The bill, introduced by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), makes applications to drill approved automatically in 60 days if the Department of Interior fails to act on with in that time. I sell machinery to corporations, oil companies in the past (but not now), I can tell you they cannot act in 60 days, yet this will demand the government to, or the approval is by default. Lets see what would be a good strategy, how about bundle up all your requests and send them in at once, ask other drillers to do the same, making it impossible to review them all.
What if you find out they will frac next to your property, under this new law filing a complaint, or motion, asking for a meeting or to speak, under this law that is called a protest, and protesting comes with a $5,000 filing fee. Protest tax! And you better move fast.
Only the guy with the big house or the fancy horse farm is going to plunk down 5k to protest. In almost every oil rich country corruption and stepping on the public is common place. As the US grows into a major oil and gas producer....well just look at the middle east as the model, petro-states run by religion and corporations based on graft and suppression of the people.
I hope the Senate won't take this up but I am not too sure, and Obama, he worries me on shit like this, he wants to keep trying to do favors to the oil industry hoping they will call off the dogs, sometimes I think he doesn't learn very fast.
Explicitly and Implicitly the Republican Party hates Poor people and does not believe those without money and power should have a say in government.
ReplyDeleteFor all I love President Obama there is a certain taint of neoliberal economic belief to him and sadly a solid portion of his advisors adhere to that thinking as well.
IMO, Corporate Power has reasserted itself these last 35 years and its' going to take a paradigm shift to get labor/the working class back on the offensive.