[joeltrout]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ROCKMAN', '
')
Clarification: a capped well usually means its been plugged and abandoned.

[ROCKMAN]

Well zeke, this latest press release should shove you right over the edge. Fr a few days we've listened to Nancy and Harry argue agaisnt expanding drilling on Federal lands including the Outer Continental Shelf. Hot off the wire:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., on Thursday announced a new energy package that would include measures to speed the production and delivery of oil from federal land in Alaska that is currently home to limited drilling. The measure would also encourage the construction of a pipeline to deliver oil from Alaska to the 48 states in the continental U.S.

"Democrats support increasing the domestic production of petroleum and other energy resources," Hoyer said. "Some people have missed it."

Republicans have repeatedly accused Democrats of failing to increase supplies. The GOP is pushing for increased drilling off the coast and in environmentally sensitive areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Now, House Democrats are suggesting alternatives, and will seek to speed up production in the National Petroleum Reserve, an area in Alaska already approved for drilling but where so far much of the land hasn't been leased.

"This administration has been dragging its feet on leasing those areas," Hoyer said.


We gonna have to give the Dems and Repubs different colored uniforms so we can tell who's who.

[zeke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ROCKMAN', 'W')ell zeke, this latest press release should shove you right over the edge.

We gonna have to give the Dems and Repubs different colored uniforms so we can tell who's who.

[Kingcoal]

People are in denial over oil. The other problem is that the average person is either to lazy or doesn't have the mental facilities to be able to comprehend the concepts of EROEI and other supply/demand conciderations. For example, suppose you had a Ghwar in your backyard, but you could only produce a couple barrels a day. Such a well would hardly be worth the drilling and operating cost. People don't do well when you get beyound simple, one dimensional economics.

[CarlosFerreira]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ROCKMAN', 'W')ell zeke, this latest press release should shove you right over the edge. Fr a few days we've listened to Nancy and Harry argue agaisnt expanding drilling on Federal lands including the Outer Continental Shelf. Hot off the wire:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., on Thursday announced a new energy package that would include measures to speed the production and delivery of oil from federal land in Alaska that is currently home to limited drilling. The measure would also encourage the construction of a pipeline to deliver oil from Alaska to the 48 states in the continental U.S.

"Democrats support increasing the domestic production of petroleum and other energy resources," Hoyer said. "Some people have missed it."

Republicans have repeatedly accused Democrats of failing to increase supplies. The GOP is pushing for increased drilling off the coast and in environmentally sensitive areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Now, House Democrats are suggesting alternatives, and will seek to speed up production in the National Petroleum Reserve, an area in Alaska already approved for drilling but where so far much of the land hasn't been leased.

"This administration has been dragging its feet on leasing those areas," Hoyer said.

[zeke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MattS', 'W')hy would the average person NEED to comprehend any of this stuff? Is the presumption that they would change their behavior if they did? As long as they can pick up a hose and put it in their tanks, I don't think they need to know much of anything other than to pull it out when the thing clicks at them.

[zeke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MattS', 'I') don't equate "free lunch" with wastefulness either.

"Free lunch" strikes me as some abstract where people think they get something for nothing. This is different from wasteulness where we get something which ISN'T a free lunch, and then don't use it to the maximum.

[zeke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MattS', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('zeke', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MattS', '
')"Free lunch" strikes me as some abstract where people think they get something for nothing. This is different from wasteulness where we get something which ISN'T a free lunch, and then don't use it to the maximum.

[ROCKMAN]

Jumping back for a moment to the shifting attitudes of politicians. Some may already know this but: GW's withdrawing the executive order banning drilling in those particular OCS has really set the Congress up. A few days ago I learned the Congressional ban expires yearly in Sept. So Congress just can't sit back and do nothing to prevent new drilling: each congressman will have stand up in front of that giant spot light (certain to be there) and vote to continue the ban. Given the latest poll that 70 to 80% of the angry villagers (especially the liberal side of the coin) are in favor of the drilling we ought to see some world class tap dancing this fall.

There are some aspects of PO that really do tickle the hell out of me.

[zeke]

in a clip I heard the other day, he squarely set responsibility (blame) right onto congress for "getting in the way of cheaper gas for the american people"...paraphrasing, there, but like a punk little kid, he basically grabbed the microphone and said "it's all THEIR fault" and can now run off to work more behind the scenes malarkey while the real issues and solutions get completely papered over.

zeke

[ROCKMAN]

Actually Matt it's the politics that I find amusing in a frustrating way. It doesn't matter how many good ideas there may be to deal with PO the politician will lead the angry villagers down the path that best benefits the politicians.

And yep...hopefully good through retirement. But since you bring up the matter of personal enrichment I should point out that any efforts to bring on additional production from many of the projects you mention are counterproductive to about 95% of the oil patch. Remember we sell a commodity for a living. Putting more on the market only lowers our selling price. 99% of the oil companies in the US will never make a penny off of the North Slope, undrilled areas of the OCS or the tar sands. Though I'm all for developing additional FF sources to help (even if its just a little) to soften the impact of PO that sentiment runs completely contrary to my self interest. On the other hand, I am a patriot and sympathetic to the plight of all the poor in the world. This why I'm here: to aid the discussion with whatever minor contributions I might make.

[ROCKMAN]

You're so right zeke. We should prepare ourselves for an almost endless string of finger pointers from all sides of the issue. The worse outcome would be the angry villagers never hearing important speeches because they'll be drowned out by all the BS.

[zeke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ROCKMAN', 'Y')ou're so right zeke. We should prepare ourselves for an almost endless string of finger pointers from all sides of the issue. The worse outcome would be the angry villagers never hearing important speeches because they'll be drowned out by all the BS.

[TreeFarmer]

Two or three days ago I was bored and channel surfing. I watched 10 mins of Wolf Blitzer on CNN only because he was interviewing Ben Stein.

Interestingly enough Ben Stein said he wrote the first comprehensive energy policy for the country back in the Nixon administration, Nixon then sent it to congress who did nothing with it...

A bit later on, Wolf asked Ben to rate both candidates energy policies. Ben replied, "when it comes to energy neither of these guys could find his butt with both hands." Talk about an accurate statement.

TF