Architect Joesph Linesch (1924-1996) had a vision for Long Beach, California--to become the Riviera of the West, a nearly fantasy-like harbor rivaling the buildings and landscapes he designed for Disneyland and Epcot Center. Between 1965 and 1968, he created structures and landscaping that make the oil production facilities here look like a high-end condominium complex.

Thursday was another gorgeous day in Long Beach, with blue skies and a pleasant breeze blowing along the harbor. At Lighthouse Point, children picnicked with their families while fishermen on a nearby pier caught croakers for supper. At the docks, you could hear seals barking at the Aquarium of the Pacific as tourists returned to shore on boats offering whale watching tours.

Long Beach has many attributes, among them a moderate climate, one of the busiest seaports in the United States and facilities that lure tourists to the area, including a massive convention center. But most residents here aren't aware of the hidden resources that have contributed so much to the City of Long Beach.

"A lot of residents don't know there is oil and natural gas development going on here," explained Curtis Henderson, the city's manager of oil operations.

No one likes to watch sausage being made, but most of us enjoy sausage. That seems to be the case with oil and natural gas, too. The vast majority of Americans enjoy the benefits afforded by these energy-rich fuels, but some Americans would prefer not to see how they are produced.

The City of Long Beach successfully addressed the "sausage-making issue" back in the 1960s when it passed a resolution allowing several oil companies to produce energy in its harbor. It said the companies could create man-made islands to drill for oil and natural gas in the coastal waters, but in return the companies had to disguise their activities. The companies agreed, and the THUMS Islands were born.

Three more studies have been issued about the Waxman-Markey climate bill, and each represents another red flag urging extreme caution.

Last Friday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) quietly released a new analysis of the bill's potential impact on the U.S. economy. The study shows that the Waxman-Markey bill could reduce the nation's Gross Domestic Product by up to 3.5 percent by 2050. As I've pointed out on this blog, the CBO neglected to include the bill's GDP impacts in its earlier study, resulting in findings that grossly downplayed the climate bill's costs.

Yesterday, API hosted bloggers for a conference call focusing on the status of upcoming energy legislation and API's current legislative priorities. API President and CEO Jack Gerard took questions from the bloggers, along with API experts John Felmy, Doug Morris and Kyle Isakower. Topics discussed included the Waxman-Markey bill and access to domestic reserves of oil and natural gas.

Three more Energy Citizens rallies were held on Thursday, Sept. 3. About 200 people attended the rally in Richmond, Virginia; 300 participated in the rally in Chester, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia; and 750 showed up in Detroit, Michigan, which was far more than anticipated.

At each rally, the concerns voiced by the audience were the same. They said they want affordable energy and jobs, and they are encouraging the U.S. Senate to carefully consider the economic impact of the Waxman-Markey bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives in late June. As one speaker in Richmond said, the Senate should get it right.

They wore hardhats and fluorescent orange safety vests, and their message was clear. These workers who demonstrated at yesterday's Energy Citizens rally in Anchorage, Alaska, want affordable energy and jobs.

As I wrote yesterday, this is a monumental week for the energy industry. It marks the 150th anniversary of the first successful oil drill and the significant changes we've been able to make since. Now, more energy production is required for the maintenance of our emerging economy.

This week marks the 150th anniversary of the first successful oil well drilled in the United States. In 1859, Col. Edwin Drake drilled down to a depth of 69½ feet near a creek in Pennsylvania where oil naturally seeped out of the ground and in the process, he changed the American way of life.