Marco Rubio touts end to oil-export ban, bemoans EPA in Oklahoma
The United States should end its ban on crude-oil exports and reduce federal regulations that are stifling an energy industry central to the nation’s future economic prosperity, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said Wednesday to a friendly group of mostly oil and natural gas producers. The GOP presidential hopeful from Florida unveiled some highlights of his domestic energy policies at a meeting with members of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association in Oklahoma City. “I believe that energy independence and energy innovation is one of the most transformative developments that America has ever seen in its history, if properly harnessed,” Rubio said. “Yet despite its importance, our outdated government continues to make energy one of the most politicized and regulated aspects of our entire economy.” Rubio said the ban on crude-oil exports is a throwback to the 1970s, long before a domestic oil production boom that resulted from industry advances like horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Lifting the ban, Rubio said, “will strengthen our national security interests by stabilizing global energy markets and reducing the leverage of anti-American, oil-rich governments.” Rubio also bemoaned the regulatory influence of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and said if elected president, he would immediately push to end the agency’s Clean Power Plan aimed at reducing power plant carbon emissions. “As president, I will immediately stop this massive regulation,” Rubio said. Finally, Rubio said he would leave energy regulations up to individual states, which he said are in a better position to impose them. Patrice Douglas, a former member of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which oversees oil and gas production, utilities and other industries in Oklahoma, said rising utility costs are largely the result of mandates imposed by federal regulators like the EPA. “State regulators understand what’s going on in their states above the ground and under the ground,” Douglas said. “I think state regulators are more well-suited to that kind of regulation. We can tailor what we need to meet the needs of Oklahomans.” Christine Freundlich, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee, described Rubio as a “puppet to Big Oil” and said his energy plan would move the country backward. “An oil- and gas-focused energy plan that weakens environmental protections is not a modern plan — it’s a plan written and bankrolled by Big Oil for an outdated candidate like Marco Rubio,” Freundlich said in a statement. Before Rubio’s speech to the OIPA, he attended a couple of private fundraisers and toured the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, which is dedicated to the 168 people killed on April 19, 1995, when a truck bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. Republished with permission from The Associated Press.
Stephen Colbert one-ups Jeb Bush raffle with one of his own
Score one for Stephen Colbert. Jeb Bush, a scheduled guest on Colbert’s first night hosting CBS’ “The Late Show” on Tuesday, recently sent a letter to potential supporters raffling off a “VIP ticket” to the taping in exchange for a $3 donation to his presidential campaign — a move a CBS entertainment spokesman said wasn’t a coordinated tie-in with the show. So Colbert took things into his own hands: In a video posted Wednesday, he praised the contest as “a great idea.” “But here’s the thing,” he said. “No one from Jeb’s campaign asked me if this was OK with me to raise money off my first show. Where’s my cut of that sweet three bucks, Governor? Huh? “Two can play at this contest,” declared Colbert, unveiling his own raffle: For a $3 (or greater) contribution, you can enter for a chance to be his VIP guest to the premiere taping. The winner gets to bring a friend, and the package also includes flights and accommodations at a four-star hotel. And another thing: “The lucky winner will get to submit one non-obscene question that I will ask Governor Bush on September 8th,” says Colbert in the video. “For example, one question might be: ‘Don’t you wish you’d consulted Stephen before launching your contest?’” This “raffle-adjacent” experience is being conducted in partnership with Omaze (an online platform that gives people the chance to win remarkable experiences while supporting social missions), and will benefit The Yellow Ribbon Fund, which supports injured service members and their families. The show airs at 11:35 p.m. EDT. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Divorce a “Difficult time” for Governor Robert Bentley
Gov. Robert Bentley says his divorce is a private matter and thanked people for their prayers in what he described as a “difficult time.” The governor made his first public appearance Wednesday since First Lady Dianne Bentley filed papers last week to end their 50-year marriage. Bentley declined to comment further about the couple’s split after speaking to reporters following his speech to an economic development group. Bentley says it’s a “private matter that we’re working through.” Dianne Bentley filed for divorce Friday, saying their 50-year marriage had suffered an irretrievable breakdown. A judge on Monday sealed the divorce file from public view. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
State gun laws fix take effect this week
A slew of new laws restricting access to guns for mentally ill Alabamians took effect on Tuesday. Residents convicted of any state designated “crime of violence”; misdemeanor domestic violence; or anyone adjudicated mentally unsound or under order of protection can now no longer legally purchase a gun. All residents involuntarily committed for mental illness-related reasons must now be reported to the state by local probate judges (a decision which can be appealed), as must anyone awarded a “not guilty” verdict in a criminal case using an insanity defense. Tuscaloosa state Rep. Chris England – who proposed the law signed over the summer by Gov. Robert Bentley – told AL.com the laws weren’t meant to rein in access specifically for Alabama residents, but rather to bring state statute in line with federal law so the statutes can be enforced by local law enforcement. The legislation “expands it to where the feds already are and hopefully will provide further protection for those in domestic violence situations or prevent those with a mental illness from legally purchasing a weapon,” the Republican lawmaker said. The now-enacted bill also contains two expansions of Yellowhammer State residents’ rights to bear arms: minors are now legally allowed to carry a pistol for training or hunting purposes or for organized competitions; and employees – public or private sector – are now cleared to keep a firearm in their personal vehicle while parked or operated in a parking lot. The new law also gives teeth to one already extant, but unenforced state statute. Carrying a firearm into a facility marked with guards, barriers and signs to the effect of prohibiting firearms is now punishable as a Class C misdemeanor.
