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Drilling for oil in the US

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  • 04-09-2008 2:10pm
    #1
    bobbyjoe
    Closed Accounts Posts: 798 ✭✭✭


    One of the main points that seems to be coming from the Republicans is that they will open up more parts of the US to drill for oil. The environmental lobby has been somehow stopping this. They have been in power for the last eight years what has changed that means McCain/Palin will be able to do this?


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    #2
    Mr. Presentable
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,496 ✭✭✭Mr. Presentable


    The price of oil now makes it economically feasable to ride roughshod over any objectors.


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    #3
    Spaceman Spiff
    Registered Users Posts: 77 ✭✭Spaceman Spiff


    bobbyjoe wrote: »
    One of the main points that seems to be coming from the Republicans is that they will open up more parts of the US to drill for oil. The environmental lobby has been somehow stopping this. They have been in power for the last eight years what has changed that means McCain/Palin will be able to do this?

    Well they haven't had complete control for 8 years (only about 6). But the reason is because the oil they want to drill isn't just in any old place, its in a Wildlife Reserve, which causes just as many problems with their own laws as it does with the environmentalists (which aren't really a problem at all).

    Anyways, in short, not enough people in government felt that destroying an important wildlife refuge was worth it for the 6 months of oil it would provide for the U.S.


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    #4
    MCMLXXXIII
    Closed Accounts Posts: 412 ✭✭MCMLXXXIII


    Spiff has it right. "They" say that the US only has 3% of the world's oil reserves. Even if "they" are a large bit off...it's still not much oil.

    The VP nominee was able to drop property taxes by 60% in a state that has no income tax and no sales tax (VAT). Sounds great, but no one mentioned that Alaska has one of the most expensive natural resources in the country, and it supports everyone there.

    There's about 650,000 people in Alaska.
    There's about 300,000,000 people in the US.

    All the oil in all of Alaska isn't going to be enough for the US to stop borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Middle East. It's not going to reduce anyone's dependancy on anyone else's oil, and there will be billions spent on building oil wells and rigs - billions that the US doesn't have - unless they want to go another trillion in debt...which according to the past 8 years, the "responsible spending" party doesn't seem to have a problem doing.


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    #5
    Pocono Joe
    Closed Accounts Posts: 795 ✭✭✭Pocono Joe


    Spaceman Spiff wrote: »
    Anyways, in short, not enough people in government felt that destroying an important wildlife refuge...

    Ahhhh yes... ANWAR. The 19 million acre light green section of Alaska shown in the map below. How many new this?

    ANWAR.jpg


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    #6
    jank
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 13,018 ✭✭✭✭jank


    More drilling is pointless. Like putting the finger in the dam!


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    #7
    Black Swan
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,258 CMod ✭✭✭✭Black Swan


    You are obviously not a member of the US oil lobby that contributes millions USD to McCain-Palin PACs, and expects a return on their investment that greatly exceeds their campaign donations.


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    #8
    barnicles
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,910 ✭✭✭barnicles


    Keep drilling I say. The price of oil is madness!


    W00t 600 posts :D


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    #9
    BenjAii
    Closed Accounts Posts: 545 ✭✭✭BenjAii


    The amount of oil that could be produced from the Alaskan Wildlife Reserve is so small it would have negligible impact on global oil prices; even the supporters of drilling acknowledge this.

    The debate about drilling for oil in Alaska is in any case peripheral to the central issue facing the US and the rest of the world with regard to energy, that our present reliance on petroleum is economically unsustainable.

    The fact that we are at, or soon to be at, global peak oil production means we face the cost of oil constantly escalating. In addition the economic cost of climate change if it is not reversed soon will be utterly enormous.

    The urgent issue is how we speed and manage the shift to a far less petroleum reliant economy.


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    #10
    Hobbes
    Registered Users Posts: 21,264 ✭✭✭✭Hobbes


    Pocono Joe wrote: »
    Ahhhh yes... ANWAR. The 19 million acre light green section of Alaska shown in the map below. How many knew this?

    If you checked up more you would find that all reports on the amount of oil in ANWAR would keep USA in oil for anywhere under a year to one and a half years totally or just over two years according to current administration (that is based on car gas usage only).

    Ignoring that the USA has over 16 years of oil currently not exploited outside of ANWAR and a bill was recently passed opening up a lot of that oil.

    The locals don't want oil drilling there btw.


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    #11
    irish_bob
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,271 ✭✭✭irish_bob


    this talk of drilling is just more reaching out to the gop base


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