The Christian Science Monitor May 15, 12:45 AM EDT
Senate sends oil-reserve bill to president
WA****NGTON (AP) -- The Senate late Wednesday approved and sent
to the White House legislation directing President Bush to
tem****arily halt oil ****pments into the government's emergency
reserve, hoping to lower energy prices.
Final approval came without debate after Majority Leader Harry
Reid of Nevada received assurances from other senators,
including Republicans, that no one would object.
Bush has refused to halt the ****pment of about 70,000 barrels
of oil a day into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, saying it
was such a small amount that it has no impact on gasoline or
crude oil prices.
Lawmakers acknowledged in debate on the issue this week that
suspending the deliveries into the stockpile was a "small
step" to take in response to oil prices of nearly $125 a
barrel and gasoline threatening to go to $4 a gallon this
summer.
Nevertheless, the Senate on Tuesday voted 97-1 to suspend the
deliveries and the House followed hours later approving a
similar measure by a vote of 385-25. It's one of the few
energy issues on which Democrats and Republicans have been
able to agree.
But the Senate and House versions were slightly different, so
the Senate approved the House-passed bill by so-called
unanimous consent as the chamber completed its business
Wednesday evening.
While Bush opposes the legislation, the White House has
indicated that he is expected to sign it.
The government stockpile currently contains 701 million
barrels of oil, enough to cover two months of oil im****ts. The
reserve, with a capacity of 727 million barrels, is 97 percent
full. It was created in a series of underground salt domes on
the Gulf Coast in the 1970s as a cu****on against future oil
disruptions.
Oil from the stockpile has been used twice in response to
disruptions or fear of supply shortages - before and during
the 1991 Persian Gulf War and in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina
disrupted supplies from the Gulf of Mexico.
Bush has steadfastly said he has no intention to use oil in
the reserve to impact market prices. By law, the oil already
in the stockpile is supposed to be used only in case of
significant supply disruptions.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_RESERVE?
SITE=MABOC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-05-15-00-
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A government, of, by, and, for: Rich, Elite, Freemasons.
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the
light:
for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
The light ****neth in darkness;
and the darkness comprehended it not.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be
single,
thy whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of
darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great
is that darkness!
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
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