Poland meanwhile, imports about 70% of its gas from Russia, as well as Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It’s been like that since the existence of Warsaw block, and it hasn’t changed in 25 years, only increased.
As for the Baltics republics Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, they depend at 100% on Russia’s oil and gas exports, and Germany at 40%. Any economic war with Russsia would bankrupt those countries.
Well if we actually had a decent government, we would have been drilling like crazy and become the major supplier to Europe.
But the enviro-ninnies won’t allow it.
And the Russians would also be bankrupt as their economy would be devastated without the sale of oil and gas to Europe. They don’t have the infrastructure in the short term to sell the same volume to China or Japan.
Regarding Poland & baltics getting most of their energy from Russia...
This country needs to slap itself awake to the national security importance of energy independence for ourselves and our allies. This would avoid all kinds of terrible future entanglements, compromises and sacrifices.
It also would mitigate our risk from unpredictable developments in the middle east and avoid unsavory deals with the devil with countries like Saudi Arabia.
Obama shutting down our coal industry was insane, when the USA has an incredible advantage in huge coal reserves. Invest in cleaner coal burning tech.
We have an oil boom thanks to fracking, despite Obama trying to put as much lands off limit to drilling and slow walking on permits. Open more to drilling with the urgency of our national well being depending on it.
Our country is one of very few with huge reserves of Uranium. Dramatically expand nuclear energy output with safer reactors like the French have. We already are maximizing and expanding existing reactors because it’s impossible to build new ones. Germany shutting down all their nuclear plants was idiocy. The chinese are building plants like crazy right now.
This would also have the side effect of creating a booming economy with lots of jobs and drastically shrinking the national debt. All while strengthening our allies.
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Couldn't that pipeline be opened here? Could we sell gas to Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and still have enough for US?