Why Norway's offshore drilling is safer (Al Gore, health care system, environmentalist, Obama)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What makes Norway so different from the United States -- and much more likely to install the most protective energy technology -- is that the Norwegian state can impose public values on oil producers without fighting off lobbyists and crooked politicians, because it owns and controls the resources. Rather than Halliburton-style corporate management controlling the government and blocking environmental improvement, Norway's system works the other way around. It isn't perfect, as any Nordic environmentalist will ardently explain, but the results are considerably better than ours.
Just ask Freedomworks, the right-wing corporate front group chaired by former Texas Republican Rep. Dick Armey, which has underwritten the Tea Party movement. In a post advocating more offshore drilling, Freedomworks hailed the Norwegian record effusively:
Norway's oil and gas offshore operations have safely and effectively co-existed with fishing operations in the fertile North Sea since 1971. In fact, Norway is now the world's sixth largest oil producer and the tenth largest fish producer.
Freedomworks hates socialism, so its promo copy doesn't mention the state ownership. But ideological concerns aside, the Norwegian oil business has earned a strong international reputation for industrial efficiency and environmentally benign exploration and production technology. Unlike the U.S. oil giants, which feign green concern while opposing real climate reform, Statoil has worked actively to reduce its CO2 emissions since 1991, with considerable success. Again, this is a result of harmony between national policy, aiming to make Norway carbon neutral by 2030, and the state oil sector. Rather than debate the need for stronger environmental regulation with powerful private interests for the past quarter-century, the Norwegians were able to harness the profits of their oil resources to improve the environment (and provide a generous social security and universal healthcare system for their people).
But we know that private ownership always works better than government. Don't we?
Don't worry, the government here is already looking to put govt in the driver seat of energy production with the crap and trade bill. And the crooks like Al Gore and company are already in like to make billions off the American suckers that support it.
Don't worry, the government here is already looking to put govt in the driver seat of energy production with the crap and trade bill. And the crooks like Al Gore and company are already in like to make billions off the American suckers that support it.
Exactly- Nationalization just means one crook takes over the business from another.
I believe the Norwegian system of government ownership of natural resources and the natural monopoly that is the oil/energy business is much more efficient and safer than the private sector domination in the US. The Norwegian’s worry about efficiency and minimal impact while distributing the profits not to single investors but to the entire community.
We should pay attention to this system and adapt it to our own situation. If the profits from the petroleum industry were diverted to the government then a universal health care system and a universal pension become possible. I wonder why we allow only a few to become vastly wealth off these resources instead of using the money for the benefit of all of us.
I believe the Norwegian system of government ownership of natural resources and the natural monopoly that is the oil/energy business is much more efficient and safer than the private sector domination in the US. The Norwegian’s worry about efficiency and minimal impact while distributing the profits not to single investors but to the entire community.
We should pay attention to this system and adapt it to our own situation. If the profits from the petroleum industry were diverted to the government then a universal health care system and a universal pension become possible. I wonder why we allow only a few to become vastly wealth off these resources instead of using the money for the benefit of all of us.
That is what seperates them from us and why it would not work here.
Ameerican government is not efficient and would not run our oil businesses effectively. It would be a disaster for the taxpayers.
norway is smaller and has less financial corruption than we do. thats why it works for them.
our politicians are all greedy that they had to be bought off and paid by the obama adminstration to vote on healthcare. imagine what would happen if they owned businesses. does fanny mae and freddy mac ring a bell? mortgage companies giving out too many loans and buying non mortgage related entities.
I believe the Norwegian system of government ownership of natural resources and the natural monopoly that is the oil/energy business is much more efficient and safer than the private sector domination in the US. The Norwegian’s worry about efficiency and minimal impact while distributing the profits not to single investors but to the entire community.
We should pay attention to this system and adapt it to our own situation. If the profits from the petroleum industry were diverted to the government then a universal health care system and a universal pension become possible. I wonder why we allow only a few to become vastly wealth off these resources instead of using the money for the benefit of all of us.
because then people wouldn't do anything, and just reap the benefits all day living off the government money. the rich people worked their butts off to get where they are.
I heard this drumbeat start up a couple days ago. So who does the government go after if there is an oil spill? Itself? But it certainly is a way to control and shut down the petroleum industry.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
