Offshore Drilling Smokescreen
Yesterday the United States House of Representatives approved an energy bill. This included a package of energy initiatives, including measures that would allow oil drilling as close as 50 miles off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and to finance the long-term development of alternative energy sources.
Frightening is the thought of how much power ignorant bumbling politicians have. They are voting on issues they seem to have no clue about.
As mentioned in a previous post, it will take at least a decade before production in the oilfields will be on-line.
Is this legislation serious, or only trying to get votes for November? 85 per cent of known offshore oil reserves are inside the 50-mile mark, so these new areas 100 miles out will not make much difference.
The United State's own Energy Information Administration (EIA) has published a report on the energy outlook to 2030. In it the EIA stated that it will take at least a decade before there is production from these offshore continental shelf areas.
The Offshore Energy & Minerals Management Service(MMS) has estimated in their strategic plan for the period 2007 to 2012, there are around 18 billion barrels in the underwater areas now off-limits to drilling. There are 10 billion barrels of known oil reserves available for exploitation in oilfields in the Gulf of Mexico, coastal Alaska and off the coast of southern California. In addition an estimated 86 billion are yet to be discovered. The information is so upto date that even undiscovered oilfields are known!
To put these figures in context, according to the Energy Information Administration, the U.S. uses 7.6 billion barrels of oil a year. World consumption is 31.8 billion barrels a year.
The EIA estimates that by 2030, U.S. oil demand will be 8.4 billion barrels a year. The world demand is expected to be 43 billion barrels a year.
A month ago House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ruled out a vote on new offshore oil drilling. But this is election year and the election is close, so they vote election tactically instead of on principle.
Recently there has been a swing in public opinion, towards allowing offshore drilling. This is dynamic democracy, with parties vioting according to the latest gallup poll we can do away with elactions, and even political parties for that matter, since party principles appear to be outdated.
Beyond 100 miles offshore is far enough away from ecotourists, so there can be a free-for-all. Between 50 miles to 100 miles from shore, states will have the choice whether to allow drilling, and no drilling will be allowed within 50 miles of shore. The Republicans say the measures are not enough. They want to drill three miles off the coast.
Congress has until Sept. 30, when the current ban on offshore oil drilling will expire, and exploration will be allowed as close as three miles off all U.S. coastlines. Congress has renewed bans on drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the eastern Gulf of Mexico off Florida yearly for the past 26 years.
A mention of oil-shale slipped in among the hoo-ha about a pointless offshore legislation. That is where the real oil resources in the United States lie. This legislation allows for oil-shale development in Western states. That is something environmentalists should take note of. Maybe the drilling 100 miles offshore is a smokescreen for developing oil-shale and oil-sand deposits?
Frightening is the thought of how much power ignorant bumbling politicians have. They are voting on issues they seem to have no clue about.
As mentioned in a previous post, it will take at least a decade before production in the oilfields will be on-line.
Is this legislation serious, or only trying to get votes for November? 85 per cent of known offshore oil reserves are inside the 50-mile mark, so these new areas 100 miles out will not make much difference.
The United State's own Energy Information Administration (EIA) has published a report on the energy outlook to 2030. In it the EIA stated that it will take at least a decade before there is production from these offshore continental shelf areas.
The Offshore Energy & Minerals Management Service(MMS) has estimated in their strategic plan for the period 2007 to 2012, there are around 18 billion barrels in the underwater areas now off-limits to drilling. There are 10 billion barrels of known oil reserves available for exploitation in oilfields in the Gulf of Mexico, coastal Alaska and off the coast of southern California. In addition an estimated 86 billion are yet to be discovered. The information is so upto date that even undiscovered oilfields are known!
To put these figures in context, according to the Energy Information Administration, the U.S. uses 7.6 billion barrels of oil a year. World consumption is 31.8 billion barrels a year.
The EIA estimates that by 2030, U.S. oil demand will be 8.4 billion barrels a year. The world demand is expected to be 43 billion barrels a year.
A month ago House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ruled out a vote on new offshore oil drilling. But this is election year and the election is close, so they vote election tactically instead of on principle.
Recently there has been a swing in public opinion, towards allowing offshore drilling. This is dynamic democracy, with parties vioting according to the latest gallup poll we can do away with elactions, and even political parties for that matter, since party principles appear to be outdated.
Beyond 100 miles offshore is far enough away from ecotourists, so there can be a free-for-all. Between 50 miles to 100 miles from shore, states will have the choice whether to allow drilling, and no drilling will be allowed within 50 miles of shore. The Republicans say the measures are not enough. They want to drill three miles off the coast.
Congress has until Sept. 30, when the current ban on offshore oil drilling will expire, and exploration will be allowed as close as three miles off all U.S. coastlines. Congress has renewed bans on drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the eastern Gulf of Mexico off Florida yearly for the past 26 years.
A mention of oil-shale slipped in among the hoo-ha about a pointless offshore legislation. That is where the real oil resources in the United States lie. This legislation allows for oil-shale development in Western states. That is something environmentalists should take note of. Maybe the drilling 100 miles offshore is a smokescreen for developing oil-shale and oil-sand deposits?
Labels: offshore oil drilling, oil reserves, oil sands, oil shale, oil shales
posted by abacusteam at
September 18, 2008
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