The Ends of the Earth

There are more proven reserves of oil on the north slope of Alaska, than in the entire middle east. (Read/Google “The energy non-crisis”)And yet you would much rather pay higher prices for gas and home heating oil every year, because of enviromential groups claiming that it’s off limits. Just think of a world where we could get out of the middle east, stop all these wars, spend all that money here at home and rebuild our country. Have our troops protect OUR borders, but NO, because a non-governmential organizantion’s gravy train is threatened, by having us drill for oil on out own land. You tell me which is the definition of insanity to you? More lives are being lost every day, more human rights are being denied (thanks to our support of corrupt regimes that oppress their own people) because we bankroll and pay to equip dictators (like Hussein) because we need their oil, when in fact we don’t. We have the ability to kiss the middle east goodbye, and broker a true peace on behalf of Isreal and the middle east, but we can’t because we refuse to drill on our own lands, and demand the oil companies build more refineries with all of those profits they are making every day by creating artifical scarcity, pushing the myth of “peak oil”, shutting down refineries, and utilizing the gift of our reckless foreign policy to their adavantage. As long as we allow this to continue unabated, then we have NO right to complain one minute about the price of home heating oil or the price of gas. We are our own worst enemy because we refuse to make our politicans do what is in OUR own best interest. And as long as we allow it, we don’t have any right to complain at all.

heresy: “There are more proven reserves of oil on the north slope of Alaska, than in the entire middle east.”
Um, no.

There are more proven reserves of oil on the north slope of Alaska, than in the entire middle east. (Read/Google “The energy non-crisis”)
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Really? Mr X.. Said so. Mr X?. Do you relay believe this?
Amazing what some people will say.

Why have the U.S. Government, news media & talk shows failed to reveal Shell Oil Co.’s approach to production techniques applied in shale oil deposits of the Western U.S.? Also, Why have the same groups failed to reveal the vast oil & gas reserves located just above Alaska’ North Shores, Gull Island?

jock59801, the price of oil will NOT be coming down substantially ever again, regardless of how much America pumps from any source. The era of ‘cheap oil’ is over.
It started by China’s modernization, and the influx of massive amounts of revenue due to US and other companies outsourcing to third world nations which, until then, didn’t really have the wages or demands of a consumer-driven middle class. This also brought a massive surge in global oil demand in manufacturing and fuel. Call it a global double whammy.
Demand is projected to only increase. Depending on whose propaganda you listen to, the untapped oil reserves available to the US is between 3% and 15% of the global total. The US uses approximately 25% of the global total, with China expected to surpass US use in the next year or two. And with 5 times the population of the US, China’s demand will only grow MORE.
Regardless of the total global reserves, there is one immutable, unavoidable and penultimate reason why oil isn’t a viable energy source any more: It’s FINITE. “Reserves” means when it’s gone, there’s no more. Period. Forever. NOT a sound foundation upon which to base an economy, which is what the US has done.
Technology has to change – and the source of our energy must change with it. This doesn’t only mean making fuel efficient vehicles, it means making vehicles that don’t even run on oil-based products. The nay-sayers (probably oil company stock holders), say it’s disaster and will ruin industries. This much is true, it will. I’d dump oil stock fairly soon. But for every industry destroyed by a shift from an oil-based economy to a non-oil based economy, at least three new industries will arise to replace them, providing a much firmer and more stable footing upon which to drive an economy. (pardon the pun). This is based on how the automobile industry took over the livery/horse business. Blacksmiths became auto mechanics. Livery stables became gas stations – and there were a lot more of them.
I fail to understand why anyone would advocate staying with oil, devoting limited revenue, resources and energy toward maintaining an industry which will be out of product in 50-75 years (at current demand). It took that long to get the US off of horses and into cars. It will take us that long to transition from oil-fueled personal transportation to whatever viable alternative is developed. A sense of urgency is mingled with skyrocketing fuel prices.
The time is now to start the transition. Oil prices may stabilize as we transition to non-oil fuels and global demand drops, but the easy to get oil is mostly gone and by then only expensive, harder to get to oil is left, meaning the prices will remain high and any gas price drops will be few and very, very small until oil isn’t used as a fuel source any more.
Like it or not, this is our future. We’d better learn to deal intelligently with it or we will suffer the consequences of our own stupidity.

The development and use of green technology needs to be accelerated. I fail to see why green tech needs to proceed at its present turtle pace. Europe is significantly ahead of the states in green practices. It’s time to catch up with the rest of the world. Applying oil windfall taxes to green development is a solid first step.

even if we drill started to set up to drill today the oil wouldnt flow from any place for atleast 4 years,that is from the gulf and the oil in anwar will take up to ten years before it effects the world oil supply. now in the next four years as prices continue to go up remember the mother of al invention is nessesity. so i believe that before we get any of that oil we will be well on our way to new energy for auto,s and then we will have wreaked pristine wild life areas for nothing.

Environmental quackery has brought this nation and its economy to its knees, courtesy of the U.S. Congress. There is no reason to not drill under our own feet on our own land. None. Drill here and drill now. Politicians who claim supply does not effect demand are whistling past the electoral graveyard they will soon find themselves in. Without cheap oil in the short term it will be harder to develop alternatives in the long term. Think about the trucks that install wind turbines. Think about the trucks used to install and maintain solar power plants. In the future, maybe all vehicles will be powered by electricity or hydrogen. But while the Congress stalls/makes excuses forever for the artificial oil shortage of their own making, we will bankrupt ourselves and not wake up to an alternative energy Garden of Eden, but a scene off of “Dawn of the Dead”

If we were to drill in ANWR, that oil would ultimately end up going to one consumer – the US military. The era of the gas-powered car is winding down. We need to put all our efforts into developing new energy sources. Destroying a wildlife PRESERVE, and risking the destruction of Florida’s tourism economy to wring a few more drops of oil out of the ground in 20 years is senseless and stupid.

The ERA of cheap oil is over? Only temporarily. I sincerely believe in our lifetime we will see oil back down to pennies a gallon, simply because there will be greatly reduced demand for it. Greed from the oil-producing countries, oil companies and speculators have driven up the price to a point where there is now HUGE financial incentive to find alternatives. Brought together with the confluence of awareness for global warming, and the impetus became real.
We’re already seeing feasible air cars, hydrogen cars, plug-ins, and hybrids–and this push is only in its infancy. It’s only a matter of time till a few breakthru technological innovations, and mass production make carbon powered internal combustion engines a collector’s item. It will be poetic justice if those mentioned above hasten their own demise by wanting all their money now. Ironically, they probably could have stayed only mega-rich, and kept us hooked on $2 gas for another few decades.
Another fact the drill-mongers won’t repeat–At full production and current consumption, we would be “energy independant” for little more than 2 years once we tap ANWAR. The oil companies are frothing at the mouth to begin exercising their sweet US leases at almost unimaginable, fanatsy oil prices–that’s the only reason for the clamor now.

quietman – Yay, I’m circling this day in green! ;-)

Robnj28
Rail use is coming back slowly as well.

tje…It’s simple, because this country wants to use up oil from everywhere else, so that we have our untouched jackpot when everyone elses is gone as to be the last man standing, hence…”The Golden Rule”. I have been waiting for nearly 8 years for Bush to start asking to lift the oil drilling bans, guaranteed this half wit and his bone headed father, Cheney and the rest of their orgy of traitor morons had this planned from the get go and they plan to line their pockets. I say allow the drilling, but if one fiber of evidence shows that they are connected any way, shape or form with ANY company involved, whether it be as a silent partner or otherwise, they will be imprisoned.

I was talking about physical item not religious persecution or belief. BUT, i do agree. STILL, Came to work today using less than a 1/2 gallon of gas! Love that honda Ruckus!!!!! another idea

Though the President and Vice President are prohibited from control of their investments while in office, both these self serving politicians know full well what sector all their investments are in. Guess what oil has the highest profit potential.
I am NOT in favor of any offshore or ANWR drilling till they bring Iraq back to pre-war production. And I won’t consider despoiling ANWR till they have working drills off Florida and California.
As to the slanted statistics on ANWR production; the miniscule drillrig footprints which are being touted are a drop in the bucket compared to the land actually dedicated to drilling. You have the pump stations, hundreds of miles of huge, hot pipe and thousands of miles of roadways.
But we don’t need it. Didn’t anyone hear Bush’s kissing friends, the Saudis, tell him and us that no one needs more oil? They’re producing all we need right now.

cturple, we have already tried a new source of energy. We tried to convert food to ethanol, not for alternative energy reasons but for global warming reasons.
We therefore put many undeveloped countries in a food crisis and starved millions of people.
Perhaps you have another alternative fuel supply.

I think what Bush says makes sense because for now we aren’t going to be able to just switch to alternative fuels tomarrow. Switching to alternative fuels is by far the best solution, but in the mean time, until alternative fuels become more available we need more oil supply. I thought biodiesel was the answer, but recently I read that we don’t have enough food sources in the country to supply both food and fuel. I think hydrogen fuel is the best answer so far because it’s the least harmful, and has potiential of giving a return when you have extra energy to sell off. But until we have a good supply of these fuels, gas prices will not stop rising unless we have more of a supply. And I know they say it won’t save us money for like 10 years or so, and maybe it won’t make gas cheaper right away, but maybe it will slow down or stop the hike in prices until then.

“less educated” – we can’t switch on new oil production tomorrow either (as you indicated); the effect of future potential today would, I presume, be in putting a damper on the speculation component of prices. Why does that have to be from openning more areas to oil exploration? It could be from policies that encourage more plug-in electric, high efficiency vehicles, run partly from renewable sources (maybe that would have a bigger impact on prices now?).
We’re going to have to reduce our use of fossil fuels in general eventually; companies should be aware of that when they decide to pay the up front costs of exploration and … etc. If costs of any environmental damage are to be imposed on them, I wonder how plans might change.
Hydrogen may be fine for energy storage and transport but it has to be made from other energy.
We could also increase our food supply by eating less meat, especially beef. Corn as a fuel source should only be a transitional option.
Anyway, I think what we’re paying for oil is actually greater than what we would be paying to run our vehicles (and much else) off solar electricity. Of course, it will take time to get solar technology manufacturing capacity big enough, but we should definitely consider that option.

Given that, it might be throwing good money after bad for the oil companies to explore for more oil. Perhaps, for short term benifit, it would be better to just increase pumping capacity from known oil reservoirs (although I know pumping too quickly can reduce the total recoverable oil, but I presume that has to do with the way it flows through the porous rocks; putting more extraction sites in some distributed fashion should get around that. Also, try pumping CO2 into the reservoirs (this is already done in at least one place).

Why not just fix this problem in 6 years by removing all the stupid dem’s & rep. that caused all the problems we have. Elect a gov. who represents the people instead of lobyist’s.