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Palin: AK supplies 20% of US Energy?
In her ABC interview with Charlie Gibson, Sarah Palin stated that, "…I've been working on for these years as the governor of this state that produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy..."
Even with a layperson’s understanding of the energy supply, this sounded wrong. Maybe 20% of crude oil, but no way total domestic energy supply. And in fact, according to this Dept of Energy website,
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=AK#Datum
Alaska supplies 2,417 trillion Btu of total energy, or 3.5% of the U.S. total.
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Comments (19)
I think AK might supply 20% of our domestic oil; but certainly not 20% of our total energy. If that is what Palin said then she's not much of an energy expert after all!
September 11, 2008 11:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
She confused domestic energy production with domestic energy supply. They are different. Production is 20%, supply is 3.5%.
September 12, 2008 1:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
She couldn't have confused her oil facts! McCain claimed today that she " knows more about energy than anyone in the country"! Boy, what little dignity McCain had left at the start of this thing is long gone. He's literally a shell of the man he used to be. And now Obama and even some media hacks are finally using the L word. LIARS LIARS AND DAMN LIARS.
September 12, 2008 4:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain's full quote is more revealing:
"She knows more about energy than probably anybody else in the Unites States. She is governor of a state [pause] that 20 percent of America's energy supply comes from there."
This is not a coincidence; this is next steaming pile that they're pushing.
September 12, 2008 5:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
No, she didn't. If you follow the link provided above by wark, it is quite clear that Alaska's energy production is 3.5% of the national whole. But it holds 18.5% of the national oil reserves and is responsible for 12% of our domestic oil production.
Palin and McCain are not confusing production with supply, they are using the word "energy" to mean "oil." This is much more worrisome than the simple fact that she made a mistake. Not only is her claim untrue, but it demonstrates that Republicans, and the McCain campaign especially, is concerned only with oil production and not other domestic sources of energy.
September 12, 2008 8:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Are you going to send this in to MSM? PLEASE DO! CNN, FIRST READ MSNBC, ETC. And post it on KOS!
This would be a great help. Thanks and Rec'd.
September 12, 2008 3:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. Please, spread this one around as much as possible. Kos at least, where ever else you can.
Wark, this is real insight into the McCain campaign's next lie. If this doesn't go anywhere, it would be a damn shame.
Everyone, rec this one up the list.
September 12, 2008 9:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's the link to HuffPost gutting McCain for making THE SAME MISTAKE, among many others.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/11/mccain-interview-on-palin_n_125743.html
September 12, 2008 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Awesome. I posted it over at Open Left.
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8176
September 12, 2008 11:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
When I saw this last night I posted it here & also pu in a question to Factcheck.org, they're doing great work over there.
Remember that this is just US production, the percentage of US consumption that is produced by AK is more like 2.4%.
I don't read Kos regularly, but if one of you does, please plug this in there, and anywhere sites you like to frequent. Thanks!
September 12, 2008 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
The fact that she said this and claims her national security credentials are her 'energy expertise' is pretty damning. I encourage you to write the media about this and demand that they get this out!! I would do it but the hear from me enough!
We need to own more power in our relationship with the media!!
September 12, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
More "proof" she knows more about ENERGY than anyone - she increased the taxes on oil companies when AK has a budget surplus - here is the money quote:
Palin Boosted Oil-Company Taxes While Alaska Had Budget Surplus
By Alison Fitzgerald (Bloomberg)
"...Under Palin's plan, called ``Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share,'' oil company profits are taxed at a 25 percent base rate, up from the previous 22.5 percent. When the price rises to $30 over cost, or about $52 a barrel, the tax rate rises 0.2 percent for each dollar.
Oil companies weren't happy with the plan when it passed.
``This massive tax increase will weaken investment in Alaska's oilfields at the very time that more investment is needed,'' Doug Suttles, president of BP Exploration Alaska Inc., said in a Dec. 27 e-mailed statement. ``We will now review all our planned activities.''
http://tinyurl.com/6oztqq
September 12, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
More "proof" she knows more about ENERGY than anyone - she increased the taxes on oil companies when AK has a budget surplus - here is the money quote:
Palin Boosted Oil-Company Taxes While Alaska Had Budget Surplus
By Alison Fitzgerald (Bloomberg)
"...Under Palin's plan, called ``Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share,'' oil company profits are taxed at a 25 percent base rate, up from the previous 22.5 percent. When the price rises to $30 over cost, or about $52 a barrel, the tax rate rises 0.2 percent for each dollar.
Oil companies weren't happy with the plan when it passed.
``This massive tax increase will weaken investment in Alaska's oilfields at the very time that more investment is needed,'' Doug Suttles, president of BP Exploration Alaska Inc., said in a Dec. 27 e-mailed statement. ``We will now review all our planned activities.''
http://tinyurl.com/6oztqq
September 12, 2008 1:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
"here's the kicker, ladies and gentleman- the republican ticket boasts about being for change, when for their campaign they ignored the call for change.
they boast about taking on special interests, lobbyists, and scandals, when their campaign managers are all federal lobbyists. they boast about knowing energy policy when they can't even get the basic facts right. for example, gov. palin said that alaska supplies 20% of u.s. energy. unfortunately for the republicans and gov. palin, she is flat out wrong.
can we trust a ticket who can't remember the basic facts on u.s. energy policy? can we trust a ticket to take on special interests, lobbyists and scandals when lobbyists work for them? can we trust that ticket to bring change when they don't fully understand what it means?
for the sake of the future of this great nation, we can't afford to take that risk. we can't afford more of the same. we need change- real change. sen. biden and myself are the only ones who can deliver it."
September 12, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
"here's the kicker, ladies and gentleman- the republican ticket boasts about being for change, when for their campaign they ignored the call for change.
they boast about taking on special interests, lobbyists, and scandals, when their campaign managers are all federal lobbyists. they boast about knowing energy policy when they can't even get the basic facts right. for example, gov. palin said that alaska supplies 20% of u.s. energy. unfortunately for the republicans and gov. palin, she is flat out wrong.
can we trust a ticket who can't remember the basic facts on u.s. energy policy? can we trust a ticket to take on special interests, lobbyists and scandals when lobbyists work for them? can we trust that ticket to bring change when they don't fully understand what it means?
for the sake of the future of this great nation, we can't afford to take that risk. we can't afford more of the same. we need change- real change. sen. biden and myself are the only ones who can deliver it."
September 12, 2008 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
"here's the kicker, ladies and gentleman- the republican ticket boasts about being for change, when for their campaign they ignored the call for change.
they boast about taking on special interests, lobbyists, and scandals, when their campaign managers are all federal lobbyists. they boast about knowing energy policy when they can't even get the basic facts right. for example, gov. palin said that alaska supplies 20% of u.s. energy. unfortunately for the republicans and gov. palin, she is flat out wrong.
can we trust a ticket who can't remember the basic facts on u.s. energy policy? can we trust a ticket to take on special interests, lobbyists and scandals when lobbyists work for them? can we trust that ticket to bring change when they don't fully understand what it means?
for the sake of the future of this great nation, we can't afford to take that risk. we can't afford more of the same. we need change- real change. sen. biden and myself are the only ones who can deliver it."
September 12, 2008 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
"here's the kicker, ladies and gentleman- the republican ticket boasts about being for change, when for their campaign they ignored the call for change.
they boast about taking on special interests, lobbyists, and scandals, when their campaign managers are all federal lobbyists. they boast about knowing energy policy when they can't even get the basic facts right. for example, gov. palin said that alaska supplies 20% of u.s. energy. unfortunately for the republicans and gov. palin, she is flat out wrong.
can we trust a ticket who can't remember the basic facts on u.s. energy policy? can we trust a ticket to take on special interests, lobbyists and scandals when lobbyists work for them? can we trust that ticket to bring change when they don't fully understand what it means?
for the sake of the future of this great nation, we can't afford to take that risk. we can't afford more of the same. we need change- real change. sen. biden and myself are the only ones who can deliver it."
September 12, 2008 1:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
In Wyoming there are power plants that are not far from the open pit coal mines. There are trains running continuously from the mines to the plants 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Yet this is still not enough coal to supply the demand for power and they are forced to buy natural gas from other sources like OK and TX.
The notion that AK supplies 20% of America's energy diet is laughable. Laughable. Pure unadulterated bullshit. For McCain to say she knows more than anybody in America about the subject of energy is bullshit. More than the CEO of Exxon? More than the Coal Association? More than T Boone Pickens? McCain is a dishonerable liar and a crazy old coot. He wouldn't know the truth if it bit him in the ass.
September 12, 2008 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Regardless all of American Drilled Oil is sold on the World Oil Market.Congress tried and failed to pass a bill in 1999 that forced big oil to keep and sell all of American Drilled Oil in the USA.All of the worlds oils is sold to the highest bidder on the open market and that includes oil that comes from this country.There is no difference between domestic and imported oil other than the spin by the politicians and big oil.
September 12, 2008 8:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
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