[StoneGiant]

For all the "peak oil" prognosticators....

[Piquaboy]

It is too bad that we don't have the refinery capacity to process all the oil. Thanks to the socialist enviromentalist.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

there was a thread 3-4 days ago discussing the biggest Saudi field......gist was that they were pumping a million barrels of water into it daily and that the returns are STILL diminishing.

Possibly the dynamic explained in the above piece is limited to a few places? Who knows what to believe any more?

[smag999]

About 10 years ago I came across this theory in an article about some Texas oil wells that were getting refilled from someplace and have been arguing it ever since with people that think I am crazy. I am a believer in this theory.

[jackbenimble]

For all the "peak oil" prognosticators....

So let me see if I understand this correctly. One oil field off the coast of Louisiana is doing something odd and that debunks "peak oil"? Almost every other oil field in America is being stripped via secondary and tertiary recovery methods and is experiencing both declining reserves and declining production. Why are these fields not recharging too? There is still lots of oil left but it is being found in smaller and deeper and more expensive pockets. Eventually we get to the point where it takes a barrel of oil to find, drill for and produce a barrel of oil. At that point, it does not matter how much is still in the ground because if the net energy equation is zero it does not make sense.

I'm no doom and gloomer though. Let's build safe, clean nukes.

[oldenuff2no]

The problem with this theory is that all the components are not known. Say it takes three things for the earth to continue to produce crude. We do not know what all three are or how the work or when one of them will suddenly disappear. We have no way or predicting when this process will stop or how suddenly it can stop. Betting the future of our world on unknown factors is STUPID!!!!!

[-=Wing_0_Walker=-]

Perhaps we need more refineres!

[dirtboy]

Gold’s theory is not yet accepted by all scientists, probably all the more reason to trust it.

Things don't quite work that way. Sometimes scientists are right, sometimes they are wrong. However, that does not therefore indicate that, because most scientists do not adhere to this theory, that is a good indication that the theory is true.

[Royal Wulff]

Funny how all this primordial oil only seems to be found in sedimentary source rock.

[Servant of the 9]

One field with freak conditions is hardly enough to support a theory.

Tens of thousands of other fields, in fact, all but a handful, have gone dry just as originally predicted.

Every attempt to drill for the "primordial soup" has been a failure.

And following geological theory of where Oil & Gas should be if they are of organic origin is still the best way to find it.

So9

[kellynla]

BTTT

[Lazamataz]

This kinda counters that "We're going to lose our standard of living cuz there's no more oil pretty soon" article.

[Final Authority]

My brother-in-law is the vice President of a major oil field service company who believes, at least in part, to the theories in this article. He as well has no good explanation to the continuation of oil production in fields once thought tapped out. He says, anyplace, nearly anyway, in the world where they want to drill they can find something as long as they put the hole in the right place and deep enough. It may be heavy oil or gas or decent crude but it is not always enough to make it economically feasible. So they tend to stay in areas where they have equipment, crews, knowledge of the area and the mineral rights. Essentially, there is a lot of inertia to seek other fields.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I guess the sky is not falling after all........

[IronJack]

I read about this a couple of months ago but have heard nothing since. The gougers at the oil companies will be jumping off ledges if the myth of declining supply proves a lie. That's the scam they've been using to rob us for half a century now.

[IamConservative]

which leads to the speculation that the world has limitless supplies of petroleum.

Scientifically, this could only be true if the world was of unlimited mass, or, if the usage of one barrel of oil produced enough byproduct of whatever type required to create another barrel of oil. Not likely once you remove the energy required to make your car go 70 MPH down the highway. One possible explanation for why some reserves refill. Fluid will settle in the lowest point of gravity and/or pressure. It is possible that one underground oil reservoir would refill from another unknown source if there is less gravity in the reservoir that is refilling. Other pressure sources which exceed the pressure or gravity could also force the fluid "up" into a cavity as well.

[mysterio]

I think it is apparent to anyone that oil will run out, be it in 50 years or 100. Considering that fact, I think it is time to devote our resources to finding an alternative that can be produced in our country with money from sales of said energy source staying in America. Our energy dollars should not be going to the middle east or any other oil producing nation.

The economic effects of a domestically produced energy source are twofold -

a. cheaper prices from domestic production saves the consumer money, which he or she spends on other goods.

b. Energy money previously going to OPEC would now stay in our economy, boosting it once again.

[Redleg Duke]

It's Bush's fault!

[Smokin' Joe]

While the area interlaced with faults may yield an interesting problem in petroleum migrration, either from another part of the reservoir, or another reservoir at greater depth, I seriously doubt that there is some 'magic' endless oil source down there.

No one worth their paycheck will ever assert that we know all there is to know about recoverable petroleum resources, but one field's serendipitous recharge does not make for an endless supply.

[Rodney King]

The field is operated by PennzEnergy Co.

PennzEnergy merged with Devon a number of years ago.

[gathersnomoss]

...."which leads to the speculation that the world has limitless supplies of petroleum."

Would God place a limit on oil? Water? Heat from the Sun? Food? Clean air?

If you believe that there is no God, as some believe, then you can see how humanity is in danger. Keep the faith!