Posted on 07/19/2008 11:29:25 AM PDT by Kaslin
With oil prices hitting record highs, the question arises: Why aren't we drilling for more oil?
It seems simple. And yet, a Democrat-led Congress still opposes opening any new lands to drilling.
"We can't drill our way out of our problems" is a common mantra.
Polls show most Americans favoring opening federal lands and offshore areas to energy production. As it stands, 97% of our offshore areas and 94% of our federal lands are off limits.
President Bush raised the likelihood that that could change with his lifting of the federal moratorium on offshore drilling.
But he's been opposed by Congress, which argues it will simply take too long — as much as 10 years or more — for the new oil to come to market to do any good.
That doesn't appear to be true.
To begin with, industry analysts note, much of the drilling delay is self-inflicted — a result of excessively stringent environmental and land-use regulations.
Scrap those, or modify them, and new oil can be produced in far less than 10 years.
Producing oil from new sources has three stages, which can take years, notes Marilyn Crockett, executive director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association in Anchorage. First, comes an environmental impact report, then bidding on leases and, finally, drilling.
The environmental impact statement alone can take two to three years. The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service manages those studies for federal offshore holdings, after input from local, state and environmental groups, according to spokeswoman Robin Cacy.
After that comes bidding.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
10 years is the time from “hey I’d like to drill oil” to getting a useful shipment of gasoline. In the mean time you have all the other stuff of figuring out where to drill, finding the pockets, drilling, pumping, laying pipes, refining, shipping, etc. Not to mention all the leases, permits, and contracts.
Now if the oil is already known to be there, bans are removed, most of the infrastructure is already available like pipe lines and warehousing....the real time is more like 18 to 24 months in some areas (Montana, North Dakota, ANWR) according to some insiders I’ve seen and heard interviewed. Five years max and that’s if they work slow.
Sadly, I fear you may be right. Man, how I wish we had Hunter as our nominee. This created recession (if indeed there is one) was brought upon us for no other reason than the Democrats have been out of the Oval for 8 years.
You can discuss the real estate bubble bursting, bank failures and all that, but the main reason is that the Rats want the reigns of power back in their filthy little hands.
The absurdity of bio-fuels certainly helped things along because the domino effect it caused hit nearly every aspect of the economy, either directly or indirectly. When crude prices skyrocketed it was evident things were going to get tough in a hurry.
This was all visited upon us by the Rats and their ever complicit, Fifth Column, the MSM. Recession was drilled into the minds of Americans in such a way that it appeared for all the world as if it were some brainwashing program. We were barraged with bad news even when the facts did not support what was being reported. Just as the war was nothing more than an opportunity for political gain, by the rats, so too, was our economy.
This is a unique opportunity for Republicans. That is, if we have any with the good sense to articulate it to the American people. I would run ads constantly about the Pelosi Premium (link on my Freep page) and “drill here, drill now” ads. Link Obama with Pelosi and Reed, which when I got finished would be much, much worse than any Bush-McCain links.
I would completely obliterate the Democrat brand. It is so hard when you have a goofball like McCain at the helm who goes along with the AGW scam and writes “Terrorist Bill of Rights” and talks about closing Gitmo. As I said, it is a unique opportunity, but when your nominee seems obsessed with the Iraq war and seems to lack any will to fight (except for those who should be his base); it seems as if this unique opportunity will, sadly, slip away. Which is essentially the point you were making except that you were wise enough to do it more succinctly.
The GOP needs to get this info out to everyone...yesterday. Put the pressure on Congress to do SOMETHING before November, despite Queen Nancy’s goals.
If you like $4/gal, Thank Pelosi.
Pray for W and Our Troops
8 to 14 years is a lot longer then 3 to 5 years
the assessments the liberals use why the the ban can not be lifted are nothing but lame excuses.
As of now 75% of the American people, and that includes democrats want drilling here. If she renews the ban it will cost them the election in November and I am not necessarily talking about the Presidential election
Now don’t tell me you are buying into the lame excuses by the liberals? *rme*
Quicker than a day! Dog guts are short, they can pass it in a couple hours.
That is correct. Except for one dog who had to go to the vet for surgery because he forgot to chew up the squirrel and swallowed it whole. The squirrels here are often no bigger than chipmunks.
Yes. One year to do the work, nine years to jump through government hoops.
In 1961, JFK issued a challenge to put a man on the moon in 10 years. We beat the timeframe in that challenge.
Pelosi, you’re no JFK.
“does it have to take a decade to bring new crude to market?
yes, if not longer.
commissar nancy has decided that the oil companies are evil and must be nationalized before any drilling may take place. after that, every speck of sand and every small creature must be examined and analyzed by the brilliant, self-proclaimed intellectuals of the democrat party in order to determine any environmental impact. she has also decided that oil is dirty, harmful, hurtful and polluting and detrimental to the health of mother earth and therefore not a priority.
all these processes and procedures would take at least ten years, maybe even fifteen. the brilliant, all-knowing, compassionate, intellectual, smart, bright, superior democrat party has said so. (like it or lump it)
IMHO
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