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Shell ordered to suspend Arctic drilling
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:59 am
by Stephen Eisel
I say drill.. It is obvious that we are years away from having the masses use alternative energy. Yes, we have solar panels, ethanol, wind mills and etc.. But only a small minority of people are using these alternatives right now.
crack heads
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 9:08 am
by ryan costa
We are currently in a "crack head" phase of oil use.
Until serious deliberations and policies are used to reduce our activities which use oil and oil alternatives, the discovery and tapping of further oil reserves will only allow us to dig a bigger hole for ourselves.
We are a nation which has been utterly corrupted and warped by our success.
Re: crack heads
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 9:37 am
by Stephen Eisel
ryan costa wrote:We are currently in a "crack head" phase of oil use.
Until serious deliberations and policies are used to reduce our activities which use oil and oil alternatives, the discovery and tapping of further oil reserves will only allow us to dig a bigger hole for ourselves.
We are a nation which has been utterly corrupted and warped by our success.
The big problem now is refining capacity. Also, the US not allowing drilling off the coast of Florida only turned into an opportunity for SINOPEC. Great! We did not need those 10 bbl of oil!
I am hopeful that this abiotic oil theory is true.. God forbid that we find out that the oil companies have been lying to us about that...
refining capacity
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 10:03 am
by ryan costa
It costs a lot of money to build a refinery. The oil companies obviously don't believe it is worth the investment: they don't see an increase in oil supplies great enough to justify that expense.
Some say pollution and safety standards prevent the building of new refineries. I don't see how that could be the case: In the United States we've got plenty of vacant land totally polluted up by decades of industrial use and rendered obsolete by outsourcing. Instead of paying megafund contractors to build golf courses and housing developments on it, it may as well be used for oil refineries. Somehow that isn't clicking. No one is connecting the dots. Why? see the above paragraph.
The abiotic theory of oil origins won't save our necks: that theory still posits it takes tens of millions of years to build up the reserves we've tapped out in less than 100 years.
Globalism means we'll soon be importing much less oil. Simply because others will be able to pay much more for it. The U.S. currency is long overdue to collapse. This will not suddenly make our exports much more competetive: it took decades to get a competetive workforce and manufacturing habits going: that's been heavily liquidated since the 70s. Maybe we'll frame up more reasons to invade oil exporting countries. So far that has generally cost more than the immediate and long term gains. Its effect on our deficits only will increase the severity of our currency collapsing.
Re: refining capacity
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:06 am
by Stephen Eisel
ryan costa wrote:It costs a lot of money to build a refinery. The oil companies obviously don't believe it is worth the investment: they don't see an increase in oil supplies great enough to justify that expense.
Some say pollution and safety standards prevent the building of new refineries. I don't see how that could be the case: In the United States we've got plenty of vacant land totally polluted up by decades of industrial use and rendered obsolete by outsourcing. Instead of paying megafund contractors to build golf courses and housing developments on it, it may as well be used for oil refineries. Somehow that isn't clicking. No one is connecting the dots. Why? see the above paragraph.
The abiotic theory of oil origins won't save our necks: that theory still posits it takes tens of millions of years to build up the reserves we've tapped out in less than 100 years.
You may want to take a look at BP or Exxons annual reports in references to refiniries. The regulations that government puts on building a new refinery is the major hurdle right now. A new refinery has not been built in the US since 1970.. Refining cost (a 25% capital outlay due to some of EPA requirements) has also added to the recent high gas prices. Yes, we do not want refiniries destroying the environment. But air pollution from refinireis was on the decline before most of the stringent EPA regulations were enacted (Clean Air ACT). Some refineries cannot increase output because of all the red tape. Saying that oil companies do not believe in the ivestment (new oil refineries) is ridiculous. They (oil companie) have the capital but the regulations have made it impossible or cost effective to maintain a new refinery. Exxon had a net profit of $10 billion for the second quarter of this year. But what is amazing, refinery profits are still jumping... And refinery output today vs 1980 differs by
est. 2 million gallons per day. (If I remember correctly). 1980 was greater per day. This is not good becasue demand for oil has increased since 1980..
http://energy.senate.gov/legislation/en ... chart8.pdf
Also, oil comapnies are spending billions looking for oil world wide. So they obvious believe that the oil supply can be increased.
Here is more on the Abiotic Theory.
http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1130.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/crispin/crispin11.html
http://freeenergynews.com/Directory/The ... index.html
But this enti
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 7:09 pm
by Stephen Eisel
[quote]
http://energy.senate.gov/legislation/energybill/charts/chart8.pdf
Gas Prices Rise on Refineries’ Record Failures
Oil refineries across the country have been plagued by a record number of fires, power failures, leaks, spills and breakdowns this year, causing dozens of them to shut down temporarily or trim production. The disruptions are helping to drive gasoline prices to highs not seen since last summer’s records.
These mechanical breakdowns, which one analyst likened to an “invisible hurricane,â€Â
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 7:18 pm
by Stephen Eisel
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/business/22refine.html?_r=1&hp&oref=sloginGas Prices Rise on Refineries’ Record Failures
Oil refineries across the country have been plagued by a record number of fires, power failures, leaks, spills and breakdowns this year, causing dozens of them to shut down temporarily or trim production. The disruptions are helping to drive gasoline prices to highs not seen since last summer’s records.
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 1:57 pm
by Stephen Eisel
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070722/COMMENTARY/107220020&template=printart
[quote]Make no mistake, there is still plenty of oil to be found here. A recent Interior Department study estimates 21 billion barrels of oil lie untapped beneath federally controlled lands, mostly in the West and Alaska. That equals 30 years of current imports from Saudi Arabia.
There's a lot of natural gas as well. Unfortunately, the department found "just 3 percent of onshore federal oil and 13 percent onshore Federal gas are accessible under standard lease terms." In other words, only this tiny percentage of energy can be produced without serious legal or regulatory impediments. Some of the rest is accessible, but only if energy companies wade through all the red tape.
Most disturbing of all, "51 percent of oil and 27 percent of the natural gas are presently closed to leasing" â€â€