either flouting the present restrictions against trade with Iran or with the knowing cognizance of the US Government. The Iranians have stated that there are “no legal prohibitions” for US firms that are interested in investing in Iranian Oil- http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=194556 As recently as August 17, 2009, last week, an Asian newspaper noted: U.S. sanctions prohibit U.S. companies from investing in Iran or advising Iranian companies but it is unclear what law Merrill could have broken by advising a company which simply buys and sells oil with Iran, analysts said. Why then were Shell and Tyco, and, according to the Iranians, 3 other US companies, in Iran? The tipping of their hand may be two seemingly separate speeches by two different US officials which hinted at greater US acceptance for investing in Iranian energy companies and even doing business with them. US promotes Iran in energy market The US is indeed probing all options. In a hugely surprising move, while speaking to reporters after the Sofia conference, Morningstar spoke of Iran as a potential gas supplier for Nabucco. “Obviously, right now, gas from Iran creates some difficulties for the United States as well as for other countries involved,” he admitted. “We [US] reached out to Iran, we want to engage with Iran, but it also takes two to go to the dance and we are hoping that there will be positive responses from Iran,” Morningstar said. He reportedly said Nabucco could well exist without Iranian gas, but the US was really trying to reach out to Tehran. He was hopeful about the prospects since a possible “carrot” would be the development of Iran’s energy sector with Western technology if there is a thaw in US-Iran relations. He implied that Iran stands to hugely benefit as the Obama administration is deeply committed to Europe’s energy security. Interestingly, even as Morningstar spoke in Sofia, the US delegate at the conference in Ashgabat, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Krol, made yet another proposal involving Iran in his speech. He said the US remained open to the prospect of gas from Central Asia being exported to Europe via Iran, which borders Turkmenistan to the south. Krol’s audience included Iranian delegates. In July, right after being appointed to his post, Morningstar had this to say about Iran: ——— The policy appears to be, even after the Iran elections debacle, one of appeasement, and we seem to be seeing an emergence of action related to this policy shift. Morningstar has been a consistent advocate for developing energy in the region he now covers and said this in 1998: ——– AMB. MORNINGSTAR: Well, first of all frankly, not much of the actual oil itself will be drilled in the Caspian will get to the United States, however, what the Caspian will do will increase the overall world supply and it will be a significant portion of the new oil that will be developed in the world over the next several years and therefor will be a significant percentage related to increased demands, and so by increasing the worlds supply that’s going to enhance the overall energy security of the United States as well as other nations, but the actual oil, very little of the actual oil from the Caspian will actually get to the United States. Clearly, Morningstar is very much FOR increasing world production of energy, including natural gas and oil, however much President Obama is opposed to increasing any US energy production, save for “renewable” energy while using “cap and trade” to make oil production, natural gas production, and coal production in the US cost prohibitive. A picture emerges which begs more questions than gives real answers: 1. Why is the US suddenly reversing long-standing sanctions, trade restrictions, and technology restrictions all at once amongst so many of her opponents and enemies? 2. Was the sudden appearance in Tehran by US companies seeking to invest in Iranian energy tied into two speeches by two US officials at the same time asserting the Obama administration is now open to US firms operating in Iran? 3. How does all this effort to increase energy production abroad square with the “global warming” concerns of the Obama Administration and their domestic “cap and trade” program? 4. Why is the Obama Administration allowing a witch-hunt against the CIA, which will seriously deteriorate the US intelligence community, at a time when new offensives by America’s enemies appear to be taking place all over? We will work on this important breaking story and fill in as many details as possible as we proceed. |