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Hah! You asked for environmental reasons for not extracting oil. I gave you several which you failed to address but instead brought up this absurd belief that oil somehow will spill out of the earth if it is not removed. I pointed out how such a belief really has no basis in geology and shows an utter lack of knowledge about the petrochemical industry and how fossil fuels are actually found within the earth. Then you claim I changed the subject.
Nonsense.
Do you know one thing about geology? Oil doesn't "spill" from the ground. Name one case where there has been a major environmental crisis from an oil "spill" occurring naturally.
There have been natural oil seeps (springs) in places as far apart as the middle east, California and Pennsylvania. Oil is a natural fluid and behaves much like ground water and can flow to the surface. Rare but does happen.
There have been natural oil seeps (springs) in places as far apart as the middle east, California and Pennsylvania. Oil is a natural fluid and behaves much like ground water and can flow to the surface. Rare but does happen.
Funny how oil can create "gushers" because of being under immense pressure, but would be unable to "seep out".
There have been natural oil seeps (springs) in places as far apart as the middle east, California and Pennsylvania. Oil is a natural fluid and behaves much like ground water and can flow to the surface. Rare but does happen.
Yes there are some areas in the world where crude oil and gas seep through the strata. But it can hardly be called a "spill". It is isolated to tar pits and other bubbling areas. It doesn't flow into the ocean in the millions of gallons destroying entire ecosystems (as REAL oil spills do).
It's like trying to equate trees being struck by lightening or falling naturally with clear cutting by lumber companies. It doesn't even pass the laugh test.
Who is big oil? 50% of Exxon Mobile is publicly traded on the stock market. Most of the rest is owned by institutions like mutual funds and pension plans. Less that one percent is owned by private individuals. So, next time you hear people complain about big oil, they are complaining about you.
I think that gas prices have risen to a level that will really encourage the development of realistic alternatives to burning oil for non-transportation uses and decreasing the amount burned for that use. This happened during the artificial oil price hikes of the 1970’s but the immediate decrease in demand let to the reestablishment of low priced oil and the near destruction of the alternate energy industry. I believe there is actually a “real” component of this price run up because of greatly increased demand form China and India. This will provide a higher floor for oil prices and that floor will be high enough to make alternates economically sound.
If gasoline prices actually reach the $4 per gallon (effectively doubled since 2005) some have predicted, the demand for fuel will decrease because almost all non-essential driving will be eliminated. The loss of vacation driving will cause economic stress in many parts of the country. The increase in fuel costs and the associated increases on food and lodging prices have actually caused my family to cut way back on our summer recreation.
Long-term high transportation costs will cause substantial changes in the way our country lives, shops, does business and commutes. These changes will reflect the loss of discretionary spending and the devalued dollar. This will happen even if we do not slide into a depression.
It looks like Hydrogen Fuel Cell is about to become a reality, with the debut of the Honda FCX Clarity (lease for $600 per month). At 68 MPG, it is a good start in demonstrating potential use for Fuel Cell technology. It is still very early in the development process, but it looks like Fuel Cell is showing a lot of promise for mass production with a decade.
However, the fueling and repair infrastructure to support this could take time to evolve, so I expect it to be a "regionally" used vehicle. In the meantime, I think Hybrids will be our short term (present to 20 year) salvation in getting less oil dependent:
Who is big oil? 50% of Exxon Mobile is publicly traded on the stock market. Most of the rest is owned by institutions like mutual funds and pension plans. Less that one percent is owned by private individuals. So, next time you hear people complain about big oil, they are complaining about you.
Unless, of course, you don't own any of those stocks. I don't. I don't own ANY stocks or bonds.
I have a desire, but not the money, to own a turbo diesel plug in hybrid that uses grid power for the commute and veggie diesel for long trips. Adecent size car, say a GM intermediate, should get about 60 mpg on this set up, depending, of course, on the trip profile. This is current technology with the distribution infrastructure in place.
I would also like a full size pickup truck or van run on the same technology. This type of truck should be able to get about 30 mpg instead of 12 on gasoline.
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