Missouri's 3rd Congressional District, Mega Vote

June 14, 2010 In this MegaVote for Missouri's 3rd Congressional District: Recent Congressional Votes Senate: Motion to Proceed to Resolution; To overturn an EPA finding on greenhouse gas emissions. House: FHA Reform Act of 2010 House: To broaden access to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Upcoming Congressional Bills Senate: American Workers, State and Business Relief Act House: Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010

Recent Senate Votes

Motion to Proceed to Resolution; To overturn an EPA finding on greenhouse gas emissions. - Vote Rejected (47-53) The Senate rejected this resolution that would have stripped the EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases. Sen. Christopher Bond voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Claire McCaskill voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

FHA Reform Act of 2010 - Vote Passed (406-4, 21 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would allow the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to raise premiums for mortgage insurance, with the intent of boosting its dwindling reserves. The bill now goes to the Senate. Rep. Russ Carnahan voted YES......send e-mail or see bio To broaden access to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund - Vote Passed (410-0, 1 Present, 20 Not Voting) This legislation would allow the Obama administration to withdraw more money from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund in order to better respond to the Gulf of Mexico oil accident. The Senate approved the bill the previous day by voice vote, and the president is expected to sign it. Rep. Russ Carnahan voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Upcoming Votes

American Workers, State and Business Relief Act - H.R.4213 The Senate continues work on this bill to extend certain expired tax provisions and benefits extensions. Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010 - H.R.5297 The House is scheduled to vote on this bill that intends to establish a small-business lending fund.

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Scott's Contracting
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http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
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scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com

BP Oil and Political Ties

BP Stockholder Won't Step Down From Oil Spill Investigation

posted by: Beth Buczynski 3 days ago

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BP Stockholder Won\'t Step Down From Oil Spill Investigation

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Amidst reports that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill may be twice the size estimated two weeks ago, it's been revealed that a multimillionaire House Republican (who happens to own thousands of shares of BP stock) is a key player in the  congressional investigation of the spill.

It doesn't take a genius to see that this is a significant conflict of interest.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner, who represents the wealthiest district in Wisconsin, has openly chastised President Obama for threatening to prosecute BP in court but avoided directly criticizing BP for the spill itself.

What the Congressional committee "finds" with regard to negligence preceding the spill, and the way Capitol Hill votes on this issue could directly affect Sensenbrenner's investments in the oil company. But, under House rules, he is not required to recuse himself from BP-related issues, Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told the AP.

Apparently, House rules only prohibit such lawmakers from being involved with a bill "in which the lawmaker is the only one in which he or she has an interest."

(Note: If you figure out a way to interpret that statement in plain English, feel free to share it in the comments!)

If nothing else, Sensenbrenner's presence (and refusal to leave) the spill probe committee rattles the confidence of those who hoped that the U.S. Attorney General's announcement of both criminal and civil investigations would actually hold those responsible for this environmental disaster accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

It's worth noting, however, that in 2005, Sensenbrenner — over the objections of BP — voted in favor of a ban on oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes.

Meanwhile, U.S. Geological Survey Director Marcia McNutt told reporters that BP's first "successful" attempt to slow the flood of oil from the severed underground pipe is only collecting a fraction of what's escaping into the ocean.

"The lowest estimate that we're seeing that scientists think is credible is about 20,000 barrels, and the highest we're seeing is probably a little over 40,000, and maybe a little bit more," depending on how much natural gas is also being released from the well, McNutt said.

As a comparison, the new figures mean that BP's first successful attempt at containing the oil, a suction tube inserted into the riser pipe, collected at most only about one day's worth of the leaking oil over the nine-day period it was used (NoLa.com).

SIGN THE PETITIONS!

• Hold Oil Companies Accountable for their Spills
• Stop Another Disaster: Shut Down BP Atlantis

Find full Care2 Coverage of the Spill here.

Like this story? Follow Beth on Twitter or Stumble!

Read more: congress, investigation, bp, obama, environment & wildlife, oil spill, sustaintmc

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BP OIL Boycott

Boycotting BP May Be Tougher Than You Think (Video)

posted by: Cris Popenoe 2 days ago

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Boycotting BP May Be Tougher Than You Think (Video)

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249 comments

If you're trying to stay away from BP, be aware that it is a giant company with lots of brands.  In addition to its 11,700 service stations in the US alone, there are thousands more around the world. Not to mention BP owns the ARCO brand found throughout the West Coast.  

Other brands you might not recognize as BP's include: Castrol Motor Oil, AM/PM convenience stores and Wild Bean Café coffee.

Read more: bp, arco, AM/PM, environment & wildlife, british petroleum, castrol, wild bean café coffee

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Humans and OIL

Unquenchable thirst: The 1001 things we do with oil.

posted by: Dave R. 23 hours ago

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47 comments

With BP's broken underwater well still leaking oil into the gulf at an alarming rate, there are many calls to reduce our dependence on oil of all kinds.

Animator Mark Fiore recently did a wonderful video highlighting the bizarre notion of using "dinosaur squeezings" to power cars.



But oil is used in a lot more than our gas tanks. Petroleum is in many other products, and we use it for many of our processes. We also rely on it to grow, cook, eat, and even enhance our food. This second video, featuring eco-man and badger girl (which I made with the cool web tool xtranormal), highlights this.



I'm no Mark Fiore, but you get the point, I hope. A fairly exhaustive web list of many of the everyday goods that come from oil is available here, courtesy of the Illinois Oil and Gas Association. The list covers everything from ballet tights to venetian blinds. It certainly is food for thought. The list isn't 1001 items long, but easily could be. 

The website also quotes Jeane Kirkpatrick, former U.N. Ambassador for the United States.
 
"Oil is a product that arouses so much passion.  A lot of people have a passionate fear, or distaste, or downright hatred almost for oil.   There is no other product that so many people need so badly, yet so many people believe should be produced entirely without profits."
 
As long as we need it "so badly", there isn't much chance we are going to stop drilling for oil off our shores. While there is a lot of talk about alternative energy, it seems that we also need to reconsider the role of oil as an input for all the other things we consume.

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Scott's Contracting
314-243-1953
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com
scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com