Oil Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

CNN:

:noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:

There was an article about it today on Reuters:

Here’s the parts of the article that I found interesting:

[quote][url=http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=QQY5MKJQMP0PQCRBAELCFEY?type=domesticNews&storyID=7925714]The government has estimated energy companies would find it cost-efficient to recover at least 6 billion barrels of oil from ANWR if prices were at or above $35 a barrel.

Drilling supporters also argued ANWR could eventually boost U.S. oil supplies by an extra 1 million barrels per day (bpd), cutting U.S. dependence on oil from the volatile Middle East.

The United States consumes about 20.8 million barrels of oil a day and imports account for 58 percent of supply.[/url][/quote]

What’s so interesting? Well, do the math. Multiply 20.8 million times 365 and you get 7.6 billion - that’s how many barrels of oil the USA consumes in a year. It’s estimated that ANWR has at least 6 billion barrels of recoverable oil, and optimists in the oil industry hope it will be 10 billion. Even taking the optimistic assumptions, that’s slightly more than a one year supply of oil. Of course, you can’t suck that much oil out of the ground in one year - it would take at least 20 years to pump the field dry. So if all goes well, America could get maybe 5% of it’s oil from ANWR for 20 years.

Well, that’s nice. Drilling ANWR will help the USA a little, and help Alaska a lot financially, but it only puts a tiny dent in America’s appetite for foreign oil. Passing legislation that required all passengers in America (including SUVs) to get 30 mpg would be worth about 5 ANWRs.

By the way, although by now I’ve probably got a reputation on this forum as some sort of looney leftist, I in fact am NOT opposed to drilling ANWR. I don’t think it will be an environmental disaster if the drilling proceeds. However, I do think that any legislation authorizing ANWR drilling should
come with other riders attached, such as increased fuel economy standards for cars. Otherwise, the benefits of drilling ANWR will be nothing but a flash in the pan.

cheers,
DB

The movie “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” made quite an impression on the young scholar Bush. He wants to hear chainsaws buzzing, oil pumps plunging, smokestacks belching, and SUV’s revving in a cacaphony at every corner of the globe. His energy buddies are lighting up cigars and slapping themselves on the backs right now, having a good laugh.

You know the Gili islands off lombok have a total of 0 cars, trucks, motorcyles… It’s bliss I tell you. Bliss.

Amazingly, the interests of his energy buddies and the adminstration don’t always line up. Quite possibly, if not for Big Oil according to this article, Iraq’s oilfields may well have been privatised by now.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/n … 354269.stm

I like that the US is becoming a least a BIT more reliant on itself for oil. It’s a start.

Unfortunately, it is highly improbable that the US can be largely self-reliant in oil unless CONSUMPTION habits change. (This is separate from other possible energy sources still available in the US)

In Bush’s defense, he has a point about the improvement of technology. By the time we have completely ruined the environment, we should have the technology to be able to clean it up.

That’s true, but one can’t expect consumption habits to change as long as the auto industry keeps manufacturing and promoting gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs and the people keep buying them. Which is why Congress, if it really cared about what is good for the country and the world would raise gas taxes and CAFE standards. Not surprisingly, their failure to do so results not from the wisdom of lawmakers but from politics as usual – kissing up to the auto industry with its hollow claims that it’s not possible to make cars more fuel efficient, when the truth is they simply want to sell more SUVs, just as this bill and the rest of the administration’s “energy policies” are just excuses to give business to the oil drillers and other rapers of the environment who paid to put Dubya in office. Oh, well, that’s life. Better take a trip to see the ANWR before it’s gone.

And another thing, drilling the ANWR is not a start. Seizing the oil fields of Iraq was a start. Stay tuned for the seizure of Venezuela’s oil fields – with a commie leading their country, the administration should have ample justification for launching an invasion. :slight_smile:

That’s true, but one can’t expect consumption habits to change as long as the auto industry keeps manufacturing and promoting gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs and the people keep buying them. Which is why Congress, if it really cared about what is good for the country and the world would raise gas taxes and CAFE standards. Not surprisingly, their failure to do so results not from the wisdom of lawmakers but from politics as usual – kissing up to the auto industry with its hollow claims that it’s not possible to make cars more fuel efficient, when the truth is they simply want to sell more SUVs, just as this bill and the rest of the administration’s “energy policies” are just excuses to give business to the oil drillers and other rapers of the environment who paid to put Dubya in office. Oh, well, that’s life. Better take a trip to see the ANWR before it’s gone.

And another thing, drilling the ANWR is not a start. Seizing the oil fields of Iraq was a start. Stay tuned for the seizure of Venezuela’s oil fields – with a commie leading their country, the administration should have ample justification for launching an invasion. :slight_smile:[/quote]

not to mention raising gas tax is political suicide.

why the hell are they phasing out deductions for hybrid vehicles, when it should be expanded?

Unfortunately, it is highly improbable that the US can be largely self-reliant in oil unless CONSUMPTION habits change. (This is separate from other possible energy sources still available in the US)[/quote]

That may be so, but it is more about having a slighltly better self image. However, I concede that people overseas will think drilling in Alaska is no big deal, when people in the US think it is a VERY big deal.

Don’t fret too much when the cleaner tech is really needed, it is mostly already there and ready to be implemented. As for making Americans drive slower, HA! Making making cars with better mpg…ha. Making cars that fly…UH-HUH! I’m all for it.

I’m not convinced that drilling will spoil the environment.

However, I agree that something should be done about gas guzzling monster vehicles.

Just don’t ask me what should be done… because I don’t know.

Not true…on the contrary! :fume:

Why not implement now? Why destroy the environment first? :loco: :noway:

How will drilling in one small part of the ANWR destroy the environment? Bit hysterical are we? Also, what is this with your first post? ONLY using emoticons? I thought that was not allowed according to the RULES? Sorry, just wanted to see some consistency here.

Anyway, I predict that there will be drilling in ANWR and that it will not cause any major disaster. Hell, there may be an oil spill or two but I predict that the environment will “get over it.” Companies involved will be monitored. There will be penalties for negligence. The Caribou will just have to content themselves with the 95 percent of the park where no drilling is occuring. Cry me a river.

Not true…on the contrary! :fume: [/quote]

On the contrary…what? It seems to me that the "don’t spoil the environment " folks in the US will be screaming about the drilling in Alaska. You think the Chinese in China will a damn?

Rascal: I was merely confused regarding the rules but thank you for clarifying that for me. I’ll consider myself warned. So are you going to delete the post?

I find it amusing that so many outsiders are so worried about drilling in the ANWR. I suppose it would be like the Eskimos of Alaska say protesting the building of a road through the Alps or say a new tunnel to Austria or Italy. THIS too affects the environment and we should protest any new road building in the Alps to maintain the pristine quality of this mountain range!

[quote=“fred smith”]
I find it amusing that so many outsiders are so worried about drilling in the ANWR. I suppose it would be like the Eskimos of Alaska say protesting the building of a road through the Alps or say a new tunnel to Austria or Italy. THIS too affects the environment and we should protest any new road building in the Alps to maintain the pristine quality of this mountain range![/quote]

I agree. Three gorges dam in China. Case in point.

Oh but I see, because the US is the US, we should care more about how other countries feel about what we do to our environment borders, because the US is held to a much higher standard than China

Why is that again?

The Swiss, for example, could go protest the amount of traffic going through the Mount Blanc tunnel which is much closer to home and far more environmentally damaging.

Read all about it here.

arsmb.com/English/texte.htm

In the meantime, I think that I am going to get a petition from the Alaskans and Native Americans living there protesting the environmental degradation caused by this tunnel in the Alps. Anyone want to sign up with me?

[quote=“jdsmith”]
Oh but I see, because the US is the US, we should care more about how other countries feel about what we do to our environment borders, because the US is held to a much higher standard than China

Why is that again?[/quote]

Because the US says three times a day that it’s “the best,” that’s why!

Oh speaking of that,

Can’t get enough of that outsider meddling as long as the outsider is the US. Woot.

Zeugmite:

Ask the Iraqis how many are glad that the US intervened to get rid of Saddam. More than 80 percent are glad no elated, thrilled that he is gone. Ask the Afghans how many are glad that the Taliban is gone. Four million refugees have returned home.

Perhaps you are confusing the US actions with the “feelings” of the liberals in Europe and the US? Asking them would probably find that 100 percent were against getting rid of Saddam and the Taliban. Why? Because they share so many common “values.”

So please explain to me how this drilling is going to be bad for the environment? Is the US acting outside its borders? Why is this drilling say more damaging to the environment than all the trucks that go through the Mount Blanc tunnel? Simple task.

How will this damage the environment? To what degree? And why should your concerns outweigh those of the people WHO ACTUALLY LIVE THERE?