Off shore drilling

[jojajn]

Originally Posted by joninclay

Kerry, that "Who Killed the Electric Car?" documentary is the stuff of conspiracy theories. The EV-1 was a pilot project, and while those who had them loved them, the fact is that GM stopped the project because gas was under a buck a gallon. Who was going to plunk down top dollar when gas was cheap? Chevy is working on a car that should be ready by 2010 called the Volt. While Americans weren't ready for electric cars ten years ago, they're ready for them now.

Point is, more oil isn't the answer.

Of COURSE it is! More oil IS the answer to high gas prices, and to energy independence. So is solar, wind, and nuclear power for power plants. So is alternative fuel-powered cars (hydrogen fuel cells, plug-in hybrids, electric cars, etc.). So is reining in the speculators. It's a multi-faceted problem with a multi-faceted solution. We should do ALL of them, not just one or two of them. Foregoing oil sources in order to wait for alternative energy solutions (an idea that has been batted around since the 1970's) to be mass-produced is like not fixing the hole in your roof while it's raining because you also need to repair your stove, fridge, and air conditioner. You know, it IS entirely possible to walk and chew gum at the same time!

By the way, those who say "Drilling won't solve our problem because it will take X years to bring the oil on line" are part of the problem. By that thinking, kids shouldn't bother going to college, because it will be at least X years before (IF EVER) they get a degree and a good-paying job. In the case of law school or medical school, the oil may actually be online BEFORE they get their degrees, residency requirements, and licenses to practice. By that "it'll take too long" logic, they shouldn't even bother with school.

Personally, I think alternative fuel automobiles like the Volt are going to be quite popular. I do think that wind farms and nuclear power plants will supplant coal-fired and gas-powered plants. Our country will be a much better place when those things happen. But if we can get our own oil until those things are reality, we need to. And once those things are firmly in place, we can make money selling our newly found oil to the Chinese (and let them buy stuff from us, instead of vice versa), since we won't need as much of it.

We can't "rein in the speculators" on domestically drilled oil unless we keep domestically drilled oil off the goblal market.

Also, we are selling our oil to China already.

Check this out.

US extends Alaska LNG exports to Asia - Upstreamonline

CRS Report: RS20540 - Alaska Oil Exports - NLE

http://www.cnie.org/NLE/CRSreports/06jun/RS22142.pdf

Where will the oil drlled off the beautiful FL coastlines go?

[kwilli]

The Seattle Times: Local News: Where would ANWR oil go?

[kwilli]

From the Congressional Research Service-The Facts circa 2000-
Alaska Oil Exports
....Relatively small amounts - never more than 7%- of Alaskan crude have been sold to Korea, Japan and China. Korea imports about half of this oil.
Much ANS crude reached California, which is the nation's third-largest oil producer. During the mid-1990s, California produced 800,000 barrels per day (bd), an amount supplemented by another 100,000 bd from the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The combination of California's indigenous production, ANS crude, and foreign oil imports resulted in a California oil surplus. The local glut, which depressed prices for both California and ANS producers, necessitated the shipment of about 300,000 bd of crude through the Panama Canal to the U.S. Gulf Coast and U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Clinton Administration supported ANS crude exports and the President signed P.L. 104-58 in November 1995.
ANS exports totaling 36,000 bd began in 1996; they grew to 66,500 bd in 1997, dipped slightly to 52,900 in 1998 and rose to a high of 74,000 bd in 1999. According to unpublished DOE figures, during 1999, Korea (50%), Japan (36%) and China (12%) imported nearly all ANS exports. The list of customers has remained the same since 1996.
At current levels, ANS exports amount to about 7% of North Slope output. Viewed relative to total domestic consumption of 19.3 mbd, these exports comprise less than one- half of one percent. Compared to net petroleum imports of 9.7 mbd, they are the equivalent of three-quarters of one percent. Other exports are cross border exchanges of refined products, as well as some crude, with Canada (13%) and Mexico (28%).. On the other side of the Canada-Mexico trade equation, these nations supply 15% and 13%respectively of total U.S. petroleum imports.