Should the US Continue Off Shore Drilling Despite The Spill?

[followsthewolf]

I think it was a CBS poll that showed that the number of Americans who want to drill for offshore oil has dropped dramatically to below 50%.

[me]

What's wrong with drilling in Alaska?  why does it have to be off shore?  The studies show the oil is there and it isn't going to have that much impact on the wild life at all.  Of course it is easier to just depend on the oil cartel not getting together and raising prices again and stay dependent on that foreign stuff.     Face it the "greens" aren't going to let anyone do anything to help alleviate the problem.

[Palehorse]

What's wrong with drilling in Alaska?  why does it have to be off shore?  The studies show the oil is there and it isn't going to have that much impact on the wild life at all.  Of course it is easier to just depend on the oil cartel not getting together and raising prices again and stay dependent on that foreign stuff.     Face it the "greens" aren't going to let anyone do anything to help alleviate the problem.

Face it yourself, if we increased production to withdraw from every single source we own, including those unproven, we would deplete the resource entirely in 8 years and be left with nothing. Period, end of story. And increasing U.S. oil production will do zero to positively impact consumer pricing for petroleum products in this country. Nothing.

Ever think that is exactly what the OPEC nations want? To have us deplete our resources so that they will own ALL of it? Then what?

No, our resources are best utilized in identification of workable alternative fuels and then building the infrastructure to implement them; while doing everything else possible to enact energy standards (read: MPG, and pollution standards) that will reduce the national demand and positively impact our environment.

[Palehorse]

There is virtually no chance of us increasing that number even if we were to endorse the drill baby drill philosophy. "Reserves" refers to not only produced oil, but takes into account proven but untapped, and unproven untapped resources available to utilize. So, taking all of this into account the US owns only 2% (plus or minus a % point) of the entire oil in the world!

Here's a couple of charts that take into account all reserves world wide by global region. It is important to note that in this chart "North America" includes Canada!



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Total_World_Oil_Reserves.PNG



As a foot note; Industry experts calculate that if the US were to tap into all known (Proven and unproven) oil reserves and ramp up production and processing- they would be depleted totally within an 8 year period, leaving the US with NONE to tap into.

[Palehorse]

By H. JOSEF HEBERT AND FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writers – 28 mins ago
WASHINGTON – A key safety device known as the blowout preventer used in the BP oil rig in the Gulf had a hydraulic leak and other problems that likely prevented it from working as designed, congressional investigators said Wednesday.
They also said BP PLC and other documents also indicated confusion over whether poor pipe integrity was allowing methane gas to leak into the well just hours before the explosion that killed 11 workers and blew the well open.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said that BP had informed his House committee that at some point when the well was being closed with cement an influx of methane entered the wellhead, indicating that cementing the well had not produced needed pipe integrity.
Waxman, opening a hearing into the April 20 well explosion that unleashed a massive oil spill, said while "we have far more questions than answers" it appeared clear — from BP and other documents — that there were problems with the blowout preventers before the accident and confusion almost right up to the time of the explosion over the success of the cementing process.
The committee said that there were at least "four significant problems with the blowout preventer" used on the Deepwater Horizon drill rig.
Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., said that a 2001 report by Transocean, which made the device, indicated there can be as many as 260 failure possibilities in the equipment. The device is supposed to be the final safeguard against a well blowout by clamping down and sealing a gushing oil well.
"How can a device that has 260 failure modes be considered fail-safe?" asked Stupak.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee was to hear from executives of BP, Transocean Ltd, Halliburton, which conducted the cementing on the BP rig, and Cameron Inc.
Stupak said BP confirmed in documents that a leak had been found in the hydraulic system that provides emergency power to a part of the blowout preventer.
When a remote underwater vehicle tried to activate the safety device a loss of hydraulic pressure was detected, said Stupak. When dye was injected "it showed a large leak coming from a loose fitting," said Stupak, citing BP documents.
He said Cameron officials had told the committee the leak was not believed to have been caused by the blowout because other fittings in the system were tight.
Stupak that BP also confirmed that the blowout preventer had been modified so that one of its ram drivers could be used for routine testing and was no longer designed to activate in an emergency. He said after the spill BP "spent a day trying to use this ... useless test ram.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100512/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill

[The Troll]

What's wrong with drilling in Alaska?  why does it have to be off shore?  The studies show the oil is there and it isn't going to have that much impact on the wild life at all.  Of course it is easier to just depend on the oil cartel not getting together and raising prices again and stay dependent on that foreign stuff.     Face it the "greens" aren't going to let anyone do anything to help alleviate the problem.

  Where they want to drill in Alaska is permafrost.  Frozen in the winter and swamp in the summer.

[Locutus]

Face it yourself, if we increased production to withdraw from every single source we own, including those unproven, we would deplete the resource entirely in 8 years and be left with nothing. Period, end of story. And increasing U.S. oil production will do zero to positively impact consumer pricing for petroleum products in this country. Nothing.

Ever think that is exactly what the OPEC nations want? To have us deplete our resources so that they will own ALL of it? Then what?

No, our resources are best utilized in identification of workable alternative fuels and then building the infrastructure to implement them; while doing everything else possible to enact energy standards (read: MPG, and pollution standards) that will reduce the national demand and positively impact our environment.

There seems to be two points that continually escape the "drill baby drill" people and those that parrot them.   It's been pointed out numerous times before, but they simply choose not to get it, or are simply wanting to be argumentative.

1. There is absolutely no guarantee that any of the oil we produce in the U.S. is going to remain here to "lower our prices" so we'll all "pay less" and all of the rest of the crap that the "drill baby drill" ilk support.

2.  As has been pointed out previously, the U.S. has less than 2% of the world's oil supply.  Barely a drop in the bucket.  More data on that here:  Link to Oil Reserves by Country.  Now if you divide the 22,450,000,000 barrels in the U.S. by the 1,349,417,153,000 barrels available in the world, you'll see that what I've been saying is correct.  We have only about 1.7% of the world's oil supply here. 

The drill argument to lower prices and reduce dependence on that evil foreign oil doesn't hold water to anyone with half a brain.  It's simply too bad that almost half the fuckin' country's citizens lack the half a brain necessary to comprehend such.





   

[Locutus]

So in the meantime, let's just drill baby drill!  Ask those poor fisherman who have lost their livelihood for decades how they feel about the "drill baby drill" philosophy.  That oil geyser (which continues to spew BTW)  has ruined one of the nation's most delicate fishing areas which was formerly home to shrimp, scallops, and other forms of seafood, many of which will take decades to recover if they ever do.

Spill baby spill!!!   

[kimmi]

Spill baby!  Spill!

[Locutus]

Sorry.  I was on a rant Kim. 

[Henry Hawk]

well, one thing to think about is, China is drilling off of the coast of Florida, Canada is drilling off of the coast of Florida, Mexico is drilling off of the coast of Florida, France is drilling off of the coast of Florida, Angola is going to drill off of the coast of Florida, Vietnam is going to drill off of the coast of Florida, and Cuba is going to drill off of the coast of Florida.....

But the U.S. cannot?....

Also, why is it these countries believe it is profitable to do this and NOT the U.S.?

Just a random thought....

[Locutus]

Wrong!

http://www.adn.com/2008/06/12/434045/china-drilling-for-oil-off-florida.html


Yet no one can prove that the Chinese are drilling anywhere off Cuba's shoreline. The China-Cuba connection is "akin to urban legend," said Sen. Mel Martinez, a Republican from Florida who opposes drilling off the coast of his state but who backs exploration in ANWR.

"China is not drilling in Cuba's Gulf of Mexico waters, period," said Jorge Pinon, an energy fellow with the Center for Hemispheric Policy at the University of Miami and an expert in oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. Martinez cited Pinon's research when he took to the Senate floor Wednesday to set the record straight.





^^

That shit right there is a prime example of how you say it often enough, people believe it even if it isn't true.  Interestingly enough, it's generally the same half of the citizenry that I referred to in my previous post.   It probably wouldn't take too much to refute the rest of that either.

But Fox Spews said it, so it must be true.

[Henry Hawk]

http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/09/news/economy/oil_cuba/index.htm

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/04/2293997.aspx

There are plenty of speculations that they are or will be drilling...

and there ARE several other countries that are...

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/04/2293997.aspx

it cracks me up...........your sources are okay....they are facts...........but, others, they are just spin and foxnews propaganda's...

[The Troll]

http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/09/news/economy/oil_cuba/index.htm

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/04/2293997.aspx

There are plenty of speculations that they are or will be drilling...

and there ARE several other countries that are...

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/05/04/2293997.aspx

it cracks me up...........your sources are okay....they are facts...........but, others, they are just spin and foxnews propaganda's...

  I've watched Fox and Fox is Propaganda and misstatements.  Positively slanted to the Republican talking points.  Hell, Fox and Rupert Murdock probably writes the Republican talking points every day.

  There is no way I would trust anything that come out of the television, if it comes from Fox News.               The Troll

[me]

  I've watched Fox and Fox is Propaganda and misstatements.  Positively slanted to the Republican talking points.  Hell, Fox and Rupert Murdock probably writes the Republican talking points every day.

  There is no way I would trust anything that come out of the television, if it comes from Fox News.               The Troll

Um, those links are CNN and MSNBC  not Fox.