[Congressman Billybob]

As I recall, Palin said that Alaska had 20% of American OIL reserves, not 20% of energy. If my memory is right, FactCheck is chasing a nonexistent fox.

Congressman Billybob

Tenth in the ten-part series, "The Owner's Manual (Part 10) -- The Remaining Amendments"

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[SAJ]

The percentage of 'reserves' that someone or some state or some nation has is always a direct function of what the person asking the question means by the word 'reserves'.

Proven (a term that is, thankfully, on its way out)? Unproven? Analytical? Geoextrapolated? The question is meaninglesss until the word is defined.

On the same subject, different topic: AL produces 12.8% of US domestically-produced crude, which figure can easily be trebled in 5-6 years time if someone can figure out how to be shed of the enviroluddite Marxists. This figure is as of mid-2007, and is provided courtesy of James L. Williams of www.energyeconomist.com.

His twice-weekly newsletter is in ANYONE'S top ten list of excellent sources for energy data, both current and historical. His clients include both ExxonMobil and the Russian State Bank, not to mention 34 Fortune 500 companies aside from ExxonMobil.

[SAJ]

Typo alert. For 'AL', please read 'AK'. Shoddy proofing, sorry.

Also, AK produces 2.3% of US-produced natgas, about 1$ of coal, and some amount (unknown percentage) of hydro.

All in all, it might get right to 20% or so.