. . . in all humility, I submit the following for your consideration, which appeared in today's (10/2) edition of the Washington Times:
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Letters to the Editor
October 2, 2005
A rosy energy future
Carl Henn is far too pessimistic about the future of energy supplies in the United States ("Finite oil, guzzling fleets," Letters, Sept. 25). According to the Aug. 9, 2004 issue of Oil & Gas Journal, there are some 2 trillion barrels of oil available right here in the United States in oil shale deposits. That's nearly six times Saudi Arabia's proven oil reserves.
Today's prices make recovery of this oil attractive, and several companies are developing innovative technologies to extract it economically and without the environmental problems of older extraction methods.
For example, an article in the Sept. 21, 2005 issue of the Rocky Mountain News states that Shell Oil is currently testing a patented in-situ process that works like an in-ground refinery. The oil shale is heated and a gasoline-like product is extracted on the spot.
According to the article, this "eliminates the problem of waste disposal and enables a higher recovery of oil." Shell expects to have a commercially viable facility in operation by 2010, perhaps sooner if certain regulatory barriers were eliminated.
In addition to these enormous reserves of recoverable oil, there is a virtually unlimited supply of natural gas to be obtained from naturally occurring methane hydrate. According to the Department of Energy, "Worldwide, estimates of the natural gas potential of methane hydrate approach 400 million trillion cubic feet -- a staggering figure compared to the 5,500 trillion cubic feet that make up the world's currently proven gas reserves." That's 72,000 times our current proven reserves.
Contrary to Mr. Henn's fears, America's energy future looks bright.
ROGER JOHNSON
Kensington
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toot, toot
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Letters to the Editor
October 2, 2005
A rosy energy future
Carl Henn is far too pessimistic about the future of energy supplies in the United States ("Finite oil, guzzling fleets," Letters, Sept. 25). According to the Aug. 9, 2004 issue of Oil & Gas Journal, there are some 2 trillion barrels of oil available right here in the United States in oil shale deposits. That's nearly six times Saudi Arabia's proven oil reserves.
Today's prices make recovery of this oil attractive, and several companies are developing innovative technologies to extract it economically and without the environmental problems of older extraction methods.
For example, an article in the Sept. 21, 2005 issue of the Rocky Mountain News states that Shell Oil is currently testing a patented in-situ process that works like an in-ground refinery. The oil shale is heated and a gasoline-like product is extracted on the spot.
According to the article, this "eliminates the problem of waste disposal and enables a higher recovery of oil." Shell expects to have a commercially viable facility in operation by 2010, perhaps sooner if certain regulatory barriers were eliminated.
In addition to these enormous reserves of recoverable oil, there is a virtually unlimited supply of natural gas to be obtained from naturally occurring methane hydrate. According to the Department of Energy, "Worldwide, estimates of the natural gas potential of methane hydrate approach 400 million trillion cubic feet -- a staggering figure compared to the 5,500 trillion cubic feet that make up the world's currently proven gas reserves." That's 72,000 times our current proven reserves.
Contrary to Mr. Henn's fears, America's energy future looks bright.
ROGER JOHNSON
Kensington
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toot, toot
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