Posted on 04/20/2010 12:27:43 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Barack Obama made a big fuss over his plan to open more U.S. acreage to exploratory oil and gas drilling. But wildcatters aren't overly excited about the prospects. Though the plan added acreage in Alaska for possible leasing, some choice sites there were yanked. Drillers still have to wait for environmental studies before a lease sale may be held. Even then, they'd need to do seismic surveys and get federal air permits before touching drill bit to earth. Expect environmentalists' lawsuits, too.
The President asserted that "drilling alone cannot come close to meeting our long-term energy needs." Really? A study released in February by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, prepared by researchers at defense contractor SAIC and nonprofit research house GTI, finds that the U.S. has more than 200 billion barrels of oil and 2,000 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that are recoverable with today's technology. That's more than most OPEC nations. If fully developed, it would be enough to eliminate our 10-million-barrel daily diet of foreign oil for half a century.
Most of the bonanza is in federal waters, at least 50 miles offshore, along the outer continental shelf (OCS). Onshore, the biggest prize is Alaska, with some 15 billion barrels, much of it in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Opening up more federal acreage--only 17% is available now--would bring a windfall to the U.S. in bonuses, rents and royalties. Fishkind & Associates also figures that developing Florida's western coast would lead to 50,000 new jobs. Or we could just keep importing oil from Venezuela.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
but telling the Saudies that we are going to drill for our own oil will force them to drop their prices..
Look how far the price dropped in early 2009...
Primarily driven by a drastic drop in demand, something outside OPEC's control or even influence.
That and the speculators on wall street...
Same will happen if they think that there will be an abundance of oil on the market...
Thanks gleeaikin!
We could build a LOT of nuke plants in 50 years. I suppose the next thing we will hear out of the communists is " It will take 60 YEARS to get nuclear power plants online, it's not worth it."
I wonder, how many years does it take to go find 30 feet of rope?
To help make the message clear to the VOTER - it might aid the visual if oil and oil services companies actually showed some HARD numbers. For example, in the Barnett Shale in the North Tx multi county gas find, over 20,000 people have jobs paying an average of $50,000 per year and the majority of those jobs are expected to last 20 years. IF DRILLING was allowed on the millions on now closed federal lands, 200,000 people would be put to work. (MY figures on new hires is a WILD number and industry peopel would be more accurate, but it is hard numbers that are needed to get people to back a Drilling = Jobs messge.
Conservative candidates should not shirk from advocating drilling, refining, coal plants, gas plants, nuke plants anywhere anytime.
yitbos
To sell drilling, nuke power you have to sell specific numbers of jobs. The whole steam from steel mile to trucking, to drilling and pipelines each has people who want jobs. The industry and conservaties have to sell the specific jobs and the numbers.
Good point.
Good point for the RNC to SELL since most individuals are contributing to candidates and not RNC.
Steele could concentrate on policy and forget candidates.
yitbos
Dunno. I just pulled this photo off of Aaron Tippin’s website where he’s promoting the song.
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