05-08-07 by dugan
Day One and counting for the OilWatchdog readers’ gasoline price petition to government. First we’ll do California, then later we’ll challenge Congress.
See the "Sign Petition" button on the home page or just click the link above. Sign up and tell Gov. Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders to call a special session. Purpose? To rattle some sabers at the oil companies and take action to increase the supply of gasoline in California, which is the only thing that will drop prices and keep them at a rational level. If you need more reason to sign, think of this: Gasoline prices are a penny shy of $3.50, which is 12 cents above last year’s all-time record price. And crude oil is at less than $61.50 a barrel, from $5 to $10 a barrel below the same time last year, depending on who’s counting. The difference is going straight to the oil company bottom lilnes.
If Schwarzenegger won’t pick up OilWatchdog’s challenge then he’s the "girlie man," huddling behind the $3.8 million that oil companies have contributed to him and his special committees.
California could require refiners to increase their capacity at existing refineries. The state could require refiners to keep a larger supply of gasoline on hand, so prices won’t spike every time a refinery has an "accident." It could require oil companies to plan their scheduled refinery downtime so that simple maintenance doesn’t boost prices by 30 to 40 cents cents a gallon. It should also increase the transparency of the oil business in California, so that every time a refinery goes down for longer than expected, inspectors and the public can find out why. But we’re not spelling out what we think the legislators should specifically do. It’s their job, what they were elected to do.
Why could something as tame as a petition work? It’s a matter of mass, and tenacity, in the application of grass-roots political pressure. You elected these folks, and have a right to expect that they will protect the state and its citizens. Forward the OilWatchdog website and the petition to friends. Tell everyone who might welcome the idea. This will force the state’s leaders to at least respond, and you’ll be the judge of whether the response is good enough.
OilWatchdog will also be offering an award (name suggestions welcome) to the first elected official who joins the call for a special session. This is where we all find out if there’s an ounce of courage among the state’s three top leaders.