Energy Bill a No-Go in the Senate - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com

Senate Democrats on Tuesday abandoned all hopes of passing even a slimmed-down energy bill before they adjourn for the summer recess, saying that they did not have sufficient votes even for legislation tailored narrowly to respond to the Gulf oil spill.

Although the majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, sought to blame Republicans for sinking the energy measure, the reality is that Democrats are also divided over how to proceed on the issue and had long ago given up hope of a comprehensive bill to address climate change.
...
“Ask anyone outside of Washington, and they’ll tell you that this isn’t a Democrat or a Republican issue, it’s an American issue,” Mr. Kerry said. “It’s American troops whose lives are endangered because we’re dependent on oil companies in countries that hate us. It’s American consumers who are tired not just of prices at the pump that soar each summer, but sick and tired of our oil dependency that makes Iran $100 million richer every day that Washington fails to respond.”  [Again, where's the part about preventing hurricanes?]

Flashback: The Persistent Delusion of ''Energy Independence'': Despite the Facts, Democrats, Republicans, and the Neoconservatives Continue To Hype Energy Autarky

The US produces 74% of all the energy it consumes. The remaining 26% (almost all of which is oil) is imported. And as stated above, only 18% of that 26% comes from the Persian Gulf, Thus, just 4.7% of US primary energy comes from the Persian Gulf.