Them on Us: Barrasso on TV; oil & gas; elk feeding; Mrs. Wyo

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

By Jake Nichols

Senator John Barrasso, R-Wyo., was all over the small screen last week when CNBC invited him to appear on both their “Power Lunch” program and “Kudlow & Company.” The senator was asked to defend the Republican Party’s threat to filibuster the face off on the energy bill proposed on Capitol Hill by Democrats. Most political analysts saw the bill, which called for windfall profits taxes on big oil companies, as a ploy designed not to ever pass, but to force Republicans to look bad fighting it. When asked whether the GOP simply fell into the hands of the Democratic Party’s design, Barrasso took the high road, saying:

“What we need in America is a long-term, reliable energy package and a solution so we have American self-sufficiency when it comes to energy.” Barrasso coolly quoted Ronald Reagan and made sure to tell the nationwide audience that Wyomingites were indeed feeling pain at the pump, perhaps even more so because the distances here are so great, he said.

Two days later, Barrasso appeared on Larry Kudlow’s political/economic show, “Kudlow & Company.” He was asked to respond to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments that, with America holding less than two percent of the world’s oil supplies and consuming a quarter of them, “we cannot drill our way out of this.”
Barrasso again brought up Apollo missions and invited Kudlow to come out to Wyoming to have a look at all our coal.

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Why can’t we sustain ourselves in the Cowboy State with our rich supply of oil, natural gas, and coal?

“It’s a myth,” Charles Mason told the Casper Star-Tribune. Mason is a professor of petroleum and natural gas economics at the University of Wyoming. “It’s a great place to make a stand if a politician is up for re-election. But realistically, I don’t see that as having a significant impact,” he added.

With more than half of the U.S. oil supply coming from foreign imports, what Wyoming can contribute, from the Pinedale Anticline and other state plays, is a drop in the bucket, comparatively. Also, Wyoming, and much of the Rockies, still lacks the pipeline and refinery infrastructure to take on a significant additional flow of oil.

Of America’s potential to unlock more domestic resources, Mason said, “It’s truly small potatoes in the context of the global oil market.”

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Michelle Woodard bested 34 other contestants from the state of Wyoming to win the title of “Mrs. Wyoming 2008.” The beauty pageant is designed for married women only. There are no age restrictions and contestants are not required to have children. Woodard is the mother of two and lives in Upton, Wyo. She will represent the Cowboy State at the Mrs. America pageant in Tucson, Ariz., this fall. The story appeared in the Casper Star-Tribune.

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The federal lawsuit filed against U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their policy of feeding elk on the National Elk Refuge over the winter may get real sticky. Five environmental groups filed the suit earlier this month. They cite a scientific study that says even without feeding, the greater Jackson area is capable of supporting at least as many elk as there are now. A conflicting report also exists that claims eliminating the feeding program could cause elk numbers to decline by more than half.

Idaho Falls’ Local News 8 clued us in on the potential legal firestorm.

courtesy photo
Michelle Woodard, Mrs. Wyoming

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Them on Us: Barrasso on TV; oil & gas; elk feeding; Mrs. Wyo | Planet JH News Article: General News

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