My question regarding this is, if they plan to drill in the north eastern seaboard region where do they plan to refine it? If I may, I'd like to suggest anywhere within an hour or two's drive of any or all of the following: Hyannis Port, Martha's Vineyeard, Cape Cod, Kennebunkport, Westport and Montauk. New Jersey is already sufficiently blighted. Although Cape May holds some promise.

(1) not a single, Republican vote for any kind of climate change legislation;

(2) the legislation that does get passed having been watered and dumbed down to the point where it is all but meaningless, but assurances having been made to the oil, coal and nuclear energy industries, will not hurt them one little bit; and

(3) expansion beyond what was announced yesterday for coastal drilling.

Going forward, feel free to substitute whatever major issue is being considered for legislation for the issue above.

The US produces about twice the world average barrels of oil per person. We consume about five times the average per person. So its not like we are a country without ongoing oil production. If the reserves in question are brought into production, that will be under 10% of our total production at most and since this is a limited expansion, probably under 5%. By the time it kicks in, our production might be closer to ~5% of world production than the present ~10% of world production.

Adding 0.25% to 0.5% to total world oil production is not going to do much of anything to the price. Its silly to think it will. During the primary campaign, Candidate Obama mocked people who were willing to pander to the wishful thinking that it could.

Electrifying about 10% of our rail corridors and establishing 100mph Rapid Freight Rail on those electric corridors could save 7% of our oil consumption, or 1.75% of total world consumption.

Obama's trip to Portland took him to the home state of two moderate Republican senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, whose votes for the [health care] legislation the president ardently sought but ultimately could not win. The White House said both senators were invited to attend the event, but neither did.

One White House target in particular is Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who is seeking to forge a deal on comprehensive energy legislation (and has taken some conservative heat for doing so).

Now that the Democrats have embraced GOP agenda, they own it. Now, it seems as if the GOP does not want to be seen as triangulating by agreeing with Obama... lol

I think now we have no choice but to go there, and the sooner the better-- as long as it's the newer plant technology used in most of Europe.