The Ends of the Earth

On a campaign stop in Greensdale, Wisconsin, the Senator suggested that turning to the nation's coast for energy needs would be something of a waste in time and effort and do little to resolve America's broader energy needs.

"[W]ith those resources, which would take years to develop, you would only postpone or temporarily relieve our dependency on fossil fuels," McCain said when asked about offshore drilling. "We are going to have to go to alternative energy, and the exploitation of existing reserves of oil, natural gas, even coal, and we can develop clean coal technology, are all great things. But we also have to devote our efforts, in my view, to alternative energy sources, which is the ultimate answer to our long-term energy needs, and we need it sooner rather than later."

There are more proven reserves of oil on the north slope of Alaska, than in the entire middle east. (Read/Google "The energy non-crisis")And yet you would much rather pay higher prices for gas and home heating oil every year, because of enviromential groups claiming that it's off limits. Just think of a world where we could get out of the middle east, stop all these wars, spend all that money here at home and rebuild our country. Have our troops protect OUR borders, but NO, because a non-governmential organizantion's gravy train is threatened, by having us drill for oil on out own land. You tell me which is the definition of insanity to you? More lives are being lost every day, more human rights are being denied (thanks to our support of corrupt regimes that oppress their own people) because we bankroll and pay to equip dictators (like Hussein) because we need their oil, when in fact we don't. We have the ability to kiss the middle east goodbye, and broker a true peace on behalf of Isreal and the middle east, but we can't because we refuse to drill on our own lands, and demand the oil companies build more refineries with all of those profits they are making every day by creating artifical scarcity, pushing the myth of "peak oil", shutting down refineries, and utilizing the gift of our reckless foreign policy to their adavantage. As long as we allow this to continue unabated, then we have NO right to complain one minute about the price of home heating oil or the price of gas. We are our own worst enemy because we refuse to make our politicans do what is in OUR own best interest. And as long as we allow it, we don't have any right to complain at all.

The market also relies on speculation. If investors believe there will be relief coming, even 3-5 years out, it may or may not lower prices. I'm on the get off the oil altogether bandwagon, however. Cheap oil brought us our industrial revolution, and expensive oil is threatening to destroy our economy due to our reliance on it. We've known that this is a finite source of energy since we discovered it. Why haven't we had an exit strategy regarding this long before now?

heresy: "There are more proven reserves of oil on the north slope of Alaska, than in the entire middle east."

Um, no.

Offshore drilling has advantages and disadvantages. So yes, we as a society need to discuss whether the tradeoffs are worth it. I have no idea how much it might bring down the price of oil in 10 years, although the way things are out of control right now, I can't imagine it would be enough to notice. I assume the oil industry would find some way to suck up as much of the monetary gains as they can. As for disadvantages, the problem of oil spills is not trivial, because they will cut corners until I happens. It costs less to deal with the PR of an oil spill that it does to prevent one, so they don't care. If we made them take the necessary precautions to make a spill truly unlikely, I would be more inclined to agree, but then the oil wouldn't be so cheap anymore. Yes, there are always tradeoffs.

There are more proven reserves of oil on the north slope of Alaska, than in the entire middle east. (Read/Google "The energy non-crisis")
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Really? Mr X.. Said so. Mr X?. Do you relay believe this?

Amazing what some people will say.

AN IDEA: WHY NOT ALLOW LIMITED DRILLING IN RESTRICTED AREAS, BUT THRIPLE FINES AND ALLOW LAWSUITS TO BE BROUGHT AGAINST ANY OIL COMPANY THAT CAUSES ANY TYPE OF LEAK.

Why have the U.S. Government, news media & talk shows failed to reveal Shell Oil Co.'s approach to production techniques applied in shale oil deposits of the Western U.S.? Also, Why have the same groups failed to reveal the vast oil & gas reserves located just above Alaska' North Shores, Gull Island?

HOW ABOUT: FREEZE THE PRICE OF GAS (A GALLON)DURING THE WEEK, BUT DROP THE PRICE AT LEAST $1 DOLLAR ON THE WEEKENDS...SO FAMILIES AND JUST FOLKS, LOOKING FOR A CHANCE TO GET OUT AND AROUND,WOULD FIND SOME BRIEF RELIEF FROM STRESS?

jock59801, the price of oil will NOT be coming down substantially ever again, regardless of how much America pumps from any source. The era of 'cheap oil' is over.

It started by China's modernization, and the influx of massive amounts of revenue due to US and other companies outsourcing to third world nations which, until then, didn't really have the wages or demands of a consumer-driven middle class. This also brought a massive surge in global oil demand in manufacturing and fuel. Call it a global double whammy.

Demand is projected to only increase. Depending on whose propaganda you listen to, the untapped oil reserves available to the US is between 3% and 15% of the global total. The US uses approximately 25% of the global total, with China expected to surpass US use in the next year or two. And with 5 times the population of the US, China's demand will only grow MORE.

Regardless of the total global reserves, there is one immutable, unavoidable and penultimate reason why oil isn't a viable energy source any more: It's FINITE. "Reserves" means when it's gone, there's no more. Period. Forever. NOT a sound foundation upon which to base an economy, which is what the US has done.

Technology has to change - and the source of our energy must change with it. This doesn't only mean making fuel efficient vehicles, it means making vehicles that don't even run on oil-based products. The nay-sayers (probably oil company stock holders), say it's disaster and will ruin industries. This much is true, it will. I'd dump oil stock fairly soon. But for every industry destroyed by a shift from an oil-based economy to a non-oil based economy, at least three new industries will arise to replace them, providing a much firmer and more stable footing upon which to drive an economy. (pardon the pun). This is based on how the automobile industry took over the livery/horse business. Blacksmiths became auto mechanics. Livery stables became gas stations - and there were a lot more of them.

I fail to understand why anyone would advocate staying with oil, devoting limited revenue, resources and energy toward maintaining an industry which will be out of product in 50-75 years (at current demand). It took that long to get the US off of horses and into cars. It will take us that long to transition from oil-fueled personal transportation to whatever viable alternative is developed. A sense of urgency is mingled with skyrocketing fuel prices.

The time is now to start the transition. Oil prices may stabilize as we transition to non-oil fuels and global demand drops, but the easy to get oil is mostly gone and by then only expensive, harder to get to oil is left, meaning the prices will remain high and any gas price drops will be few and very, very small until oil isn't used as a fuel source any more.

Like it or not, this is our future. We'd better learn to deal intelligently with it or we will suffer the consequences of our own stupidity.

Robert Skyler - I agree with that approach. The reason we have leaks is because it costs them more to prevent it than it does to pretend to clean it up. If we make the penalties severe enough, we would get less environmental destruction. Of course, it will also make it more expensive to drill, but I think that is an appropriate tradeoff.

The development and use of green technology needs to be accelerated. I fail to see why green tech needs to proceed at its present turtle pace. Europe is significantly ahead of the states in green practices. It's time to catch up with the rest of the world. Applying oil windfall taxes to green development is a solid first step.

Keith Olberman, finally, tonight discussed why fuel prices are up...ENRON and the loophole put into law with McCains assistance and with phil grahams direction... close this and oil/gas will drop by 25-50% OVERNIGHT....i want someone in jail....and McCain is directly linked to this corruption at the whole worlds expense...airlines failing....farmers quitting..the whole works.

The hammer is falling and the truth will be exposed....finally

even if we drill started to set up to drill today the oil wouldnt flow from any place for atleast 4 years,that is from the gulf and the oil in anwar will take up to ten years before it effects the world oil supply. now in the next four years as prices continue to go up remember the mother of al invention is nessesity. so i believe that before we get any of that oil we will be well on our way to new energy for auto,s and then we will have wreaked pristine wild life areas for nothing.

Your news report tonight did not cover the whole truth about offshore drilling, especially as it is related to Florida. According to an article printed in the NY Times, May 9, 2006 by MICHAEL JANOFSKY, we, the United States, gave Cuba rights to off-shore drilling in the Straits of Florida. It states that "Cuba has divided its side of the Florida Straits into 59 lease areas. As of the end of February, foreign countries had secured the rights or were negotiating the rights to 16 of them". They have access to drill oil or to lease to China and other countries to oil in the Outer Continental Shelf and we do not? I think this is the Great American Give A Way at a time that we need oil.

I think that you have an obiligation to report the real story here and why Congress needs to change the ban now. This is not an issue about Republicans or Democratics, its about Americans right to its own oil reserves!

Environmental quackery has brought this nation and its economy to its knees, courtesy of the U.S. Congress. There is no reason to not drill under our own feet on our own land. None. Drill here and drill now. Politicians who claim supply does not effect demand are whistling past the electoral graveyard they will soon find themselves in. Without cheap oil in the short term it will be harder to develop alternatives in the long term. Think about the trucks that install wind turbines. Think about the trucks used to install and maintain solar power plants. In the future, maybe all vehicles will be powered by electricity or hydrogen. But while the Congress stalls/makes excuses forever for the artificial oil shortage of their own making, we will bankrupt ourselves and not wake up to an alternative energy Garden of Eden, but a scene off of "Dawn of the Dead"

Gee, what good is allowing drilling off-shore if the oil drilled will not take affect until a decade from now? It takes time to set up the platforms and drill deep into the earth to get to the oil. Some people just do not understand that this at all.

So say we allow off-shore drilling in Alaska and elsewhere. As mentioned, it would take a decade or so until the oil drilled will affect the market. Yet by that time, we would likely develope better energy alternatives if we put in the effort for the long-range goals.

In the end, Bush's proposal is just a knee-jerk reaction to the current crisis, which there are no short-term solutions to get the price of oil and gas down. It will likely not make any difference in the long term, especially if America finally makes a long term committment to finding better alternative energy sources than oil.

If we were to drill in ANWR, that oil would ultimately end up going to one consumer - the US military. The era of the gas-powered car is winding down. We need to put all our efforts into developing new energy sources. Destroying a wildlife PRESERVE, and risking the destruction of Florida's tourism economy to wring a few more drops of oil out of the ground in 20 years is senseless and stupid.

cturple
At last we agree on an environmental issue! Well said.

The ERA of cheap oil is over? Only temporarily. I sincerely believe in our lifetime we will see oil back down to pennies a gallon, simply because there will be greatly reduced demand for it. Greed from the oil-producing countries, oil companies and speculators have driven up the price to a point where there is now HUGE financial incentive to find alternatives. Brought together with the confluence of awareness for global warming, and the impetus became real.

We're already seeing feasible air cars, hydrogen cars, plug-ins, and hybrids--and this push is only in its infancy. It's only a matter of time till a few breakthru technological innovations, and mass production make carbon powered internal combustion engines a collector's item. It will be poetic justice if those mentioned above hasten their own demise by wanting all their money now. Ironically, they probably could have stayed only mega-rich, and kept us hooked on $2 gas for another few decades.

Another fact the drill-mongers won't repeat--At full production and current consumption, we would be "energy independant" for little more than 2 years once we tap ANWAR. The oil companies are frothing at the mouth to begin exercising their sweet US leases at almost unimaginable, fanatsy oil prices--that's the only reason for the clamor now.