Could Someone Tell Me Why The U.S. Isn't Drilling It's Own Oil?

Question

There's plenty of it . . . What's the problem?

:D

Answer 1

they save it for an emergency, or till the price goes over $100, and you are right, they are sitting on the biggest known oil reserve on earth, the Colorado green river basin oil sands. 16 times bigger than what the saudies have.

Answer 2

We are drilling but not enough. Rancher's out in the midwest buy their ranch but what they buy is only the topsoil. Not what's underneath. There are many rancher's who now have oil rigs on their land fenced off from their livestock. They do get a small fee for it as well. But most say, they did not know that was the deal when they purchased said ranch... Aside from that, we have more coal shale [I think that's what it's called. It's the stuff that is the residue after coal is processed] But we aren't investing in finding a processing of that material because investors say it is just too expensive... If we just did that, we would never have to use oil. And still keep what we have. It's all too crazy. Ridiculous.

Answer 3

Because the tree huggers and land lovers don't want their land drilled. But for their own good, they should just give it up. We need to stop being so dependent on other nation's for our oil supply. We need to either drill here in the U.S. more, or start introducing all of these new fuel sources into our economy.

Answer 4

We do. That's not the problem. We are awash in crude oil. But, we haven't built a new refinery in over 30 years. Meanwhile the demand for gasoline goes up because of more cars on the road. The demand for kerosene goes up because of all of those jet aircraft flying here and there. There are plans to build a new refinery in South Dakota. But, it will cost over $2 billion and a lot of that expense will be involved in getting the needed permits and fighting the "tree huggers", all of whom will arrive in their SUVs to protest at the hearings.
Meanwhile, the existing refineries have to turn out over 50 special blends of gasoline depending on the environmental laws of the places where the gasoline is going to be sold.

Answer 5

The USA IS pumping LOTS of it's own oil. It was recently pumping almost 50% of what it needed.

But the only untapped reserves that have been identified, are in pristine wildernesses - so drilling there would be like burning your house down, to stay warm in Winter.

The USA is the #2 oil producer in the world, fractionally behind Saudi Arabia & producing almost 4 times as much as Iraq.

Problem is we use/waste almost 4 times as much as any other country in the world.

Rather than trying to pump MORE oil, we should try wasting less.

Answer 6

The U.S. Government is forbidden to compete with private enterprise.
The oil companies are drilling every day, in places that they can. There are many restrictions as to where they can drill.

This is my help from Washington, D.C. USA.

Answer 7

they are all ready drilled but cap off. big oil does not want price to go down. Washington dc act like they don't know bull sh-- they know and don't care about the American people as long as they get there kick back

Answer 8

We are drilling our own oil in different places. But also remember the oil overseas that we get are via oil leases we've paid in full for.

Answer 9

ummmm, My son works on an oil rig, in the U.S., I do believe that they are drilling for oil.

Answer 10

its the same question why lawyers won't put their hands in their own pockets.

or why don't people mind their own business or why people never want to stop bitching at me.

its cuz they have no lives and they are all loosers!!!

makes sense don't it? so simple yet sooo complex...