Estimates of proved crude oil reserves do not include the following:
(1) oil that may become available from known reservoirs but is reported separately as “indicated additional reserves”;
(2) natural gas liquids (including lease condensate);
(3) oil, the recovery of which is subject to reasonable doubt because of uncertainty as to geology, reservoir characteristics, or economic factors;
(4) oil that may occur in undrilled prospects; and
(5) oil that may be recovered from oil shales, coal, gilsonite, and other such sources.
It is necessary that production, gathering or transportation facilities be installed or operative for a reservoir to be considered proved.
IOW, all Zero has to do to skew the proven reserves number downward is refuse to drill, produce or transport oil. Then he can go out and report the cooked numbers as fact, while the compliant media laps it up. How in the heck are we ever going to puncture this?