Foreign oil dependence

[Z28SSMAN]

I don't want this to turn into a political thread where Republican and Democrat loyalists get butthurt and start bashing each others party. I will not put up with that and I'll moderate anyone who tries to turn this thread in that direction. There's a big difference in debating issues and bashing leaders of either party you disagree with.

However, (political or not) withholding information that affects each of us is not going to happen on this site. This information is important and needs to be posted, discussed and debated without the "political bashing" that has happened here in the past.

My opinion?

Our current government's tone is to create policies and sentiment that leans toward telling us what we should drive. I agree that our cars should be more fuel efficient.....however, as I've said before, I can't pull my race car or boat with a Prius.

Dictating to me what I should drive is un-American. I'll pay the additional cost for fuel that my SUV uses to continue enjoying my freedom. For those that want to drive a Prius...you go right ahead...it's your right. Plus...you don't realize how stupid you look. My neighbor just told me about how Toyota charged her $500 to "check" her Prius batteries. lol

Rather than creating policy that tells me what to drive or set my thermostat at or what size house I should live in....how about letting the market determine that?

I want my government to create common sense policy. I think we can conserve but also utilize our resources we have right here as listed below.


Wonder when the guys in Washington were going to let us know?



The U. S. Geological Service issued a report in April ('08) that only scientists and oil men knew was coming, but man was it big. It was a revised report (hadn't been updated since '95) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota; western South Dakota; and extreme eastern Montana ...... check THIS out:

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska 's Prudhoe Bay, and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels.. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable... at $107 a barrel, we're looking at a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion. When I first briefed legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor. They had no idea.' says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature's financial analyst.

This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years.' reports, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It's a formation known as the Williston Basin , but is more commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.' And it stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and into Canada . For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the 'Big Oil' companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago. However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves.... and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL! That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 41 years straight.

2.. And if THAT didn't throw you on the floor, then this next one should - because it's from TWO YEARS AGO!
U. S. Oil Discovery- Largest Reserve in the World!

Stansberry Report Online - 4/20/2006
Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction. In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been extracted. With this motherload of oil why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling?

They reported this stunning news: We have more oil inside our borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth. Here are the official estimates:
- 8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia
- 18-times as much oil as Iraq
- 21-times as much oil as Kuwait
- 22-times as much oil as Iran
- 500-times as much oil as Yemen
- and it's all right here in the Western United States.

HOW can this BE? HOW can we NOT BE extracting this? Because the environmentalists and others have blocked all efforts to help America become independent of foreign oil! Again, we are letting a small group of people dictate our lives and our economy....WHY?

James Bartis, lead researcher with the study says we've got more oil in this very compact area than the entire Middle East -more than 2 TRILLION barrels untapped. That's more than all the proven oil reserves of crude oil in the world today, reports The Denver Post.

Don't think 'OPEC' will drop its price - even with this find? Think again! It's all about the competitive marketplace, - it has to. Think OPEC just might be funding the environmentalists?

Got your attention/ire up yet? Hope so! Now, while you're thinking about it ..... and hopefully P.O'd, do this:

3. Pass this along. If you don't take a little time to do this, then you should stifle yourself the next time you want to complain about gas prices .. because by doing NOTHING, you've forfeited your right to complain.

Now I just wonder what would happen in this country if every one of you sent this to every one in your address book.By the way...this is all true. Check it out at the link below!!!

GOOGLE it or follow this link. It will blow your mind.http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911

[jollywrencher]

Who should drill?? I mean if there is ultimately a finite supply of oil, do we just eagerly get rid of it? Do we hand it over to foreign oil companies so now THEY have more, and continue to price whatever they want. Only let American companies drill and be competitive against foreign companies, until they get taken over or bought by them? Do we have the government control all oil in America? (plus have people screaming socialism)

I guess thats what I always wonder when people say "drill drill drill" who do they want to drill and how will that help the price any? Sure I understand supply and demand but it seems pretty obvious that it doesn't apply to how they price.

I'm not crazy about all these lame cars coming out like the Prius, but I do think it will help. Not being so dependent on oil will help. Being on the forefront of a new "green" industry is a good thing right now for America. Having a wide selection of cars that are electric, hybrid, e85, natural gas, bio diesel, and regular fuel is how I see it working. We should've had this wide selection a long time ago. Why we haven't is a good debatable question.

[Z28SSMAN]

Good debate...

How can drilling to take advantage of the vast supplies we have be a bad thing?

Sending a message to OPEC that they don't call the shots as to how much a barrel of oil should sell for is a good thing.

As far as "green technology"? I think people get too caught up into trends, rather than what makes good sense.

I agree that we need to change how we do things now and make sensible changes to lessen our dependence of foreign oil. I just think the green craze our leaders have told us is crucial to our future can get us into wasteful spending. What's scary is that most people are following our government's plan for a green future without using any common sense.

Here's one scary example of how our tax dollars have been wasted on the "green technology" craze...

I'm no math major, but to spend $900,000 to save $15,000 per year doesn't make any sense to me. But again...this is what happens when government officials are involved with spending our money and people jump on the green theme bandwagon. The scary part is that there's been no outrage about this stupidity. lol

Solar roof is latest sign of Hennepin County's green goal

Hennepin County has installed solar panels on its Medina public works facility and plans to install a wind turbine; both are part of its plan to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
By MARY JANE SMETANKA, Star Tribune
Last update: February 18, 2009 - 7:42 AM


Next month, Minnesota's second-largest solar panel installation should begin generating electricity at Hennepin County's public works facility in Medina. Almost 530 panels have been installed on the roof of the building, with work finishing earlier this month. At its maximum, the panel system will generate 80 kilowatts of electricity, providing up to 15 percent of the electric power used in the building. That would save about $15,000 in electricity charges per year.

In Minnesota, the solar complex on the roof is second in size only to an installation at Merrick Inc. in Vadnais Heights, which supplies 100 kilowatts of power.

"The county is trying to be a leader in renewable energy and conservation and sustainable buildings," said Dave McNary, Hennepin County's assistant director of environmental services in charge of energy and solid waste. "If we generate electrical energy from renewable resources, we can reduce reliance on fossil fuels."

Built in 1997, the Medina building was one of the first in the state to use sustainable building design, including such energy-efficient ideas as large windows and skylights that provide natural lighting and use of recycled materials, McNary said. The county Transportation Department is housed there, with garages as well as engineers, designers and support staff.
The solar project was approved in 2007 at a cost of about $900,000, paid from the county's capital fund.

The 300-pound solar panels came from China and arrived around Christmas. County officials believed they were lucky to get them.

"It's not as easy to get solar panels as you might think," said Andy Leith, senior environmentalist with the county's air and energy unit. He said a big push for solar use in Germany means that nation "is taking a big chunk of the solar panels that are marketed."