The Facts about Offshore Drilling?

Question

Thanks, Joachin! That's more what I was looking for. Sorry if my rhetoric seems.. I think you said 'vitriolic'. I've been told I get a little TOO passionate. Hopefully wind and solar power will come around quickly, though of course those infastructures take time to develop. I do know that's how most companies are run. Its intended to ensure that the CEO acts with the company's best interest in mind and doesn't 'slack off'. In the case of oil companies, it does give those in power a good reason to oppose alternative energy sources.

The length of time to put the infrastructure in place for offshore drilling, and the relativity low pay-off is what gives me pause. It seems like we should put that energy into finding a way to cut ourselves off from oil entirely. I'm not convinced on offshore drilling yet, but your additions were very helpful.

Oh, and Cheney doesn't use 50 barrels all by himself, I meant to be crediting him as the source of that information. Sorry if that was confusing

Answer 1

Well, you've quoted 4 leftist 'sources', including the laughable "Make it up as you go along" Wikipedia, so of course you come to ridiculous conclusions.

"Peak oil" has been moved out every year for a long time now.  Predictions that are wrong year after year really SHOULD lose their credibility, shouldn't they?  Instead of being taken as sober fact?

Actually, it has ALWAYS been a ridiculous theory, and now there is mounting evidence that oil is produced abiotically, either instead of biologically, or in addition to biological methods.

Answer 2

i agree with JJ.

Answer 3

so why build solar panels, if we start now we wouldn't get enough to make a dent in our needs.  

There are only 40 place on the earth where tidal power would work, why bother building with such a limited number.

If Global warming is going to make us all die in 2012, why bother doing anything.

Get a life!!

Answer 4

Your mind seems made up, so I will not confuse you with facts.  Your "question" seems more like a thesis statement for debate club.  I suggest that you spend the same amount of work looking at the other side of the issue instead of your "NIMBY" attitude.  BTW what are alternate fuels? Biodiesel? Alcohol, Hydrogen?  Their production will still require the use of petroleum.

The effort to increase domestic oil production is not to lower prices necessarily, but for security and less reliance on foreign oil.  As for "oil tycoons" getting "rich"...the last time I checked all the big oil companies are publically held institutions and if you want a piece of their supposedly "obscene" profits, I suggest that you buy stock in any/all of them.  Have a nice day

Whew!  I don't get the polemnic even vitriolic "the sky is falling" tone of your questions.  To answer a couple.... Alternative fuel will eventually all be biofuel, like I said, synthethic biodiesel or alcohol.  Right now there is not a really big advantage to biofuels as they take fossil fuels to produce (farmers put diesel in their tractors and that diesel comes from petroleum).  There will be other sources of energy like wind power in the high plains of the USA (or maybe a really good source in Denver at the Democratic convention).

Running out of oil IS inevitable but a century from now when we are all dead we will still be pumping oil and natural gas out of the ground - lots of it.

As for offshore drilling destroying the environment - your statement is off the mark.  Yes there have been a few accidents like the 1968 Santa Barbara Channel blowout - the Ixtoc blowout in the Gulf of Mexico are two that come to mind.  However, I have seen offshore development on 5 continents and the VAST majority of operators are scrupulous and responsible in their production methods.  Why drill offshore? - Because the resource is there and the world needs it.  Oh and yes, energy company exectuives get bonuses and lots of money....chek around, and I think you will see that almost ALL CEO's of world corportations (finance, mining, automobiles, airlines - you name it) receive big bucks - all approved by the stockholders

Answer 5

So Cheney himself uses 50 million barrels a day, what a hog.  Another great reason to get rid of the criminal.

Answer 6

I read these things and usually don't comment but on this I must.

Both sides are wrong on most issues, everyone gets polarized into rediculous stances.  Oil will last forever, my ****, oil is going to run out in 10 years my ****!!!  There are no reasonable drop in alternatives today that cost LESS MY ****!!!!

And yes we are at a peak oil of sorts (in the area of diminishing increases)  But I will admit the current energy costs are artificial to appease an interest...

However, there have been many events that many people apparently don't know about (or care about) not sure which.

Anyway one example, in the late 60s through the early 80's a rather large number of our small oil producers from Kentucky,Oklahoma through Texas were told by government (not epa or environmental interests, Reagan delt the death blows) to cap their wells and that they would no longer be allowed to produce.  A variety of reasons were given most fairly bogus.  These small producers during that period made about 20-40% of domestic production (depends on the year) and they were closed while still at above 80% production, in my Great Uncles case the small owner he worked for was closed down at 100% capacity.  This occured rather quitely across the country.  At the same time larger oil interests were expanding.  Many of the homes that used natural gas wells for heat were forced out (I bet many of you don't realize there are still a few folks who get their own NG out of the ground free?)  My family was DIRECTLY affected by these events so consider it a first hand source.

These small wells for the most part are still there and could still easily be reopened without the need of drilling.  Over 2/3's of the oil in the contental US is still in the ground, use it as opposed to going off shore to get oil.  To be honest thinking drilling for oil will fix our energy whoas at all is as rediculous as going to an ethanol economy tomorrow. (it should also be treated as such and ignored for now)

Next the gulf of mexico has huge deposites of Methane in various forms, the methane volume exceeds all of the oil reserves in the middle east easily.  There are some oil interests looking at developing this resource but again they are waiting for oil supply failures before implentation.  The thing is though the methane is very simple to remove from the bottom of the ocean (at least in comparison to oil)  And whether or not it is the most profitable to use oil this natural gas resource should be exploited as it has positive environmental effects and is much cheaper to get, therefor should be cheaper at the pump!!

We already have enough NG supply to run all vehicles off natural gas (without ocean methane), I am not saying that we should convert every vehicle at this moment but needless to say our energy woas could be solved in under a year by converting some vehicles but that is not profitable to the interests involved. (a vehicle conversion to CNG or Methane in mexico is $800)  If our government would get the heck out of the way of CNG prices could come down dramatically and there is already enough supply and it is already cheaper to run than gasoline.

As to bio fuels, they are nice but unless we develope algae oil most are not very cost effective for automotive use (heating, cooking, cooling yes), ethanol as it stands is moot and a waste because of the materials they use (corn) and the methods (heating with fossil fuels when they could use low temp slow strains of yeast that do not require heat in the summer)

There are more efficient ways even with corn but again even the "green" folks sometimes have to be forced to use less wastefull materials and methods.  Best example are the thousands of pounds of potatoes that rot out near me, they would make FAR BETTER ethanol stock than corn and are just being wasted because people must quite frankly be morons the ethanol plant isn't far from that place!

(actually the corn interests probably wouldn't like it)

The best source of oil algae is slowly being patented out by oil interests.  Basically the PBS special on making algae from a coal fired power plant for zero emissions got attention and now patents are going through to harness this, sadly again the behavior of these interests is to SIT on technology until a point comes that they make more money off the advancement as opposed to reduce the price of their existing product (think cobasys)

We must not get stuck into one way of thinking and in the end people must stand up against waste forcing interests to use the "excess" or undesirable crops to make fuel, forcing on our own terms wind, solar, biodiesel from waste oils, etc.  In the end we ourselves must do what is needed in our own lives to bypass the big money and benefit ourselfs by learning to use resources around us and change behavior.

Much of the problem is that our hectic society is really not sustainable as it stands without some outside energy or tremendous advances in sci fi le

Answer 7

I agree that offshore drilling is not a quick fix, but this isn't so much a question as a diatribe on your opinions. Which is not what this site is for. Please relocate to a forum that provides a platform for discussions such as this.

This section is for answering geologically based questions with facts and evidence, not to debate.