OT oil shortage

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Mon Jul 9 09:41:41 2001

What's more, they (the Oil interests) would really hate it if they were require
to sell all the production from the U.S. to the U.S. and stop exporting.

Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: "joe" <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2001 7:25 AM
Subject: Re: OT oil shortage was: Celebration (Not intended to be offensive,
possible humor)


> Sorry for continuing this thread but I couldn't let this one pass!
>
> At 03:00 PM 7/8/01 -0400, Chad wrote:
>
> >Joe,
> >
> >I originally meant to send this a few days ago. I wrote it off-line and
> >it has been sitting in my out-box, but here goes :-)
> >
> >I don't think "crisis" is quite accurate. The oil industry has had
> >several refineries burn, and who knows, maybe some of them are old or
> >undersize.
>
> I think you need to do your home work. The oil companies have been
> shutting down refineries. They've shutdown almost 30% of the refineries in
> this country in the last ten years.
>
>
> > They may need to build more. or rebuild burned ones. The
> >electricity problems comes from growing and growing use, without
> >appropriate updates on the power system.
>
> That's very true but the problems with the electrical power industry
> are due to a shortage of generating stations (particularly in California)
> and has NOTHING to do with oil refinery capacity or any supposed oil shortage.
>
>
> >Drilling in new locations isn't supposed to increase refinery capacity.
> >It is part of a longer range solution.
>
> Horseshit! They're closing down wells everyday and have been for
> years! Take a drive through Lousianna sometime! I was in Alaska a couple
> of years ago and toured nearly the full length of the Alaskan pipeline.
> Even it's only running at about 40% of it's capacity. The only reason that
> they want to drill in ANWAR and GOM is because the oil companies want a
> CHEAPER source of oil so they can increase their already record profits!
> That's the same reason that the US continues to import oil from the middle
> east. Even with their price increases it's still cheaper to buy their oil
> than it is to produce our own.
>
> If the government is serious about a "long range solutions" then they
> should mandate that ALL cars achive 30mpg by say 2006, then raise it to
> 35mpg by 2011, then 40 mpg by 2016, etc until we achive the best practicle
> mileage. 50 mpg is very possible, a number of standard production cars
> have already achived it. That's only one step, there are hundreds if not
> thousands of other practicle solutions. Another solution would be to
> mandate solar hot water heaters in all homes. I have one in my home and
> it's been my only source of hot water for over 15 years and I've never run
> out of hot water.
>
>
> > Drilling in new locations is
> >something a lot of countries are doing.
>
> Sure, because they all want to be independent of foreign sources and
> because it's a huge source of revenue.
>
>
> > Drilling in the North Sea is
> >being done now, or maybe deeper water than normal..... I don't recall.
> >I have seen a show on Discovery or TLC about the building of the
> >platform. It was a huge engineering feat the way they built it.
>
> Yes, the engineering is impressive but again that has nothing to do with
> the "nessesicity" for drilling in ANWAR or GOM.
>
>
> >Personally, I'd like to see a move away from oil, not totally, but maybe
> >a diversification. I'd like to see cars powered by grain alcohol,
> >although I admit, I don't really know any specifics.
>
> I know a good bit about alcohol powered vehicles, I've been
> experimenting with them since the late 60s. Alcohol is not nearly as
> powerfull, cost effective or as efficient as gasoline. Alcohol also has
> major incompatibilities with the components of automotive fuel systems. A
> number of companies have tried selling gasoline with alcohol added
> but AFIK they're all dropped it due to the cost, performance and other
> problems.
>
>
> > Something might
> >have to be done about people drinking the contents of ones gas tank :-)
>
>
> That would cure the population problem! Nearly all of the alcohol
> sold in this country, including that used in fuel, is either nearly pure
> methyl alcohol or has methyl alcohol, formaldahyde or other poisons added
> to it to "de-nature" it. "De-natured" is a polite way of saying that it's
> poisonous! The government requires that expressly so that people won't be
> able to drink it. Let's burn gasoline in our cars (at least till something
> better comes along) and save the grain alcohol for drinking!
>
> Joe
>
>
Received on Mon Jul 09 2001 - 09:41:41 BST