Prices are a function of supply and demand and politicians can do nothing about that. But they keep trying. There has not been a new oil refinery built in America since 1976 and domestic oil exploration is blocked by liberals, but people still wonder why gas supplies are so tight. The Congress is debating a bill to ease the construction of new refinery capacity, but Democrats are opposing it. So, while berating Republicans for high gas prices, Democrats stand in the way of the one way to remedy the situation: to increase supply.

vulnerabilities in the fuel supply system exposed by the hurricanes show that the country needs to build more refineries, especially away from the Gulf Coast region. No refineries have been built in the United States since 1976 as the industry has consolidated to fewer, but larger facilities.

The GOP legislation also would limit to six the different blends of gasoline and diesel fuel that refiners would be required to produce, reversing a trend of using so-called "boutique" fuels to satisfy clean air demands. And it would give the federal government greater say in siting a refinery and pipeline. It also calls on the president to designate military bases or other federal property where a refinery might be built.

Economically illiterate, Democrats continue to think that prices can come down while supply is hampered and demand continues to grow. This is nothing less than lunacy.

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.gopbloggers.org/mt/majority.cgi/2239

---

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

What is the Vice-President's last name?

(NOTE: You must get this correct, otherwise, your comment will be rejected.)

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)