Does anybody here understand that the US only produces 32% of the oil it consumes?

Question

--Volumes and volumes of regulations and rules have prevented corporations from building a new oil refinery since 1974

-- We have an estimated 400,000,000 barrels of sweet crude oil in he Gulf of Mexico and Alaska that oil companies can't drill because of congress.

--short of giving up all our motor vehicles and going back to horse and buggy, what is the fix?

Answer 1

Actually, it was deregulation (under Reagan) that limited the growth of U.S. refineries.\

Additionally, our total usage is just about 20,000,000 barrels/day. This means your "big" gulf reserve is a grand total of a twenty day supply. That's right - just 20 days.

We will never drill our way to energy independence. Never.

So I suggest we begin to plan for how we're going to change our infrastructure to deal with this. Any other approach is simply suicidal.

Answer 2

It is the left-wing enviro nuts that won't let us drill anywhere or build any new refineries.They are also the same people who whine the loudest that we should not be so dependent on foreign oil (which I agree with them).We have the best technology in the world to drill and refine oil.We can do it cleaner than anyone .....but the left would rather have 3rd world countries get our oil for us,even thou they don't have technology we have.Hillary's plan ,is to take away any profit from our oil companies,which makes no sense.What company is going to go to all the risk and expense to drill oil if the government takes away the incentive to produce oil.The oil industry makes about 8 to 9cents per gallon of gasoline.Our government makes about 50 cents per gallon,on average ,even thou they do nothing to help produce it.In fact,they regulate it so much it drives the price even more ( there are over 50 different formulations of gasoline for no good reason)Hillary's plan will do nothing but drive supply down and prices UP,at which time, she will propose that the government take over all American oil companies,because she thinks the government is the answer to everything.

Answer 3

Bio-diesel, which is created from expended cooking oil, can be processed more quickly, and less hazardously than petroleum, and fulfills a need in the disposal of used cooking oils. To help pull the load, corn farmers, who are being paid to NOT grow corn, could resume growing corn, thereby producing more vegetable oil, and lending to the supply of bio-diesel fuels... Why research ethanol which requires retooling the engine, when bio-diesel runs in a diesel engine, produces no CFC's, and extends the life of the motor? Ethanol... WTF was Pelosi thinking?! That stuff is more damaging to our environment than petroleum!

If we move to bio-diesel, we have the oil production capabilities, within our own borders to produce plastics and other synthetics as needed, thus further reducing our dependence upun foreign powers. What's that? Big Oil? They can benefit from this by making contracts with farmers for the corn. This will put people to work, reduce our expenditure to overseas projects, and create a new national pride that would truly inspire the world, and set the pace for going green.

Answer 4

Yea, one Valdez accident in Alaska was enough to last a life time!

We don't want you in our fishing banks and wildlife preserves! You have screwed enough of the planet up trying to get rich! Oil companies don't pay any taxes and we get most of our oil from Mexico and Canada!

The fix is to take away all those patents that the oil companies have been buying so you can't use other sources! They want you dependent! That's why they are the richest corporations in the US! I won't shed a tear!

Answer 5

If we drill the reserves now, we'll consume them in short order.

Save the reserves. Make alternatives the top natl priority. When we meet the goal and come off oil dependance, drill and sell the oil to nations still dependant on oil and we thusly have pure profit.

In teh meantime? Conserve!

Answer 6

The only long term solution is to invest in alternative energy sources.

Since big oil owns the GOP, as long as the GOP is in control of the government we will all be screwed, because the oil companies want to squeeze the last drop of money out of the oil supply before switching to cleaner, safer, smarter forms of energy.

Answer 7

The energy policy for the last 20 or 30 years has been to consume the rest of the worlds oil supply before using up our own. There's been a lot more oil discovered in the US than is being revealed to the public. When the middle east runs out of oil, then we'll start pumping our own out of the ground.

Answer 8

Alternative fuel sources... the kind that have been in existance (and continually refined to be better) for well over 30 years but that the Republican party on behalf of the oil industry has suppressed.

Answer 9

"--short of giving up all our motor vehicles and going back to horse and buggy, what is the fix?"

How about giving up your gas guzzling, tiny pen1$ compensating, truck/SUV and driving something that gets decent gas mileage? How about replacing your light bulbs with compact flourescents that are no more expensive to buy but MUCH cheaper to operate?

There's no need to be reactionary. Small steps taken by large numbers of people can have a dramatic impact.

Answer 10

Alternative energy.