Posted on 07/26/2008 9:20:47 AM PDT by Signalman
NEW YORK — Painfully high vehicle- and jet-fuel prices are propelling popular demands for extracting the estimated 18 billion barrels of petroleum beneath America's coastal waters.
After rescinding previous executive-branch objections, President Bush said July 14, "The only thing standing between the American people and these vast oil resources is action from the U.S. Congress." Capitol Hill Democrats claim offshore drilling poses unacceptable ecological risks. This is yet another overblown worry.
Democrats and other environmental naysayers cite the 80,000 barrels that spilled six miles off of Santa Barbara, inundating beaches and aquatic life. This hydrocarbon Hindenburg haunts the memories of those who witnessed it.
This genuine catastrophe occurred in January 1969 — nearly 40 years ago. That era's drilling technology has gone the way of Flower Power and black-and-white TV. Innovation has boosted the safety and environmental reliability of offshore drilling.
The Santa Barbara spill accelerated oil companies' efforts to prevent such disasters. Beyond compliance with 17 major permits and 90 different federal regulations, offshore operators frequently conduct accident training and safety exercises. Sensors and other instruments now help platform personnel monitor and handle temperatures and pressures of subsea oil, even as drill bits whirl.
Hurricanes are manageable, since oil lines are capped at or beneath the ocean floor. Even if oil platforms snapped loose and blew away, industrial seals restrain potentially destructive petroleum hundreds or even thousands of feet below the waves. Thus, 3,050 offshore structures endured Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September 2005 without environmentally damaging petroleum spills. While 168 platforms and 55 rigs were destroyed or seriously damaged, the oil they pumped remained safely entombed.
As the U.S. Minerals Management Service concluded, "Due to the prompt evacuation and shut-in preparations made by operating and service personnel, there was no loss of life and no major oil spills attributed to either storm."
"The technology of the drilling industry may have improved, but offshore drilling is a dirty business, and it still leads to oil spills due to failed equipment, aberrant weather, or human error on a frequent basis," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in the July 19 Houston Chronicle.
Feinstein is correct. U.S. offshore oil drilling is not perfect. It's only 99.999 percent clean. Since 1980 — as MMS figures indicate — 101,997 barrels spilled from among the 11.855 billion barrels of U.S. oil extracted offshore. This record should satisfy all but the terminally fastidious.
Ironically, Mother Nature is 95 times dirtier than man. Some 620,500 barrels of oil ooze organically from North America's ocean floors each year. Compare this to the average 6,555 barrels that oil companies have spilled annually since 1998, according to MMS.
Critics also dismiss offshore development since its benefits supposedly would take ages.
"You wouldn't see any full production out of any oil drilling off the coasts until 2030," presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama claimed June 20 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Currently mired in red tape, Chevron's Destin Dome field off Florida could produce within four years. Southern California deposits could yield within five to 10 years.
Before President Bush flies back to Saudi Arabia to beg sheiks to open their spigots, the U.S. should rely on our own offshore oil and gas. The fact we can do so more safely than ever leaves the Democratic Congress no excuse not to stand aside — now.
Once again proving that he has strong opinions without the slightest bit of knowledge.
Even threatening to drill drives down prices, meaning that opening up the off-shore regions will bring immediate price relief.
In also pressures OPEC, who knows how lame our political process can be, until our historical tipping point is reached.
The effect of drilling will be to force an immediate downward cascade in pricing. We will see $93 per barrel in short order, maybe less.
I’m pretty sure that the Dems know this, and they can not allow it, since it would threaten their lock on next election.
Yep. And there was a really bad accident out on I-30 last year.
Guess what?
The I-30 is open folks.
Maybe?
That is because industry learns from its mistakes unlike Democrats.
Democrats celebrate and try to recreate their mistakes such as the retreat from Viet Nam and the 1968 Democratic Party Convention.
Just curious, but who gave congress the authority to regulate commerce outside US territorial waters? Isn’t 12 miles from shore the line claimed to be ours? Outside that should be beyond congress authority, no?
What is equally amazing is that while Dems refuse to acknowledge the technological advances in drilling the expect humans to rewrite the laws of physics and produce some sort of hybrid vehicle that provides the size, speed and safety the US consumer demands. And do it within the next couple of years.
Why not just say it won't be available until Year 2,000,010?
Just read a bizsqueek article ‘bout this. A guy at Merill Lynch sayz it’s ($93) likely b-4 1/1/09. He tried to stay away from the political side of the explaination, however.
“I’m pretty sure that the Dems know this, and they can not allow it, since it would threaten their lock on next election.”
Best thing the RATS could do is vote for the drilling and say that the speculation is what caused the drop in oil prices. Then go on a full court press forcing oil companies to change to alternative energy in the next 10-15 years. Get a bill in place for this and declare victory.
Everyone who matters knows that alternative energy is pretty much pissing in the ocean. There is only one significant alternative energy source and that is nuclear.
It is alternative, because it is banned as a new source. There are several new plants and built but not on line (Watts Bar) that are coming on line or in late stage planning that are under the radar. The crisis is and ultimately will be solved by nuclear electric generation.
The clamor for alternatives is pretty much a typical Rat jobs program. They know the funds will be in final analysis wasted but it all they can do. T. Boone knows he can toot the alternative horn and enrich himself at the trough.
I have to question if the Ventura County Star reporter actually read the the U.S. Minerals Management Service because I have and it seems to me that if a reporter turns in a story so obviously false in it's initial premise it compels one to disregard the entire story.
Decide for yourself.
124 spills were reported with a total volume of roughly 17,700 barrels of total petroleum products, of which about 13,200 barrels were crude oil and condensate from platforms, rigs and pipelines, and 4,500 barrels were refined products from platforms and rigs. Pipelines were accountable for 72 spills totaling about 7,300 barrels of crude oil and condensate spilled into the [Gulf of Mexico]. Response and recovery efforts kept the impacts to a minimum with no onshore impacts from these spill events.
Katrina Oil Spills May Be Among Worst on Record
The oil pollution in the wake of Hurricane Katrina could be among the worst recorded in North America, officials trying to coordinate the clean-up say. The US coastguard, which is responsible for the marine environment, said yesterday more than 6.5 million gallons of crude oil had been spilt in at least seven major incidents. The previous worst spill in US waters was the 11m gallons in Alaskan waters from the Exxon Valdez in 1989.
“This is a major event,” said Lieutenant Colonel Glynn Smith of the coastguard in New Orleans. “Things are going well, but three-quarters of the oil from the spills has not yet been recovered.”
The figure does not include petrol and oil spilt from up to 250,000 cars which have been submerged, or that spilt from hundreds of petrol stations. The coastguard says it has received almost 400 reports of spills, the vast majority of which have not been assessed.
Rough math indicates $93 is about $2.56 at the pump. This is a simple division of $145.00 into the $4.00 gal.
That comes to 0.02758620 per dollar on that barrel of crude or another way is gas is about 2.75 cents per dollar of cost per barrel.
Soooo, $70 brl, which was supposedly the magic number for production of tar sand and oil shale will result in $1.93 at the pump.
I can go that.
T Boone is making a killing on it. And in Texas where I am, the windfarms litter the plains. I wonder how come no one has asked the Swimmer about it yet.
Offshore oil drilling — cleaner than Mother Nature
SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER | July 24, 2008 | DEROY MURDOCK
Posted on 07/25/2008 11:06:20 AM PDT by Donald Rumsfeld Fan
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051277/posts
Oil And Gas Seepage From Ocean Floor Reduced By Oil Production
(All Freepers Must Read!!!
University of Capslock, Santa Barbara | November 18th 1999 | UCSB Study
Posted on 07/19/2008 5:27:13 PM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2048205/posts
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