Oil Drilling in the U.S. - A somewhat far fetched theory

I had this thought pop into my head the other day, and I was curious what some of ya'll think.

Regardless on whether you're a Liberal or Conservative or Environmentalist or (fill_in_the_blank), I think most of us acknowledge that there is, in fact, a LOT of oil and natural gas withing United States territory. Over the decades we really haven't even begun to tap into that. I had this idea, which as I said in the subject line is a little far fetched, but here goes........

I've heard different estimates about how much oil is left in the world. It seems that the average guestimate is about 200 years (which is both a long time away and right around the corner, depending on one's perspective). Anyway, is it at all possible that the reason we haven't been drilling here is NOT because of environmental nut-jobs, but because we are, in a sense, doing the old "rope-a-dope" with the rest of the world? That is, are we letting other countries go through theirs (even if they screw us with pricing at times), so in the future the United States will be one of the nations left that still has oil to drill?

I admit once again that it's not something I think is the case, but I suppose it IS possible, even if not likely.

The idea may be crazy, but just how crazy is it?

how much of the 200 years worth of reserves is actually in the US though? and accessible with current technology at reasonable prices?comp_atkins

For the United States to go drilling for oil in its own soils, we'd need to invade ourselves on the grounds we're a threat to world peace first, then position troops near the oil-digging site and pretend to be at war for a few years, then get the oil. I thought you knew this.Cloud_765

For the United States to go drilling for oil in its own soils, we'd need to invade ourselves on the grounds we're a threat to world peace first, then position troops near the oil-digging site and pretend to be at war for a few years, then get the oil. I thought you knew this.Cloud_765

Very crazy. Not only would NIMBYism be a huge issue, but there's more value in being a green/renewable energy/technology leader in the long run (being the only country with oil isn't that big an advantage if everyone else has already moved on to other sources of energy).

Very crazy. Not only would NIMBYism be a huge issue, but there's more value in being a green/renewable energy/technology leader in the long run (being the only country with oil isn't that big an advantage if everyone else has already moved on to other sources of energy).

PBSnipes

Also, I think the "not in my back yard" people could possibly be less vocal when they find out its either here or nowhere.

I've heard estimates are less than 200 years. It is predicted that we can fill up about 1.2 trillion barrels before running out and that would last us about 40 some years at the current rate we're going at. Sure we can go drilling in the United States but there just isn't any plentiful oil that would last a very long time. Look at the oil fields in Alaska. They used to pour out so much oild but now they have restricted to as how many barrels they can fill up on a monthly basis. Why is that? It's because they already hit its peak back in the 80's or 90's and are just delaying it from running out.

[QUOTE="comp_atkins"]how much of the 200 years worth of reserves is actually in the US though? and accessible with current technology at reasonable prices?YellowOneKinobi

Thank you all. Thanks to your input I can comfortably put this bizarre idea back into the abyss from which it came :)

I'm not sure where you heard that there is a lot of oil in this country, there isn't. Oil production peaked here in the 1970s. There is a lot of coal, though much of it is an extremely dirty variety. There is also now a lot more natural gas available due to recent technology.

We also do not have anywhere near 200 years of oil left, that's way, way off.

""In terms of non-Opec [countries outside the big oil producers' cartel]," he replied, "we are expecting that in three, four years' time the production of conventional oil will come to a plateau, and start to decline. In terms of the global picture, assuming that Opec will invest in a timely manner, global conventional oil can still continue, but we still expect that it will come around 2020 to a plateau as well, which is, of course, not good news from a global-oil-supply point of view.""

For the record, our best bet looks to be algae (easy to grow, grows fast, can be done offshore, doesn't take away farm land)rawsavon

As for the alternative energies in general, I'm looking forward to the day that wifey and I (and soon to be kid) buy our own house so I can emulate a guy I knew that littered one side of his house's roof with solar panels............ to the point where (in addition to some kind of battery-back-up-just-in-case in his basement), he would actually receive a check 4 times a year from the local power company because he was actually feeding back into the grid. I'll be it they were small checks, but just knowing that in the event of some kind of long term black-out, he's living comfortably.......... PRICELESS.

For the record, our best bet looks to be algae (easy to grow, grows fast, can be done offshore, doesn't take away farm land)rawsavon

Very true but don't you need an abundance of algae in order to produce the same amount of energy as the fossil fuels that we are currently using?

@yellow same thing happens with wind (checks) @exotic yes, but huge amounts space off-shore...no harm, just growing algaerawsavon

For the Algae................. so long as the process doesn't totally devestate the ocean life in the area, sounds like a plan (to explore at the least).

The protected areas can be unprotected. For example, there's oil in Alaska only 60 miles from a current pipeline. This oil can be easily accessed and routed into the existing pipeline. But, the tree-huggers aren't letting it happen. If we drill now, in probably two years time we can be oil independent. This will force foreign oil to decline in price very rapidly... causing the price of gasoline to decline rapidly. Maybe back to $1 per gallon! This new venture in oil will also create thousands of jobs all over the country, and off-shore. This will be an instant stimulus to the economy and have the US on the fast track of recovery. Cheaper gas means that more money is used in other industries without the aid of government. Drilling now would also allow us to put those new revenues into alternate energies. Surely, the whatever trillion barrels of oil in the Rocky Mountains will last long enough to convert to new energies. Not to mention the oil we have in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and along the Eastern seaboard. Right now Cuba is letting China drill off-shore. This is giving them access to oil that comes from our reserves that our government refuses to access... then they're selling it back to us!!!!! I say drill here, drill now!jshaas

I don't understand why there's this thought process in the US that we have to flagellate ourselves while we pursue green energy alternatives. Until electric cars go down to the 10 - 20k range, they are NOT viable solutions for this country.

With that said, while we pursue green energy alternatives---responsibly---we should be drilling EVERYWHERE in this country. I would go so far as to shut down all commercial oil rigs on federal land and send in the Army Corps of Engineers. It's obvious we're getting gouged, and I don't know why our Presidents are putting up with it.

If we drill now, in probably two years time we can be oil independent. This will force foreign oil to decline in price very rapidly... causing the price of gasoline to decline rapidly. Maybe back to $1 per gallon! This new venture in oil will also create thousands of jobs all over the country, and off-shore. This will be an instant stimulus to the economy and have the US on the fast track of recovery. jshaas

Every bit of this is complete nonsense. I challenge you to provide a link proving anything in this paragraph.

@Yellow Wind = some noise and bird issues + looks (California turned down a big wind project for this reason...would have helped with their severely f***ed up grid problem) Algae = above the water = no issues with sea life as far as I know. But I have only seen a few demonstrations rawsavon

The protected areas can be unprotected. For example, there's oil in Alaska only 60 miles from a current pipeline. This oil can be easily accessed and routed into the existing pipeline. But, the tree-huggers aren't letting it happen. If we drill now, in probably two years time we can be oil independent. This will force foreign oil to decline in price very rapidly... causing the price of gasoline to decline rapidly. Maybe back to $1 per gallon! This new venture in oil will also create thousands of jobs all over the country, and off-shore. This will be an instant stimulus to the economy and have the US on the fast track of recovery. Cheaper gas means that more money is used in other industries without the aid of government. Drilling now would also allow us to put those new revenues into alternate energies. Surely, the whatever trillion barrels of oil in the Rocky Mountains will last long enough to convert to new energies. Not to mention the oil we have in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and along the Eastern seaboard. Right now Cuba is letting China drill off-shore. This is giving them access to oil that comes from our reserves that our government refuses to access... then they're selling it back to us!!!!! I say drill here, drill now!jshaas

most reports say we only have enough to last us about two years so I really doubt it. Besides with today's politician they would want to pursue that oil now and get all kinds of political points. Forget the long and far away future that will never effect them they would want to have a successful career.

The last country relying on oil is like the last company making 8 track tapes.

most reports say we only have enough to last us about two years so I really doubt it. Besides with today's politician they would want to pursue that oil now and get all kinds of political points. Forget the long and far away future that will never effect them they would want to have a successful career.

Serraph105

So what's the problem with pursuing more drilling now?

None of our politicians are even remotely considering giving up on alternate energy advancement. It'd be insanity.

[QUOTE="Serraph105"]

most reports say we only have enough to last us about two years so I really doubt it. Besides with today's politician they would want to pursue that oil now and get all kinds of political points. Forget the long and far away future that will never effect them they would want to have a successful career.

airshocker

So what's the problem with pursuing more drilling now?

None of our politicians are even remotely considering giving up on alternate energy advancement. It'd be insanity.

So what's the problem with pursuing more drilling now?

None of our politicians are even remotely considering giving up on alternate energy advancement. It'd be insanity.

airshocker

The thing is, the sales of Expeditions or Priuses are actually correlated with oil prices at any given time. Most people make purchase decisions based only on what is happening today, sadly.

This isn't to say that having high gas prices is good, but creating artificially low prices for a short period of time would probably have far worse consequences than living with somewhat higher prices during the transition to alternative fuels.

I never said anything was wrong with it, just that we probably have tons of it like YellowOneKinobi theorizes. Serraph105

We do have A LOT. Especially in the Dakotas and ANWR. Becoming energy independent would take a few years. Probably even a decade.

But we have to start somewhere.

[QUOTE="Serraph105"]I never said anything was wrong with it, just that we probably have tons of it like YellowOneKinobi theorizes. airshocker

We do have A LOT. Especially in the Dakotas and ANWR. Becoming energy independent would take a few years. Probably even a decade.

But we have to start somewhere.

We drink all their chocolate milk sip by sip until it's all gone.

The thing is, the sales of Expeditions or Priuses are actually correlated with oil prices at any given time. Most people make purchase decisions based only on what is happening today, sadly.

This isn't to say that having high gas prices is good, but creating artificially low prices for a short period of time would probably have far worse consequences than living with somewhat higher prices during the transition to alternative fuels.

superfluidity

That doesn't make it okay to not pursue options that would lower gas prices. Forget the fact that it's abhorrent for government to do such a thing, but instead focus on the fact that some people can't afford hybrids, or electric cars. And some people actually live in places where a truck is required for every-day life.

If someone can afford it, and live in areas where alternative engery would be a good investment, then they should do it. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be drilling everything we have in order to bring prices back down.

is it oil shale though? comp_atkins

I think the Dakotas are oil shale, but I'm not positive.

[QUOTE="superfluidity"]

The thing is, the sales of Expeditions or Priuses are actually correlated with oil prices at any given time. Most people make purchase decisions based only on what is happening today, sadly.

This isn't to say that having high gas prices is good, but creating artificially low prices for a short period of time would probably have far worse consequences than living with somewhat higher prices during the transition to alternative fuels.

airshocker

That doesn't make it okay to not pursue options that would lower gas prices. Forget the fact that it's abhorrent for government to do such a thing, but instead focus on the fact that some people can't afford hybrids, or electric cars. And some people actually live in places where a truck is required for every-day life.

If someone can afford it, and live in areas where alternative engery would be a good investment, then they should do it. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be drilling everything we have in order to bring prices back down.

again. what is to stop other exporters from simply cutting production to keep prices higher?comp_atkins

Nothing, that still doesn't mean we ahouldn't drill. Most people can't afford electric cars. Even with the tax credit. Until they can, we're stuck with oil.

[QUOTE="jshaas"]The protected areas can be unprotected. For example, there's oil in Alaska only 60 miles from a current pipeline. LINK This oil can be easily accessed and routed into the existing pipeline. But, the tree-huggers aren't letting it happen. If we drill now, in probably two years time we can be oil independent. This will force foreign oil to decline in price very rapidly... causing the price of gasoline to decline rapidly. Maybe back to $1 per gallon! This new venture in oil will also create thousands of jobs all over the country, and off-shore. This will be an instant stimulus to the economy and have the US on the fast track of recovery. Cheaper gas means that more money is used in other industries without the aid of government. Drilling now would also allow us to put those new revenues into alternate energies. Surely, the whatever trillion barrels of oil in the Rocky Mountains will last long enough to convert to new energies. LINK Not to mention the oil we have in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and along the Eastern seaboard. LINK Right now Cuba is letting China drill off-shore. I was a little off base here, but the two are working together to access oil just 60 miles off the coast of Florida. Which is closer than our oil companies can drill. Which will still make the following statement true.This is giving them access to oil that comes from our reserves that our government refuses to access... then they're selling it back to us!!!!! I say drill here, drill now!Ninja-Hippo

I've inserted links in my op. Enjoy!

Obviously, most of this my opinion (like everyone else on the interwebs). But, I feel the links I've provided do more than back up my principle argument. I understand the shale reserves are much harder to access and would cost more money in the beginning. But, how can not afford to at least try? That big bailout should've been used to access our own oil instead of saving failing businesses that handed out huge bonuses to top execs later that year.

[QUOTE="jshaas"]If we drill now, in probably two years time we can be oil independent. This will force foreign oil to decline in price very rapidly... causing the price of gasoline to decline rapidly. Maybe back to $1 per gallon! This new venture in oil will also create thousands of jobs all over the country, and off-shore. This will be an instant stimulus to the economy and have the US on the fast track of recovery. superfluidity

Every bit of this is complete nonsense. I challenge you to provide a link proving anything in this paragraph.

@Yellow Wind = some noise and bird issues + looks (California turned down a big wind project for this reason...would have helped with their severely f***ed up grid problem) Algae = above the water = no issues with sea life as far as I know. But I have only seen a few demonstrations rawsavon

That doesn't make it okay to not pursue options that would lower gas prices. Forget the fact that it's abhorrent for government to do such a thing, but instead focus on the fact that some people can't afford hybrids, or electric cars. And some people actually live in places where a truck is required for every-day life.

If someone can afford it, and live in areas where alternative engery would be a good investment, then they should do it. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be drilling everything we have in order to bring prices back down.

airshocker

The main point I was making is that agressively exploiting these minor oil deposits is just prolonging the inevitable transition off of oil in a way that will only make the change more sudden and severe.

Instead of getting used to gradually higher prices now, consumers will just continue with their current habits and then get crushed when those supplies are exhausted and worldwide shortages hit.

[QUOTE="Ninja-Hippo"][QUOTE="jshaas"]The protected areas can be unprotected. For example, there's oil in Alaska only 60 miles from a current pipeline. LINK This oil can be easily accessed and routed into the existing pipeline. But, the tree-huggers aren't letting it happen. If we drill now, in probably two years time we can be oil independent. This will force foreign oil to decline in price very rapidly... causing the price of gasoline to decline rapidly. Maybe back to $1 per gallon! This new venture in oil will also create thousands of jobs all over the country, and off-shore. This will be an instant stimulus to the economy and have the US on the fast track of recovery. Cheaper gas means that more money is used in other industries without the aid of government. Drilling now would also allow us to put those new revenues into alternate energies. Surely, the whatever trillion barrels of oil in the Rocky Mountains will last long enough to convert to new energies. LINK Not to mention the oil we have in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and along the Eastern seaboard. LINK Right now Cuba is letting China drill off-shore. I was a little off base here, but the two are working together to access oil just 60 miles off the coast of Florida. Which is closer than our oil companies can drill. Which will still make the following statement true.This is giving them access to oil that comes from our reserves that our government refuses to access... then they're selling it back to us!!!!! I say drill here, drill now!jshaas

I've inserted links in my op. Enjoy!

Obviously, most of this my opinion (like everyone else on the interwebs). But, I feel the links I've provided do more than back up my principle argument. I understand the shale reserves are much harder to access and would cost more money in the beginning. But, how can not afford to at least try? That big bailout should've been used to access our own oil instead of saving failing businesses that handed out huge bonuses to top execs later that year.

What the hell is candidity.org? I googled them and all I saw was ranting about leftists.

Peer reviewed scientific source please.

The main point I was making is that agressively exploiting these minor oil deposits is just prolonging the inevitable transition off of oil in a way that will only make the change more sudden and severe.

Instead of getting used to gradually higher prices now, consumers will just continue with their current habits and then get crushed when those supplies are exhausted and worldwide shortages hit.

superfluidity

Nothing is prolonging the transition from fossil fuels except lack of a better/affordable alternative.

Until there is, we need to drill.

[QUOTE="comp_atkins"]again. what is to stop other exporters from simply cutting production to keep prices higher?airshocker

Nothing, that still doesn't mean we shouldn't drill. Most people can't afford electric cars. Even with the tax credit. Until they can, we're stuck with oil.

so you're agreeing that drilling may not lower oil prices? comp_atkins

Nothing is certain, but doing that is better than nothing.