Posted on 11/04/2009 8:31:34 AM PST by BobMcCartyWrites
The United States could be energy independent if it possessed the collective political will to make it happen. After all, the country has the largest energy reserves on earth, according to a recently-released Congressional Research Service report.
As shown in this chart, the United States’ 1,321 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) tops number 2 Russia with 1,248 billion BOE, and number 3 Saudi Arabia with 543 billion BOE.
A second chart shows that the U.S. also holds the world’s largest supply of affordable coal.
So why isn’t the United States energy independent? Answering that question is actually fairly easy.
For more than 30 years, radical environmentalists and misinformed others — including members of the news media, nonprofit groups and politicians — have worked tirelessly to reshape the eco-political landscape, to paint those in “Big Oil” and “Big Coal” as evil and to frame an argument that says the needs of animals and the environment trump the needs of human beings.
Contrary to the leftist views, the vast majority of firms involved in all stages of the oil and natural gas supply chain operate in a manner that is cleaner and friendlier to animals and the environment than virtually any other industry. Why? Because, like most people, they want to leave a clean planet for their children and grandchildren. In addition, they do it because they have to as a result of being more tightly regulated than perhaps any other industry on the planet. For a great op-ed about how the industry works today, click here.
And what about the so-called “clean energy” alternatives, wind and solar power? They haven’t proved themselves economical; otherwise, the “money-hungry fossil fuel executives” would have exploited them for huge financial gain by now (sarcasm).
A third clean-energy alternative, nuclear power, has proven itself, but faces so many environmental and political roadblocks that it’s prospects for expansion are almost nil. Plus, already-operating nuclear power plants are now forced to deal with how they will dispose of their waste following President Barack Obama’s decision to shutdown Yucca Mountain — a site the government has spent $13 billion to develop over 25 years — as a site for storing it.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you think our elected officials in Washington, D.C., should focus on truly making this country energy independent by allowing oil and natural gas companies to harvest the vast resources available, CONTACT THEM and demand they work toward that end. The result will be an increase in jobs for Americans and a decrease in the costs of goods and services for everyone.
the US could be energy independent if all those commoners would simply not drive, use electricity or heath their homes. that would free up resources for the elites, who knwo better, donchaknow!
You could and should write an entire article about what a foolish ideologue Ken Salazar is, how he is, single-handedly weakening our country by blocking the development of all kinds of domestic energy supplies.
Here’s the $64 question:
How long can a nation hope to survive when it’s committing suicide?
America could be so many things if logic and rationality were what guided us...but how many of us are encouraged to think nowadays?
Unfortunately, NOTHING will change until & unless we “release the hounds” and “take out the trash” in D.C.
Last night was a start BUT we've got a LONG WAY TO GO...and in the meantime the Gelding Old Party will need to get a testicle & spine implant before next year's congressional elections AND come up with a true blue conservative to run for POTUS in 2012!
Next...
Long term... why would we want to use up all of our reserves when we can use up the Arab world’s first? The question is, can we survive as a nation long enough to benefit from our reserves?
1) Wind and solar and even much more potent, geothermal, can be viable competitive members of the mix. But they are only members of the mix. With some development binary geothermal on the North American continent, particularly west of the great plains, has immense potential.
Any complex problem like energy supply is solved by bringing all resources to bear on it.
2) The essay is absolutely correct regarding the environmental issue. The United States of America is right NOW environmentally the cleanest nation on the planet. Probably the dirtiest? The ex Soviet Union!
Why?? Because private ownership and investment, Michael Moore's capitalism, insures the human community will guard its future, while Leftism passes off responsibility (for anything) on to distant authority, i.e. centralized government.
3) Economics, that is the material prosperity of the nation's citizenry, is a matter of energy, pure and (relatively) simple thermodynamics. Geithner and Obama can print all the dollars they want but be assured these arrogant asses do not have a clue. - Harvard, what a nest of leftist idiots.
Johnny Suntrade, The Suntrade Institute
It’s too easy! Just two words, “Gore’s Billions”!
Really.
Using less is just smart engineering. Efficient systems run better, and are cheaper to operate.
But insuring a plentiful supply is an absolute no-brainer. . .
No nuclear power = No future. We have 10,000 year supply of fuel.
The health Our Nation our economy and us as Americans runs on Energy,The Fact is we have plenty of it just a few filthy Communists in the way, they need to go now.
For sure a 40 mpg automobile will use less gasoline while waiting in gas lines similar to what happened in 1973. (/s)
The MSR’s are another place to look for clean energy.
The conressional rerot does not include any estimate of Methane Hydrates within our country. They are vast and may equal the total amount of coal, oil and LNG that we courrently know about.
We have an astonishing amount of energy, enough to power our country for hundres of years.
Note to myself: My typing stinks.
Yes, the ol’ royalty-in-kind program phase out. He is worth an entire book. We will not know the damage he has done for decades.
...if algore would shut off the lights in his house.
Not true.
The mean in-place gas hydrate resource for the entire United States is estimated to be 320,000 tcf of gas, with approximately half of this resource occurring offshore of Alaska and most of the remainder occurring beneath the continental margins of the lower 48 states.
U.S. Fossil Fuel Resources:
Terminology, Reporting, and Summary
http://bobmccarty.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/R40872-US-Fossil-Fuels-10-28-09.pdf
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