LA Daily News: Oil crazy

Los Angeles Daily News

Oil crazy

Drilling in Alaska wilderness only enables overconsumption


Friday, March 18, 2005 - Finding the right moment to strike, the Bush administration pushed again this week to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration.

Oil prices had soared to $56 a barrel. Prices at the pumps hit more than $2 a gallon nationwide.

(snip)

But risking lasting long-term environmental degradation to one of the last truly pristine areas left in the country for the sake of a possible short-term solution is bad policy.

It would make a lot more sense if the president and the Senate were to balance new drilling with other polices designed to wean Americans from consuming oil at such a high rate. The only way to truly cut the country's dependence on foreign oil is to cut dependence on all oil.

http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20951~2768472,00.html#

The world uses 80 Million Barrels of Oil per day.

6 Billion barrels = 75 days of world supply

16 Billion barrels = 200 days of world supply

The US uses 20 Million Barrels of Oil per day.

6 Billion barrels = 300 days of US supply = .83 years

16 Billion Barrels = 800 days of US supply = 2.2 years

It will take 5-10 years before a drop of this oil hits a refinery.

Hardly seems worth the effort when raising the CAFE standards would save more than we get with drilling.

Tell that to oil junkie America.

Ironic that China, which worked so hard
to control opium is falling for automobiles
in a big way.

We'll let you drill in ANWR, if you give us CAFE standards of 40 mpg with no exemptions for SUVs.

You think they'd go for that? Neither do I. (Of course, I oppose drilling in ANWR.)

...is the short-sightedness of accelerating the exploitation of our oil resources. Setting aside the environment and the imperative to improve energy efficiency, is it good long-term strategy for us to consume American reserves now?

Peak oil is a reality. Demand will continue to rise along with prices, and oil will become an increasingly prescious commodity. The Bush energy policy, like his fiscal policy, is to consume our capital now and the future be damned.

What happens after we burn through the 1-2 year U.S. supply of ANWR oil? We'll be even more at the mercy of OPEC, without having decreased our demand and with nothing left in the bank.

Right now it makes little sense to tap the last of our reserves, or to despoil a pristine wildlife refuge for a year's supply that will make little if any difference. That resource will be much more vital to a future generation of Americans, but Bush and the Republicans seem intent on leaving our grandchildren with little besides massive debt.