Posted on 06/09/2008 4:48:39 PM PDT by Moseley
If shallow talk could solve America’s energy crisis, politicians in Washington would have all the answers. But Americans are still carrying a crushing burden while little changes. Fortunately, there are many real solutions available for the U.S. economy even if the politicians don’t seem to know it.
America’s dependence on foreign oil is more than a threat to our economy. It has become a threat to America’s national security. American money is being funneled to America’s enemies around the world and is strengthening our enemies while weakening America.
The Mid-West hides the largest untapped oil reserve in the world — estimated at 1 to 2 TRILLION barrels of oil trapped inside shale (rock). This could be more than 8 times Saudi Arabia’s proven oil reserves of 261 billion barrels. In fact, an article in The Denver Post estimated this to be more than all the other oil reserves on the planet earth.
If only we could discover how to extract this oil from its shale prison economically and with environmental safety, America might have the largest single source of oil in the world. So, why isn’t the U.S. running on home-grown U.S. oil? There are four reasons – all false.
Official Washington decided a long time ago that extracting oil from shale is too expensive. However, oil was trading for as little $19 per barrel at the time. Shale oil becomes competitive when prices stay consistently above $40 per barrel. In recent years, oil has risen from $19 per barrel to over $130 per barrel. It is now high time to unleash this vast resource.
The technology to extract usable oil from shale deposits has been proven. Shale oil currently supplies about 90% of the electricity and 76% of the total energy for Estonia, in Eastern Europe, on the Baltic Sea. An oil shale demonstration plant in Queensland, Australia produced 700,000 barrels of oil between 2001 and 2003.
Early reports dating to the Carter Administration incorrectly claimed that the ‘retorting’ process would require large amounts of energy and water. Repetition of this false information in government studies has discouraged the immediate use of shale oil.
The Unocal commercial demonstration plant project in the Colorado Piceance Creek Basin actually produced more water than it consumed, as former Paraho Corporation head Larry Lukens found from talking with Unocal’s engineers. Colorado oil shale contains, on average, 2-5% by weight of water. That water is liberated from the rock during the ‘retorting’ process. Unocal actually had to construct evaporation ponds to get rid of all the excess water generated.
Similarly, the waste rock, still containing some oil residue, becomes a fuel in its own right. So the process actually produces its own energy. Larry Lukens estimates that a 100,000 barrel a day plant would actually produce enough surplus energy to generate 500 megawatts of electrical power which can be exported to other uses or nearby cities. Once jump-started, the shale oil extraction process actually feeds itself. After all, it is oil we are extracting…
The fourth obstacle is the popcorn myth. Environmental opponents claim that disposing of the left-over gravel will be a problem. However, rock does not expand. Instead, when rock is ground into smaller sizes, air pockets are introduced. The solution is to compact the gravel debris back into place with heavy machinery. The gravel is also good for building roads.
It is time to take the lessons from these demonstration projects and build much-more efficient retorting plants to harness America’s vast shale oil reserves now that oil is trading at $120 per barrel and up. This should be given a crash-program status as the highest priority, like landing a man on the moon and the Manhattan Project. The only real problem is the lack of political will to truly achieve energy independence.
Progress on shale oil could be stimulated by (a) private business, (b) a consortium of State governments for States containing shale oil deposits, (c) Congress, or (d) the President through leadership of the bully pulpit and through action in the Executive Federal Departments. Any Presidential or Congressional candidate could also call attention to this opportunity by issuing a John F. Kennedy style challenge to the nation.
It’s all good to me. With electric, the power has to come from somewhere, though. As far as nukes go, I have had rumors of plans for nuclear-powered cars. Checking into that.
In terms of generating electricity for the long-term, do a search for “Solar Power Satellites.” I will be doing an article on that in the future. We can beam power from the sun from space and power mankind forever.
let us all ask President Bush to just sign an executive order to open the land that Bill Clinton lock up with and executive order so he could get lots of money from Riady for his reelection in ‘96
let us all ask President Bush to just sign an executive order to open the land that Bill Clinton lock up with and executive order so he could get lots of money from Riady for his reelection in ‘96
That’s never been the problem.
this is the problem...
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/06/020696.php
My dad managed a plant materials center in Meeker CO in the mid 70’s. It was basically a seed farm. They grew native plants for their seed, to be used in replanting areas that had been strip-mined for coal and oil shale.
Just damn.
Eastonia (who the hell is that?) can extract shale oil, but the US can’t.
Yes, we are the only country on earth that denies itself its own natural resources.
Keep in mind that it is not just oil that we are buying from unfriendly nations.
If other nations are self sufficient for oil, why is it that we can’t be? It is obvious that “engaging” these other countries to get resources is causing a disaster.
It has been proved that globalism is not producing the desired results in many areas of our economy. Instead of buying peace, we are setting ourselves up for future and continuing conflicts.
We have to become self sufficient again, or we will be plunged in to another worldwide conflict. Obama wants surrender now, and McCain is too timid to do the right thing.
Shale oil production in Colorado is prohibited by congress. Next.
Fine - and let me hire a tanker to bring in Brazil fuel for our cars without the import duty.
Why dont we charge import duties on the terrorist fuel from Russian and Iran and Venezuela?
Exactly. That's why McCain can turn this into a highly effective campaign issue.
Sometime soon he should introduce a bill to allow exploitation of the shale. Then he can rail against the democrats and Obama for opposing it on the campaign trail.
It would also help him secure Colorado's electoral votes, and possibly South Dakota's too.
It's perfect.
Sometime soon he should introduce a bill to allow exploitation of the shale. Then he can rail against the democrats and Obama for opposing it on the campaign trail.
Oh please! McCain is dedicated to carbon trading schemes and signs on to the GW nonsense. What makes you think he’ll act like a conservative in the general election when he’s trying to court independents and Democrats who don’t like Obama. Get real.
I’d guess that 90% of Americans know nothing about this. And I’ll bet my next week’s ration of custard-filled doughnuts that McCain will never mention it.
Carbon trading and opening up shale oil for extraction are not inconsistent positions.
In fact, favoring both would fit his (undeserved) "maverick" image quite well, as he's supporting his party on one dimension and opposing it on another. In addtion, both positions appeal to moderates and independents.
McCain has already sent some trial balloons out indicating he favors more domestic oil production. Within the next few weeks, we'll see him come out for it more aggresively.
You heard it here first.
Considering they don't know the difference between a profit amount and a profit percentage, "Official Washington" needs to get the He11 out of the energy business.
The 535 persons that are Congress have proved time after time that they know nothing about free enterprise and innovation.
Wrong. Shell has / had permits for tests on BLM land. [If it really is "had" it is because they were working on refining their next application.] Other techniques may not be economic if we get the collapse in oil prices many are cheering for. Who wants to invest a billion or so in start up costs if oil really is a bubble?
Not all the area or the mineral rights are owned by the Feds. Some is privately owned ... some is owned by the States of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.
The problem with oil shale is that the Shell technique is extremely capital intensive and has not been executed on an industrial scale. There is some sentiment that oil shale is the fuel of the future ... and always will be. This isn't my take on the situation, but if you are looking for a short term fix, look somewhere other than oil shale. If the Shell process works, it will still be a while and then don't expect the production rates to look like multiple Ghawars as some have implied based on the amount of kerogen in the Green River formation. It will take a lot of time and a lot of investment to coax the oil out of the rocks.
Always be suspicious of writers who think Utah, Wyoming and Colorado are part of the Midwest.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.