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Had there been ANWR, we might not have $4-a-gallon gas
Anchorage Daily News ^ | April 21, 2006 | Voice of the Times

Posted on 04/21/2006 4:16:43 PM PDT by Species8472

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To: thackney
$10-$12 a gallon, 8 years ago, is not the same as today. Secondly, the entire infrastructure was already in place 8 years ago. You would have to spend tens of billions, at least, to develop it today. What would the time frame be to bring it on line? I'd say 3-5 years, minimum. 3-5 years of no return on money. Next, ALL the oil companies are already dropping tens upon tens of billions into ethanol upgrades. Though everybody thinks the oil companies have unlimited wealth, like everyone else they have to deal with cash flow. Part of that cash flow is getting a reasonable rate of return on investment. As far as time frame goes, the refineries have been doing ethanol mixing for over 10 years. To convert to E85 can be done in a relatively short period of time, the next 1-2 years, for the bulk of it. The here and now is not about oil producing, its about refining, and thats where the real needs are right now.
41 posted on 04/21/2006 11:15:54 PM PDT by mountn man (Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.)
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To: ziggygrey
We should keep our oil in the ground as long as possible. With China and India coming "online" as consumers, that oil will be worth alot more down the road.

Please refrain from introducing common-sense and true conservatism into a thread that provides feel-good knee-jerk pseudo-con ranting against "environmentalists."

42 posted on 04/22/2006 12:39:41 AM PDT by Gondring (I'll give up my right to die when hell freezes over my dead body!)
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To: gogogodzilla
Obviously, you believe that should ANWR be drilled, we would stop production of all our other oil fields and stop the importation of all foreign oil...

And focus solely on using ONLY the oil found in ANWR.

lol...It's funny how when others try to put words in your mouth, they always pick really stupid statements.

43 posted on 04/22/2006 4:25:02 AM PDT by Dark Skies
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To: Conservative Firster
Your right, we are hurting because of the production loss and our good oil producing friends in the Mideast are taking advantage of our weakened condition.
44 posted on 04/22/2006 4:30:59 AM PDT by Las Vegas Dave ("Liberals out of power are comical-Liberals in power are dangerous!"-Rush Limbaugh.)
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To: Gondring
Please refrain from introducing common-sense and true conservatism into a thread that provides feel-good knee-jerk pseudo-con ranting against "environmentalists."

Oh, I'm sorry... :)

45 posted on 04/22/2006 6:38:38 AM PDT by ziggygrey
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To: Dark Skies
Saudi Arabia has done much more to damage the West than Iran or Chavez.

The royal family might be Bush family friends...but they are not friends of American.

That's a great point. Chavez and Ahmadinejad may be posturing for their domestic audiences, (and Ahmadinejad is more of a spokesman than the real power), but these two countries have emerging middle classes (Iran more so). Unlike the sheikdoms that we call our allies, their countries' oil wealth is being used to build up the infrastructure of their countries.

An educated, particularly a technologically educated, middle class, is anathema to terrorism. The new generation is online, they are very tuned into western culture, and want to have a better life. The Saudis, Kuwaitis, Yemenis, etc., all are fabulously wealth oligarchs, with the majority of their populations poor and uneductated (and in Kuwait, not even citizens). The playboys-of-the-western-world Saudis appease their mullhas by imposing Wahhabism on their population. So poverty, hopelessness, and the only education available being the fanatic "Maddrassas" and what do you get? 15 guys hijacking planes and crashing them into buildings!

The Bush family have ties with the Saudis and the bin Ladins and that might be giving them a blind spot on where the real financial support of the terrorists is coming from.

46 posted on 04/22/2006 7:40:05 AM PDT by ziggygrey
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To: mountn man
Next, ALL the oil companies are already dropping tens upon tens of billions into ethanol upgrades.

Really, how much money has Anadarko, Kerr-McGee and Pioneer spent on their ethanol upgrades? Those in the business recognize the difference between upstream and downstream. The Alaska North Slope has had new investors join in the last few years. Shell has bought two new drill ships and 87 offshore leases in the past year. ConocoPhillips is expanding Westward out into NPRA. BP is investing in enhanced oil recovery adding new wells to existing drill sites.

I'd say 3-5 years, minimum. 3-5 years of no return on money.

And how is this different to anytime in the past couple decades when oil companies have continued to develop new fields.

To convert to E85 can be done in a relatively short period of time, the next 1-2 years, for the bulk of it.

You should try doing the math to see how much land it takes to convert the US to E85. It doesn't exist.

47 posted on 04/22/2006 8:10:46 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: Snardius
You can have all the crude available in the world but if there aren't enough refineries to make gasoline out of it, you're not going to affect the price...

Yup. Nobody's been able to build a refinery in this country for nearly 30 years, because of the environmental extremists.

48 posted on 04/22/2006 8:14:01 AM PDT by Uncle Vlad
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To: mountn man
The here and now is not about oil producing, its about refining, and thats where the real needs are right now.

The US could double its domestic oil production and not reach the capacity of our existing refineries. They just would be processing domestic crude instead of sending those dollars to foreign governments for crude royalties.

The US imports 9.8 million barrels of crude a day to refine. It imports 1.0 million barrels of gasoline and 0.2 million barrels of Distillate Fuel Oil to supplement our refining capacity. Which do you believe is the bigger shortfall? The refining does need to be expanded. But we need to quit sending our dollars to foreign governments to support royalties and taxes that should remain in the United States. If ANWR, OCS, Bristol Bay and others were developed, the payments to the government could be used to help develop our Shale Oil reserves. We could achieve true energy independence. It should also be combined with a nuclear power plant program.

49 posted on 04/22/2006 8:18:47 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: Species8472

I thought that the Iraq war was supposed to solve this and that Iraqi oil would be so plentiful that we would not only have lower prices but the costs of the war would "pay for themselves."


50 posted on 04/22/2006 8:20:26 AM PDT by Captain Kirk
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To: thackney
I think most people realize someday down the road, ANWR will be developed. For us here in Alaska, probably best to get the highest price for the oil that funds our state govt; SO WE DON"T HAVE STATE INCOME & SALES TAXES.

Remember several years ago, all the politicals talked about was how income, sales, and taxes upon taxes would still not be enough. So we pay buck and a half more a gallon but don't hear any tax talk these days. Probably because the same politicals are too busy putting it in their pockets, ha.

I always figured that 3 bucks a gallon would trigger America's wrath but not so sure now. Whats going to be the straw to break the camel's back? What price/gal do you think will change what seems to be ANWR deadlock?

51 posted on 04/22/2006 3:53:10 PM PDT by Eska
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To: Eska

Probably have to be around $6-7/gallon before the RINOs stop acting like Democrats.

And probably $8-9/gallon before the Democrats change their minds.


52 posted on 04/22/2006 5:13:42 PM PDT by gogogodzilla (Raaargh! Raaargh! Crush, Stomp!)
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To: Eska

I would have swore last years prices would have turned the tide.

Some politians and voters are denser than I could have imagined.


53 posted on 04/22/2006 7:21:27 PM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: gogogodzilla

I really believe that this oil thing is driven purely on people being scared. Once it sets in that there aren't any shortages the price will drop. There will still be long term problems but we won't be faced with 3 dollar oil.


54 posted on 04/22/2006 7:37:13 PM PDT by RHINO369
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To: RHINO369

There have been news articles about shortages throughout the northeast.

Mainly due to the switch to ethanol, as the stations have to clean the tanks before the switch.

(which has got to be a very nasty job... maybe we'll use an immigrant to do it? <-- sarc)


55 posted on 04/22/2006 10:35:58 PM PDT by gogogodzilla (Raaargh! Raaargh! Crush, Stomp!)
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