[Senator John Blutarski]

rwrcpa1 wrote: “That’s mighty charitable of you.”

..... Just curious. How would you configure US oil resource development and policy?

rwrcpa1 wrote: “BTW, I love your screen name.”

..... Another afficionado of classic cinema!

[rwrcpa1]

..... Just curious. How would you configure US oil resource development and policy?

I assume you mean on federal land. Just as has happened in the past on federal lands and offshore. Oil companies bid for leases. Pay upfront lease plus a 20-25% royalty. That is the free market way. Competition between oil companies. I'm sure that, as anytime you are dealing with the government, that there is abuse, as political favors are called in, but that is the best system. What you are proposing smacks of nationalizing the oil industry, which would be death for domestic exploration.

See this http://davidhecksel.com/blog/?p=20 for a typical deal. The Barnett Shale was a very hot reserve play in Texas.

The problem is not the government getting paid. The problem is the government won't open the land to leasing.