Posted on 02/01/2007 11:48:52 AM PST by thackney
The challenge in meeting increasing demand for energy isn't coming up with new sources of supply, Shell Oil President John Hofmeister believes.
"There's plenty of energy to be had," Hofmeister told a Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Washington Athletic Club Wednesday. That energy will come from current and emerging-technology options ranging from offshore oil and gas deposits to Canadian oil sands, Western U.S. oil shale, coal-derived synthetic gas, biofuels, hydrogen fuel cells, wind and solar, he said.
But Hofmeister warned, "The obstacles to getting it are man-made."
Hofmeister, who is on a 50- city speaking tour to discuss energy security, said the primary obstacles are the battles on everything from allowing oil and gas drilling on the outer continental shelf to siting terminals for importing liquid natural gas.
The information-age economy still depends on industrial infrastructure to deliver energy to make it run, he said. "Without energy there's no entertainment," he said. "Without energy, there's no servers running the Internet."
Hofmeister said the country needs a major educational effort so that people understand the crucial role energy plays in the economy and what's necessary to provide it.
"We have to come to grips in a democracy with the fact that energy is the sustaining enabler of our lifestyle and our economic prosperity," he said. Elected officials will decide whether those facilities get built, but people should understand if they don't want them, energy supplies such as liquid natural gas "will go elsewhere."
Hofmeister said another major obstacle is the infrastructure cost for delivering new fuels such as ethanol to consumers. "Today's infrastructure is a product of 100 years" of investment, he said. "How are we going to manage the infrastructure development" required for introducing more ethanol into the nation's motor-fuel system?
Although Shell has a particular interest in cellulosic ethanol (derived from wood chips, plant stalks and other biomass instead of corn), Hofmeister is wary of President Bush's call for a dramatic increase in the production of the fuel. Not only is the infrastructure not in place to handle the higher target, it's not clear yet how consumers will accept a fuel with less energy content than comparable volumes of gasoline and what they'll pay for it.
Shell also is doing development work on the technology of hydrogen fuel cells, which will require yet another system. "I'm not sure consumers will pay for three competing infrastructures," he said.
But Hofmeister said Shell sees itself as a broad-based energy and fuels company. "We're not particularly partial to any one," as long as the public wants to buy it, he added.
Shell operates a refinery near Anacortes. "It's a very well-run, well-managed and efficient operation," Hofmeister said. The refinery mainly processes Alaskan crude, and though that supply has been declining, Shell and Hofmeister are hoping for new supplies from the Beaufort Sea.
Hofmeister also said Shell is shifting its retail business model to one in which local companies develop outlets. Although it's up to those local wholesalers and distributors whether to add stations, Hofmeister said Washington "to us is a growing marketplace. We like to be present in growing marketplaces."
We are awash in an almost inexhaustible supply of what the leftist refer to as "fossil fuels." Of course, one of Saturn's moons, Titan, is also awash in the same so called "fossil fuels," but alas in an environment that would not support dinosaur life.
Here in Dallas, we are required to use gasoline that has a 10% ethanol mixture to help clean up the air. On my Christmas trip to South Texas, I noticed that I didn't get very good gas mileage on my first tank of gas. After checking, I calculated that my gas mileage on that first tank was 2.5 miles per gallon less that what I was accustomed to. So in effect, I have to buy about 11% more fuel to go the same distance.
Can you say hidden tax increase?
But Hofmeister warned, "The obstacles to getting it are man-made."
Mr. Hofmeister has nailed this one to the wall. No matter how much they carry on and wring their hands, the last thing the Left wants is for the people of America -- heck, of the world -- to have plentiful energy.
That's like heavy, dude.
Looking forwart to Shell's Oil Shale project. bump
Shell could get a stranglehold on energy and kick BP back to Scotland if they can cut production costs of solar cells in half.
Along with global warming, public education dumbing down and licensing restrictions, these are Stalinian man made famines created by paper work and lawyers.
I have found that for all their touting of "alternative energy," when the rubber meets the road, the environmentalists are the ones appealing and suing to prvent geothermal, hydropower, wind and biofuel (cogeneration) developments on the ground. This is based on actual appeals/suits in my county on all types but wind development. (That is a given as we are on the Pacific flyway.)
Thanks for the link, I'll watch it tonight.
Show Shell how you feel about its dealings with our Iranian enemies by filling up your car at the pumps of one of its American competitors – who, by law, are not permitted to do business with terrorist-sponsoring states.
The Shell Pres is getting a lot of mileage out of his rubber chicken circuit speech, and lots of threads although not in the league with a lady in a wig and packing a BB gun.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.