3 Ways To Lower Gas Prices (North Pole, Fox: home, buy, closing)

[Metlakatla]

Nice to "see" you, Satch. How are you holding up?

[HighlandLady]

And actually, Satch, not long ago petrol was $4.76/gallon...getting worse indeed.

[Classic Satch]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Nice to "see" you, Satch. How are you holding up?

I'd be doing fine, if this country, and especially people who don't live here, would pull their heads out of their posteriors and realize that we have gigantic reserves of oil on our own land but a coalition of radical tree-huggers, Democrats, and the news media is fighting tooth-and-nail against using it. It's completely against any sort of common sense and/or reason. I'm sure that our enemies around the world are laughing at us.

Uggggh, rant over. My blood pressure is getting too high over this nonsense. How are you doing Met?

[Metlakatla]

I've been doing just great, Satch. Plenty of big old trees for me to hug down here in Oregon. I like the Sugar Pines the best

[Classic Satch]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I've been doing just great, Satch. Plenty of big old trees for me to hug down here in Oregon. I like the Sugar Pines the best

Lol, a friend of yours?

[harborlady]

satch, who is we? The oil companies haven't built new refineries because they profit in tight markets, as you're now seeing. If they make more doing less, they'll do so. This is what happens when deregulated vital needs are at the mercy of a cornered market. Call it a gift from speculators.
Oil industry has enjoyed a good deal of protection for decades from our own government at the expense of the people, and still you aren't willing to see the whole picture. The same short sighted policies and bad habits got you into this mess. You've heard the definition of insanity before. Too attached to blaming anyone else but yourself. Good luck with that plan!! hahahahaaaa

[Classic Satch]

Originally Posted by harborlady

satch, who is we? The oil companies haven't built new refineries because they profit in tight markets, as you're now seeing. If they make more doing less, they'll do so. This is what happens when deregulated vital needs are at the mercy of a cornered market. Call it a gift from speculators.
Oil industry has enjoyed a good deal of protection for decades from our own government at the expense of the people, and still you aren't willing to see the whole picture. The same short sighted policies and bad habits got you into this mess. You've heard the definition of insanity before. Too attached to blaming anyone else but yourself. Good luck with that plan!! hahahahaaaa

Hmm, it would be nice if you actually knew what you're talking about.

First off, experts note, gasoline, like any commodity, is subject to big price swings. After all, in the late 1990s it was selling for less than $1 a gallon, hardly an encouraging number if you're a refinery exec looking at making a decades-long, multi-billion dollar investment.
While retail gasoline prices are currently near record highs at just below $3 a gallon, where they might be five years from now is a matter of debate.
Some experts say new investment, in both alternative energy and conventional sources, will boost supply and could cut prices in half. If a global recession hit, the drop could be even more dramatic.
Others say rampant demand, especially in the developing world, will keep prices from going anywhere but up. For an oil executive trying to decide on a refinery investment, picking who's right is a tough call.

Secondly, stringent environmental laws and effective community organizing have made it very difficult to build a new refinery in the U.S.

Refinery shortages, gasoline prices, and what's to come - Apr. 17, 2007

Look at the date of that article. Demand has continued to skyrocket, primarily from China and India, and supply fears have made that article a bit prophetic.

The only ones being short-sighted are misinformed people like yourself. It cracks me up that someone from West Virginia deems it necessary to chime in on an Alaska forum. Has anyone noticed that these "progressives" just love to spew their nonsense anywhere and everywhere? It's always "we need more government regulation" or "it's the evil oil companies." They must ascribe to the Herman Goebbel's approach of "if you tell a lie often enough, eventually it will be accepted as truth". Hope you get home OK.

[warptman]

^ funny...

[harborlady]

Originally Posted by AK_Photographer

This discussion is taking on the all too familiar tone of all the others I’ve seen. The way I see it, these discussions usually don’t solve anything because it comes down to human nature and not wanting to cede a point to the “other side” rather than objectively examine the data. I think if we are ever going to actually solve the energy crisis, everyone will need to come to terms with reality:

Drilling for oil in ANWR or any of the other areas designated “environmentally sensitive” is not wanton destruction of the planet as one side would have us believe. Modern technologies exist that would allow oil extraction with minimal impact to wildlife and the environment. Prudhoe Bay is a good example, and that field was initially built with 70’s technology. Current drilling techniques would be even less invasive.

On the flip side, we have to be honest and acknowledge that opening ANWR will have some adverse impact. Regardless of the technology used, wildlife and the environment will be negatively affected to some degree or another.

The question comes down to weighing all of the available evidence and making a rational decision as to the risk/rewards of increased oil production vs the environmental impact. We need to decide how much environmental damage we are willing to tolerate in the context of what it will take to keep our society functioning and our country out of bankruptcy.

My biggest concern is that we don’t even have all of the evidence now, so how can we make an informed decision? We don’t know exactly how much oil we are talking about. Maybe there’s 50 billion barrels all concentrated in one small corner of ANWR near Prudhoe that could be reached thru slant drilling with minimal impact. OR, maybe we’re completely off base and there isn’t a single drop of oil to be found east of Prudhoe, in which case all of this hand wringing and name calling is moot.

I believe that we should at least take the first steps of some initial exploration to at least allow us to have an educated discussion of this issue. And yes, even that exploration will have some environmental impact.

Should we drill in anwr tomorow, and get the first barrel out of the ground the day after that, it still won't solve the oil crisis when oil companies would be selling americas oil on international 'free market' pricetags. Problem is that market isn't free, its manipulated, and it's far beyond the jurisdictional arm of our government to solve.
That's what the opposition is about, and why congress was talking about nationalizing oil (require chain of custody and keep our oil inconus while still allowing oil companies to do their job). Speculator problem hasn't been solved which drove this market for 8 yrs., and I guess they found their price threshold to make everyone feel it enough to change.
Not all will change. They'll cling to bygone days of 23 cent gas and rant themselves into the poor house blaming all the wrong people for their misery.
Our flawed energy policy has been a gaping hole vulnerability to our collective fiscal health from what started over a century ago. We need to solve how we don't meet our own needs. We need to be self sufficient as a nation, and perhaps as individuals would be more pragmatic considering how divided our country has been.

[RayinAK]

Should we drill in anwr tomorow, and get the first barrel out of the ground the day after that, it still won't solve the oil crisis when oil companies would be selling americas oil on international 'free market' pricetags. Problem is that market isn't free, its manipulated, and it's far beyond the jurisdictional arm of our government to solve.
That's what the opposition is about, and why congress was talking about nationalizing oil (require chain of custody and keep our oil inconus while still allowing oil companies to do their job). Speculator problem hasn't been solved which drove this market for 8 yrs., and I guess they found their price threshold to make everyone feel it enough to change.
Not all will change. They'll cling to bygone days of 23 cent gas and rant themselves into the poor house blaming all the wrong people for their misery.
Our flawed energy policy has been a gaping hole vulnerability to our collective fiscal health from what started over a century ago. We need to solve how we don't meet our own needs. We need to be self sufficient as a nation, and perhaps as individuals would be more pragmatic considering how divided our country has been.

Regardless of what we do, Canada Russia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Middle easter nations are going to continue drilling and making lots of money. Russia is claiming not only the area of the North Pole closest to their land, but the oceans nearby. The reasons? Vast oil deposits, and diamonds.

The questions are: Why shouldn't the US be making money from our natural resources just like other nations? Should we let our economy collapse while other become reacher? An example of an oil economy is Alaska. This State is rolling on oil money at the moment and the Permanent Fund Dividend is the largest ever, thanks to oil money. The same can happen for other States such as the ones mentioned above by others.