McCarthy: Obama's move to tap into petroleum reserves a cheap gimmick to win votes, but creates no jobs

 Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

"The Obama Administration’s decision to release 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve this week underscores the problem with the President’s energy policy. This was a decision to
score political points, pure and simple. Americans consume 19 million barrels of oil every day, which means that the 30 million barrels of oil the President is releasing could be consumed in a matter of 36 hours. And it doesn’t create a single job.
 "House Republicans have passed four pieces of legislation since May that would allow Americans
to start taking advantage of our own abundant energy resources, create hundreds of thousands of American jobs and reduce our dependence on unstable foreign oil.

  "One of these bills is H.R. 2021, the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011, which the House passed on Wednesday. This legislation reduces regulatory duplication to allow responsible oil production in Alaska to move forward, which could produce up to one million barrels of oil per day. This level of production could create tens of thousands of jobs throughout the U.S. and actually offset foreign oil imports by seven percent – a win-win for America’s economy and energy security now and in the future. While it will take some time to ramp up to maximum production, certainty that more oil will be coming into the market could help ease prices today.

  "My colleagues and I also took action to revamp our patent system this week to keep America the leader in technological innovation. If we just look at the latest developments in the past fifty years, advances
in science, medicine and technology have truly transformed our daily lives. I don’t know what my kids would do without their cell phones. Our country remains the world leader in patents, but our global competitors are catching up. Lawmakers in Washington have long been discussing needed reforms to our patent system so the U.S. can stay number one, and on Thursday, Democrats and Republicans in the House  came together to pass the America Invents Act. In a nutshell, this legislation contains reforms that will make it easier for innovators,
who produce new technologies that drive economic growth and generate jobs, to obtain and defend their patents.

  "Speaking of technology, I had a very productive discussion with residents in East Kern this week during a telephone town hall meeting. I like to do these live calls regularly to speak directly with you, hear your concerns and answer your questions. I am planning one for Bakersfield soon, so I hope you’ll participate when I call.

  "Also this week, we had a reception in Washington for all the Congressional Art Competition winners. Christiana Kallemeyn, the winner from California’s 22nd District, was in attendance with her family, and it was great to spend time with them.

Oxy finds huge new oil reserves in Bakersfield and the story of an incredible bike journey

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 * ... OXY HITS IT BIG:  The latest issue of Forbes magazine says that Occidental Petroleum, which it calls the "untrendiest of the big oil companies," is proving that the days "easy oil" are not yet over. Forbes says Oxy's announcement of a big new oil reserve near Bakersfield last year is turning out to be "the biggest onshore oil discovery" in the country in the last three decades. It apparently may have as much as 1 billion barrels of oil, all relatively easy to extract. All this of course is good news for our local economy and the oil companies that provide so many jobs and capital for investment. Said Forbes: "That the gusher is situated in a hydrocarbon basin that has been picked over for 100 years validates Oxy President Steven Chazen and Chief Executive Ray R. Irani: the best place to find new oil is in old oilfields." (click here to read the full story)

* ...  BIKE TREK: Reader Kimberly Thompson shared an inspiring story about her son Jacob and two of his adventure-loving friends. Turns out that the threesome completed an epic 3 1/2 year bike ride that began in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and ended in Ushuaia, Argentina, in Tierra del Fuego. She said that's a distance of some 34,000 kilometers (roughly 20,400 miles) that took them through 14 countries, arriving last in Argentina on January 10. (check out his website here) Jacob graduated from Centennial High School in 2000 and UC Santa Cruz in 2005 with an MA in Education. He currently works as an independent studies teacher in Taft for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools as he "contemplates his next adventure." Check out their website at www.ridethespine.com for some videos of this truly epic adventure.

 * ... RABOBANK: Had a chance the other day to meet Anker Fanoe, the new regional president of Rabobank. Fanoe replaced Michael Olague, who ended up in a similar position with Bank of the Sierra. Fanoe's wife and children are in Sacramento trying to sell their house and he's anxious to get them to the south valley. His first impression of Bakersfield: the people could not be nicer or more welcoming. I met him at the Rabobank Arena during a reception for sponsors of the upcoming Tour of California, a pro cycling race that will end its Stage Five with a sprint up the Panorama bluffs near Bakersfield College on May 20. The Dutch-based bank has long sponsored a pro cycling team and is one of the supporters of the California tour. It will be a good show.

* ... COMING HOME: Always nice to hear when folks make it back to town after establishing themselves elsewhere, and the latest to return comes via Daniel Klingenberger of the employment law group of Dowling, Aaron and Keeler. He told me that Micah Nilsson and Cheryl (Smith) Nilsson recently returned after being gone well over a decade. Micah is working at the law firm while Cheryl is taking care of their three boys. This couple has quite a resume, having lived in Idaho, Chile, San Luis Obispo, Utah, Hawaii, San Diego, Davis and Monterey. They met at Chipman Junior High and both graduated from Highland High where Cheryl was senior class president and Micah served on the student government association board. After a circuitous path, Cheryl graduated from Cal Poly SLO and Micah from Brigham Young University-Hawaii. They are happy to be back home raising their family.

* ... ART DEALS: If you're an art lover and believe in supporting the local arts you will enjoy "Art A Go-Go" over at the Bakersfield Museum of Art this Saturday. Here's the deal: local collectors have been donating art to the museum, which it in turn will sell to support local programs. Museum marketing director Beth Pandol says there are some terrific pieces for sale, some at bargain prices. This is a free event at the museum, and hats off to chair Cynthia Icardo and her crew for pulling all this together. Said Beth Pandol: "We have an amazing amount of art that has been donated. It's been a big surprise to see how much has come in. There's something for every taste and style. Paintings, prints, posters and lots of just nice, empty frames.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: This one comes from longtime journalist and Californian colleague Evan Jones: You know you're from Bakersfield "if your funeral is followed by a car wash." Ouch!