Nuclear Power has two problems. Ignorance and Fear.
But this thread is about off-shore drilling…
Why does luxuriousness have to be unfashionable?? I live in a solar-powered house and have a really nice, AFFORDABLE (not hybrid) vehicle that gets about 50 mpg. I have a nice flat-panel TV, hot water that is always exactly the right temperature, the list goes on… Being in my house, you would never know that it is off the grid.
The thing is, look how far we have come in the last 100 years! Who is to say that it will really take another 25 years to develop a new technology? What we know about technology has increased at an exponential rate so why can’t a technology change happen quickly too? The biggest hurtle will be convincing people that they CAN have their luxuries without being environmentally amoral.
Every country in the world with offshore resources is drilling them up. Norway, Holland, and Britain are extremely environmentally sensitive countries, yet all three are producing oil & gas from the North Sea.
Americans are paranoid about oil spills and have tried to shift the offshore production to other countries. Most of the world is covered with water, and most remaining resources are underwater. It’s time we got with it. Those extremely vocal hypocrites in Santa Barbara, who drive big cars, need a reality check.
Lets dril and beef up oil transport safety and security; that’s where most of the spills occur.
starsoot; the 20+ years I referred to was not so much the discovery of new technology (we have most of that already), but the commercialization to the point where it actually makes a major impact on oil consumption, and drives out imports.
The government can help speed this up considerably. In the meantime, we should drill up our offshore resources, like every other counrty does, to mitigate our balance of payments crisis.
It’s nice to be off the grid, but that is not an option for the majority of citizens at this tme.
In the mean time, my 42% reduction in energy use has had no impact on our quality of life, and with some incentive, we will reduce it further.
I think that offshore wind farms should be explored before we expand and gear up for deep drilling. England is trying this on a test production scale now.
NO. And, especially near Santa Barbara it is not a good idea, since many might try to tap the Elk Hills Oil Reserve, nearby, with “tricky Dick” drilling. And, creating cavities under the ocean might cause more Earthquakes!
But, TRY the Sea of Cortez near Baha, since it might keep some of the natives home and any oil spills could help the local water supplies!
Windmills can and should be developed, like a Merry-Go-Round with sails, since they would be able to turn 10 megawatt generators with ease. And, they could be designed to look like a parked UFO!
FOR MANY YEARS, Major Oil Companies have been using Natural Gas from the Stockton, CA. area, and have been buying oil rights around Elk Grove, CA.
Therefore, the best place to drill nearby may be in the San Francisco Bay or the Delta Area!
So: FOLLOW THE MONEY, and Swartsnegger’s Party!
Bush’s latest ploy to allow more “offshore drilling” is just a ploy to stop the “Gas Pump Revolution”.
So, how could new drilling near Cuba (near his lost wells) change the price of oil for at least 3 years?
Why don’t he offer to “Save America”, by reducing oil prices from his existing wells, like the dictator in South America!
People who complain about misspelled words should study SHAKESPEARE, more.
Was Shakespeare an idiot or did he speak many languages, or did he have stress or brain damage?
General Grant was no dummy, either, and had a lot of trouble with his spelling!
And, many bright people have typing problems or fail to proof read their work, which is why they hire secretaries, and why I invented “Spell Check” twenty years ago.
Snobs with perfect memories should run for President, like my Grandson, or teach school!
And, DEGREES do not prove credibility. Just look at George and ME!
But, I bet you compose your comments in WORD, first, just to check your spelling and prove your social credibility, since you are unsure of your opinion!
As a matter of fact, God will alter the Earth’s Orbit, if he decides Man is worth saving!
It has been proven in Silicon Valley on a fleet of cars that normal vegetable oil lubricates engines as good as any Special Motor Oil.
So, multiply 5 gallons of oil by Billions of vehicles, worldwide, and see how much unrenewable energy that will save, yearly.
I’m all for offshore wind farms to supplement the electrical supply! This post is about offshore drilling to increase OIL SUPPLY. Offshore wind farms are out of the experimental stage and Denmark, Germany and Holland have extensive installations. None of these produce a drop of oil, of course.
More drilling will ease the US oil supply and slightly reduce imports, helping the US international balance of payments. BUT IT WILL DO NOTHING TO REDUCE THE PRICE OF OIL!!!
Oil is priced on an international basis, and oil companies charge their refineries (a separate cost center) that price. The refined oil (gasoline, etc)then has some margins added for distribution and marketing to get to the pump price.
Our resident science fiction writer/comedian, Shakespirit, advocates a Latin American style dictatorial control to lower the gas prices from US produced oil. This would only affect 40% of gasoline sold, and would come from a virtually NATIONALIZED oil industry controlled by the government, Soviet style. Presumably he would want to lower the the price of the other 60% by subsidizing it with tax payer’s money!
Only during WW II did we have such draconian, but necessary government intervention. Even the most left-leaning democrat would not opt for this.
Joseph; more drilling will only reduce prices if giant, Saudi Arabian size fields were discovered, a very unlikely situation. The lag between drillling and production is at least 3-4 years. During that time, 3 million more cars will be on the road in the developed world.
Agree with you that high oil prices are necessary to wean us off our “oil addiction”, as Bush pointed out, but was unwilling to do anything about.
CHECK OUT the Steam Engine “Batmobile” from England that is now being tested near Salt Lake City.
Will it change your thinking and Detroit drawing boards! (re: Popular Mechanics)
But, GEORGE is getting worried!
As an Oil Exploration Geologist (more than 20 yrs) I can tell you there is a lot of misinformation in circulation that has been made available by industry and conservative sources. First of all there is no proof that any significant amount of oil exists beneath the offshore Atlantic coast. When oil companies report potential reserves the numbers reflect an extremely optimistic position (less than 10 percent probability of success). This optimism is designed to entice investors to take the risk. In addition, the reserve estimates include natural gas as an oil equivalent. In many cases only a few percent of the “oil” reserves is actually oil. This holds true for ANWR as well as the Atlantic. So, will offshore drilling make a difference? Not as much as a zit on an elephant’s butt. However, drilling will make a few CEOs and service companies like Haliburtin very wealthy. You may not know that several major discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico that are currently in the process of coming on line - reserves that dwarf all other offshore potential - are not stabilizing the price at all. But the industry is careful not to make this known. The fact is that the world is on a decline of reserves while demand is increasing and that will not be changed. Bio-fuels are a capitalist answer to the problem - the process drives up food prices and puts more carbon into the atmosphere than fossil fuel. The only option in the equation is conservation: better cars, communities designed for people, public transportation, etc. Sorry America, but it cannot be avoided any longer.
Thank you for speaking as a professional and outlining the BIG PICTURE. It’s now generally accepted that the world is finding less oil each year than it is consuming, so gradually emptying the “cupboard”.
Many people are either into the conspiracy theory or expecting a quick magic elixer in terms of alternate sources of energy. You are right, conservation and stepped up searches for alternative sources is essential.
Thanks again!
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