Originally posted by Roger in Kensington
I know that gloom and doom always entices (from The Population Bomb by Paul Ehrlich, to Famine, 1975! by William and Paul Paddock, to various end-of-world scenarios promulgated by an assortment of religions . . . BUT . . . the sky is not falling, Zebragirl.
While I am very much in favor of conservation and energy efficiency, let me offer a few facts.
Let's neglect for the moment the many billions of barrels of oil available domestically in Alaska, off our coasts (did you see recently that Mexico has found a huge oil deposit of its Caribbean coast?), plus what we are already producing domestically . . . all of which is available through conventional drilling and recovery.
Let's also neglect the (modestly) impressive amount of oil available from Alberta tar sands.
Did you know that the Department of Energy estimates that there is potentially over two trillion barrels of oil available right here in the good ol' USA in our own oil shale and tar sands deposits.
That simply dwarfs the proven reserves of the Middle East.
In terms of energy potential, though, that's nothing compared to what is available from methan hydrates. (Methane whatdrates, Roger?)
Take a look at this article from the Department of Energy. Let me quote it:
"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."
If you're keeping score, that's 72 thousand times current reserves, a virtually inexhaustible supply.
It is there for the taking.
Ethanol as a solution? Not likely unless someone develops a process to produce it efficiently without large inputs of fossil fuels. Otherwise, all you're going to do is drive up the price of beef and bourbon.
How about hydrogen? As an automotive fuel, forget it. Suggest you read The Hype About Hydrogen, by Joseph Romm. He's a global-warming hysteric (IMHO), but he makes excellent points about the pros and cons of hydrogen as an energy source. Furthermore, he provides a really good explanation of fuel-cell technology.
Do you feel any better, Zebragirl?
Take it from one of the "old guys" on this board: I've been subjected to far too many "sky-is-falling" predictions in my life --
of which have yet to materialize -- to be much concerned about us running out of oil. The ONLY way I see that happening is if moonbat tree-huggers keep us from exploiting the enormous energy supplies available to us.
As for $0.99-a-gallon gasoline, those days are gone for good.
While I am very much in favor of conservation and energy efficiency, let me offer a few facts.
Let's neglect for the moment the many billions of barrels of oil available domestically in Alaska, off our coasts (did you see recently that Mexico has found a huge oil deposit of its Caribbean coast?), plus what we are already producing domestically . . . all of which is available through conventional drilling and recovery.
Let's also neglect the (modestly) impressive amount of oil available from Alberta tar sands.
Did you know that the Department of Energy estimates that there is potentially over two trillion barrels of oil available right here in the good ol' USA in our own oil shale and tar sands deposits.
That simply dwarfs the proven reserves of the Middle East.
In terms of energy potential, though, that's nothing compared to what is available from methan hydrates. (Methane whatdrates, Roger?)
Take a look at this article from the Department of Energy. Let me quote it:
"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."
If you're keeping score, that's 72 thousand times current reserves, a virtually inexhaustible supply.
It is there for the taking.
Ethanol as a solution? Not likely unless someone develops a process to produce it efficiently without large inputs of fossil fuels. Otherwise, all you're going to do is drive up the price of beef and bourbon.
How about hydrogen? As an automotive fuel, forget it. Suggest you read The Hype About Hydrogen, by Joseph Romm. He's a global-warming hysteric (IMHO), but he makes excellent points about the pros and cons of hydrogen as an energy source. Furthermore, he provides a really good explanation of fuel-cell technology.
Do you feel any better, Zebragirl?
Take it from one of the "old guys" on this board: I've been subjected to far too many "sky-is-falling" predictions in my life --
of which have yet to materialize -- to be much concerned about us running out of oil. The ONLY way I see that happening is if moonbat tree-huggers keep us from exploiting the enormous energy supplies available to us.As for $0.99-a-gallon gasoline, those days are gone for good.
bird flu. thats some serious chit roger..........mark my words.
I was like.....why the heck didn't he tell us about it back when it was still below $10/share??? We had some money we could have invested in it, but I think, knowing my father in law, my wife and I will be seeing a chunk of the money whenever he does sell. The guy is extremely generous, especially with family.
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