Palin on Oil Exportation

[JSojourner]

At a town hall in Michigan, Governor Palin was asked what the U.S. policy should be regarding the export of domestic oil. Per the CNN transcript, this was her response...

“Oil and coal? Of course, it’s a fungible commodity and they don’t flag, you know, the molecules, where it’s going and where it’s not. But in the sense of the Congress today, they know that there are very, very hungry domestic markets that need that oil first,” Palin said. “So, I believe that what Congress is going to do, also, is not to allow the export bans to such a degree that it’s Americans that get stuck to holding the bag without the energy source that is produced here, pumped here. It’s got to flow into our domestic markets first.”


I am sure the problem is with me and not Governor Palin.  But can someone explain what the hell she was talking about?  I didn't leave anything out of the transcript or from the exchange.  I just really don't understand a word of what she was saying.  Help!

[2952-0-0]

//obligatory

[Lief 🗽]

How dare you question Governor Sarah Palin! She was a mayor! She's run a city! She is an energy (and thus, by extension, foreign policy) expert!

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

You are sexist for questioning her intelligence.

[Joe Republic]

The nine words of her last sentence in that excerpt conveys her entire point, which the previous sentences had dramatically failed to do.

[Middle-aged Europe]

I don't get it either... then again, English is not my native language.

[bgwah]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANTDkfkoBaI

[Iosif]

"I just have to look good, I dont have to be clear"

[Brittain33]

I don't get it either... then again, English is not my native language.

I put this through the translator. I can't tell you how much of the confusion will result from the machine translation and how much from the original English.

„Öl und Kohle? Selbstverständlich ist es ein ersetzbares Gebrauchsgut und sie kennzeichnen nicht, Sie wissen, die Moleküle, wo es geht und wo es nicht ist. Aber im Sinne des Kongresses heute, wissen sie, dass es sehr gibt, sehr hungrige Binnenmärkte, die dieses Öl zuerst benötigen,“ Palin sagten. „So, glaube ich, dass, welcher Kongreß auch tun wird nicht, die Exportverbote zu solch einem Grad zu erlauben ist, dass es Amerikaner ist, die zum Halten des Beutels ohne die Energiequelle fest erhalten, die hier produziert wird, hier gepumpt. Sie muss in unsere Binnenmärkte zuerst fließen.“

[MODU]

Basically what she's saying is that not all of the oil that we extract here domestically is the oil we like to burn and refine (since it's not "sweet" enough).  Many of our oil fields produce oil with a lot of sulphur.  It takes a little more effort in the refining process to remove the sulphur from the oil to convert it into gas.  This is why we still export a lot of oil today while importing oil from all over the world.  As such, Congress might ban the exporting of most of the less sweet crude so we can consume we won't be left empty handed.

(Consider that a rough translation.)

[War on Want]

Basically what she's saying is that not all of the oil that we extract here domestically is the oil we like to burn and refine (since it's not "sweet" enough).  Many of our oil fields produce oil with a lot of sulphur.  It takes a little more effort in the refining process to remove the sulphur from the oil to convert it into gas.  This is why we still export a lot of oil today while importing oil from all over the world.  As such, Congress might ban the exporting of most of the less sweet crude so we can consume we won't be left empty handed.

(Consider that a rough translation.)

Except she might have not meant that at all....

[JohnCA246]

delete

[Aizen]

Palin does this a lot. She'll just say a bunch of nonsense. She did that in the Gibson interview and she won't actually say anything of substance. I suppose it's better than stuttering and stammering though because most people will just tune out

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Palin does this a lot. She'll just say a bunch of nonsense. She did that in the Gibson interview and she won't actually say anything of substance. I suppose it's better than stuttering and stammering though because most people will just tune out

I suppose that's the difference between her and Bush, Bush would stutter and say something laughably wrong. She's got the same terrible substance of Bush, she's just got more style.

[J. J.]

She's basically saying there is a specific need for oil, as opposed to other energy sources. 

[emailking]

She's basically saying there is a specific need for oil, as opposed to other energy sources. 

There's a specific need for coal and natural gas, which are "other energy sources." She's saying we have to get the oil first because we need it more than other countries.

[Brittain33]

Basically what she's saying is that not all of the oil that we extract here domestically is the oil we like to burn and refine (since it's not "sweet" enough).  Many of our oil fields produce oil with a lot of sulphur.  It takes a little more effort in the refining process to remove the sulphur from the oil to convert it into gas.  This is why we still export a lot of oil today while importing oil from all over the world.  As such, Congress might ban the exporting of most of the less sweet crude so we can consume we won't be left empty handed.

(Consider that a rough translation.)

That's a generous interpretation of what she said, bordering on an explanation of what you think an Alaskan governor should know about oil... there's nothing in there about different grades of petroleum. Nothing at all.

I don't deny that she probably does know about that distinction, but there's no evidence to that effect in this particular answer.

[JSojourner]

Basically what she's saying is that not all of the oil that we extract here domestically is the oil we like to burn and refine (since it's not "sweet" enough).  Many of our oil fields produce oil with a lot of sulphur.  It takes a little more effort in the refining process to remove the sulphur from the oil to convert it into gas.  This is why we still export a lot of oil today while importing oil from all over the world.  As such, Congress might ban the exporting of most of the less sweet crude so we can consume we won't be left empty handed.

(Consider that a rough translation.)

Which only proves one thing, Modu.  YOU are qualified to be Vice President.  I am less confident of the Alaskan Governor. 

[NOVA Green]

Basically what she's saying is that not all of the oil that we extract here domestically is the oil we like to burn and refine (since it's not "sweet" enough).  Many of our oil fields produce oil with a lot of sulphur.  It takes a little more effort in the refining process to remove the sulphur from the oil to convert it into gas.  This is why we still export a lot of oil today while importing oil from all over the world.  As such, Congress might ban the exporting of most of the less sweet crude so we can consume we won't be left empty handed.

(Consider that a rough translation.)

That's a generous interpretation of what she said, bordering on an explanation of what you think an Alaskan governor should know about oil... there's nothing in there about different grades of petroleum. Nothing at all.

I don't deny that she probably does know about that distinction, but there's no evidence to that effect in this particular answer.

It looks like she is mostly talking about Alaska in her response here...

From 1973. when ANWR was founded, until 1995  there was a specific ban on exporting oil from Alaska (including the North Slope) to  international markets. Many Alaskans, as well as major oil companies, blamed this restriction as responsible for undervaluing Alaskan oil, while many refineries supported the restriction that helped keep Alaskan oil prices higher.

One of the arguments against allowing drilling in ANWR has been that in most of the congressional proposals to date there has not been any restrictions on Alaskan crude requiring  that all petroleum go directly to the domestic market, which was part of the original reason for setting ANWR aside as a protected area for long-term energy security.

Previously one of the arguments for lifting the oil export ban, was that West coast refineries could only handle a certain amount of Alaskan crude, thus effectively ensuring that the rest would be shipped to the Asian market.

Palin seems to be making a couple arguments here:

1.) Allow drilling in ANWR
2.) Lift the export ban on North Slope crude, while at the same time putting in restrictions that reduce the chance that this will be sold on the international market.... This requires navigating the differing interests of oil producers and refinery owners.

[Lunar]

Basically what she's saying is that not all of the oil that we extract here domestically is the oil we like to burn and refine (since it's not "sweet" enough).  Many of our oil fields produce oil with a lot of sulphur.  It takes a little more effort in the refining process to remove the sulphur from the oil to convert it into gas.  This is why we still export a lot of oil today while importing oil from all over the world.  As such, Congress might ban the exporting of most of the less sweet crude so we can consume we won't be left empty handed.

(Consider that a rough translation.)

Which only proves one thing, Modu.  YOU are qualified to be Vice President.  I am less confident of the Alaskan Governor. 

Point and counterpoint:

Point, eh, she's just started out and not used to talking eight ours a day, every day, without making mistakes.  Doesn't mean that she isn't smart enough to get a hang of it by January to be competent.

Counterpoint, aren't energy issues supposed to be far and above the thing she can talk articulately about?  I thought that was her expertise.

[Brittain33]

snip

Thanks to you and MODU for explaining this stuff, it is interesting and not currently being discussed in the papers as far as I can tell.

[Lincoln Republican]

Sarah Palin is a highly intelligent woman, hence some of her explanations tend to be over the head of the average individual.

Therefore, she must begin to put her answers and explanations into clear language that Joe Lunch Bucket will be able to understand.

I'm Winfield and I approved this message 

[2952-0-0]

Therefore, she must begin to put her answers and explanations into clear language that Joe Lunch Bucket will be able to understand.

Her response is something that Miss Teen South Carolina would say, not some policy wonk.

[Хahar 🤔]

I'm Winfield and I approved this message 

That caused us to skip it.