Drilling in ANWR...Will it make a difference?
Just another quick post that no one will probably comment on....but I've got to get it out there anyways....it's something that is important to me...
So PLEASE someone...anyone...i don’t care who you are....PLEASE tell me the good that will come out of this?? Because all I see is waste and destruction. And yes God gave us dominion over the creatures of this world, but what gives us the right to disregard their lives and their habitats???? Why don’t we just send the Hummers to the Arctic and let them run the Polar Bears down now...and get it over with. Because if we drill in ANWR that is basically what we will be doing..........
Fast Facts on Drilling and Gas Prices
Drilling will not lower gas prices today or solve our energy crisis.
• Even the U.S. Energy Information Administration has said that massive exploitation of new oil deposits will not produce oil for nearly a decade -- and then will not lower gasoline prices by more than a few cents per gallon.
• Under the Bush Administration, drilling permits have risen from 3,802 to 7,561 between 2002 and 2007. Eight years of increased oil leasing and production on America’s public lands has left us with nothing but high gas prices for consumers and record profits for Big Oil companies.
• More drilling would not affect world oil prices. The US has less than 3% of the world's oil reserves, yet we consume almost 25% of the world's oil.
Expanded drilling threatens permanent damage to wildlife.
Expanded drilling threatens permanent damage to wildlife.
• Offshore drilling threatens dolphins, whales, sea turtles and other imperiled wildlife. Drilling discharges mercury and other toxins into our fragile ecosystems. Such pollution can destroy beaches, and poison and kill the marine wildlife that we all care about. The noise from drilling is also incredibly disruptive to marine mammals. So while oil companies like ExxonMobil would continue to swim in record profits, dolphins and whales could become fatally disoriented, beach themselves and die.
• Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge threatens polar bears and other Arctic wildlife. The noise and disturbance caused by drilling in the Arctic Refuge -- the most important onshore denning habitat for America’s struggling polar bears -- could cause polar bear mothers to abandon their cubs to die.
• Expanded drilling perpetuates global warming. Such drilling would further extend America’s dependence on climate-changing fuel sources that are threatening the very survival of polar bears and other animals.
The following is a link the the Energy Information Administration's ‘Analysis of Crude Oil Production in the Arctic national Wildlife Refuge’
Please pay close attention to page 9 (which shows the facts of why we would see no production from ANWR for a decade) and page 17 (which says that oil production would have little effect on world oil prices).
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/anwr/pdf/sroiaf(2008)03.pdf#page=1
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/anwr/pdf/sroiaf(2008)03.pdf#page=1
So PLEASE someone...anyone...i don’t care who you are....PLEASE tell me the good that will come out of this?? Because all I see is waste and destruction. And yes God gave us dominion over the creatures of this world, but what gives us the right to disregard their lives and their habitats???? Why don’t we just send the Hummers to the Arctic and let them run the Polar Bears down now...and get it over with. Because if we drill in ANWR that is basically what we will be doing..........
posted by Kari at
9:05 AM
11 Comments:
By
Anonymous, at July 03, 2008 10:07 AM
We want out "stuff", we want to be comfortable, and we are greedy and adverse to change. That is the human condition. We don't even treat ech other decent - the polar bears are pretty much on their own.
I know that is harsh sounding but this is a road we have been heading down for so long that I'm afraid anything that might have fixed the problem will now be too little, too late.
Now I'm depressed....
By
Dee Martin, at July 03, 2008 11:44 AM
The answer is..... WE SUFFER!
That's right, suffering is the only way anything gets done and done right. The end of complacency, fat wallets, fat fingers and *phunky* *phat* living has finally begun.
LET IT HAPPEN Americans!.. We have no, no no right to be as spoiled as we have become, and it is finally catching up with us.
Suffering is the cure to what ails us, and the quickest way out of the mess we've put ourselves in. Drilling, living lives we cannot afford, Drilling some more, raping our already raped land till there is nothing left, is NOT the answer. The obvious conclusion to the debacle we have put ourselves in. is to now suffer. Prepare yourselves now and let the GREATEST Depression begin. The sooner, the better and the quicker we can become stronger.
Listen up kidos... it's your future we're talking about, so...think about it. Do you want to be old and feeble with fountains of oil spewing from your backyard, or do you want green grass, gentle creatures, blue skys and a sun that doesn't blister your skin when you layout in your garden as you enjoy the peace and quiet brought to you by your parents and your grandparents who said.. "let us suffer, so our children and grandchildren can live like humans and not as crude, oil hunting, neanderthals"
By
Anonymous, at July 03, 2008 12:55 PM
The world's biggest publicly traded company by revenue posted net earnings of $39.5 billion on revenue of $377.6 billion last year, topping its previous profit record of $36.1 billion in 2005, which at the time was the largest for any U.S. company.
The cost of Crude makes up the majority of the cost of the stuff at the pump, with taxes being the second highest cost factor. Exxon makes 10% profit which is well within acceptable percentage. If Exxon were to just break even, then gas that was $4.00 a gallon would be $3.60 a gallon. However if you take the 38 cents tax applied at the pump and the $30 billion of taxes paid on the profit. Then that gallon of gas would cost $3.27 a gallon, this is a rough estimate as it is hard to calculate an effective tax rate to cents per gallon. So even with no taxes and no profit the cost would still be $2.87 a gallon. The problem is that American oil companies only control 10% of crude production and they have to purchase the reminder from government controlled concerns like Saudi Arabia and etc. Global oil production is declining, from 85 million barrels per day to 60 million barrels per day by 2015. While demand is expected to increase 14%, I do not see how we can conserve our way out of this. It appears that demand for oil is such, it will always be more than production; thus the depletion rate will continue until all recoverable oil is extracted. When things get bad enough even everyone will be wanting to drill anywhere, problem is it will be too late.
Just because it will take several years to get production online is no reason not to precede at least it will be some relief in the near future. If this had been done 15 years ago, then prices would be around $3.00 and not $4.00 a gallon (estimated of course).
My point of this post? Blaming the oil companies for this while it might make you feel good, is a waste of time. The future of reliable fuel alternatives is more than 15 to 20 years in the future, even longer if our leaders continue to do nothing but point their finger to the other side of the room and blame each other like a bunch of five year olds. Had or elected officials done what they needed to do fifteen years ago, we would not be in this big mess, we would still have a problem but not to the degree as it is now. However they continue to do what it takes to get elected and not what needs to be done. Talk is cheap (speeches), action is all the counts (what they really do).
I lived through the 70's during gas rationing, so I am just getting ready as it will not be too long before it will be here again. I am just waiting for the close to anarchy that will be taking place in America when we are forced to face reality. Energy usage levels will be forced back to 1950 levels well maybe 1960's in any case it is coming. It will be interesting to see those liberal type's when they actually have to conserve at the level they think everyone else should be at now.
On a side note, I have found it interesting that every liberal type that I know owns a regular gas burning vehicle. While I on the other hand (nope I am middle ground, hate republicans as much as democrats as they are both useless liars) drive a hybrid. I know there are liberals out there that put their money where their mouth is (just not very many of them), as with anyone my world of influence is round 250 people. So out of the 120 or so that i know, have a regular gas guzzler.
Information gathered from Securities & Exchange Commission and IEA's websites.
By
Anonymous, at July 05, 2008 2:55 PM
By
Denise, at July 05, 2008 4:14 PM
Anonymous - Thank you! But we don’t necessarily have to suffer....conserving doesn't have to mean suffering.....just not thinking we deserve whatever we want now, would help!
Dad - First....where is that $30 billion in taxes going?! 10% does sound reasonable...but the scale at which that 10% is, is not reasonable. It’s reasonable for your business to make a 100% profit...but would it be reasonable for say AT&T to make that same percentage of profit as you. I believe the dollar amount should be a factoring concern. And I believe oil companies should make a profit after all, but not easily. Have you seen how much these guys are getting paid.. I don’t think they are too concerned about the future of THEIR well-being.
Demand would only continue to rise if we were lead to believe that now that we have our own oil...go ahead and use it up as much as you want and we will let our grandchildren worry about what to do when they start running out again.......Although, if we let them drill in ANWR, what’s going to stop them from drilling in other places now. When will it stop? Yes, we are drilling other places, does it mean we have to drill everywhere just because we’ve started something doesn’t mean we can’t stop, When are people going to start recognizing the real problem, GREED, and finding solutions to that problem, instead of our “addiction” to oil. And.....”When things get bad enough even everyone will be wanting to drill anywhere...” I’m sure people love you telling them what they are going to be wanting...I for one wont let you speak for me.
And ten years ago if automakers and oil companies had allowed the electric vehicle to stay on the roads then gas would be even cheaper because, by now, most people wouldn’t even be using gas.......The technology is there..........watch “Who Killed the Electric Car”
And I don’t believe I have blamed JUST the oil companies...yes they are to blame but there are many more factors than just them.....government officials......automakers...and the consumers who believe they have to have the biggest and best and screw the consequences future generations will have to deal with.
On a side note....The liberals we know ride bikes...And one has even quit his second job because it was to far from his home. Lets not forget the other vehicle that you drive.....Joe and I spend (on average) about $90 a month in gas (and thats with both cars...and we are about to sale my car) and Joe get reimbursed for about $40 of that because of work....how much do you average for both vehicles?? The hybrid is a good step and all but weigh in all factors. What is your electric bill each month?? What is your gas bill??
Mom - Just curious what was the point you were trying to prove with your article? That In June (when that article was published) McCain didn't want to drill in ANWR but fast forward to July and he is all about it? Or that just because an area that endanger species call one of the very last homes isn't the most beautiful place for humans to lay eyes on....screw ‘em?????
By
Kari, at July 06, 2008 3:36 PM
Maybe I should've made myself clear in my last post. I was trying to be funny and sarcastic, but I think I failed. I know there are alternatives to gas running cars, but they're just too expensive. Maybe I missed it on the site, but I never saw any quotes for how much one of those little beauties cost. I did see where Toyota made a RAV 4 EV for a while with a base price of $42,000. Sweet fancy! The average person just can't afford payments on a car like that! While I'm sure it will save the consumer money in the long run by having to buy little or no gas, and I know it would be more beneficial to the environment, not many folks can plunk down that kind of change. Just out of curiosity, how come you guys got rid of your hybrid? It was so cool! I think the problem is that people are more concerned with the here and now. They're not thinking about saving the planet later...they're worried about saving money today.
By
Anonymous, at July 07, 2008 10:04 AM
At the time you could not buy an EV1 because they were only offered at Lease (which is why GM was able to pull them all back and have each one, except for a few for car museums w/o the battery, and destroy them). The lease price per month was $400-$500, which i probably even less that you pay on a normal vehicle considering your monthly car payment plus gas plus maintenance(WAY less to maintain in the EV). No, not everyone would be able to afford that, but had they continued to develop them and being mass production the price tag probably could have dropped. Kind of like the Tessla & the Phoenix now...they are both being manufactured by a private company who can not mass produce so they come with a VERY high price tag & a REALLY long wait list.
We sold the Hybrid for 2 reasons...#1 it didn't get as good mpg as we had hoped for and #2 Joe got a motorcycle instead, which got WAY better mpg. But then when he started working at the school he had to have a car so that’s when we got the Scion...that gets between 30 or 33mpg (can’t remember for sure)
By
Kari, at July 07, 2008 10:42 AM
By
Larr, at July 07, 2008 10:56 AM
Let's start, by reading the stats that matter. It should NOT be about money, how much we are spending or how much they are making. It should be about how many more cars we are putting on the road that burn our lungs and how more children than ever are being diagnosed with asthma and other dibilating illnesses. It should be about, how cancer is on the rise and how obesity...well...this is about oil.
We have a responsibility, not to big business, not to big oil and not to our wallets, but to our children, our health, our planet and all of those that inhabit it.
Greedy politicians, greedy americans, greed in all forms and fashion is what we must combat. We have become so consumed by the all mighty dollar that we have lost sight of what is right. Drilling in ANWR will just perpetuate this greed and do nothing for what problems we are about to face when our population doubles, again. People are nervous about what will happen if we DON'T drill, but what they should be nervous about is what will happen if we do. Maybe not now, maybe not 10 years from now, but the worse is yet to come, the future is now.
And if we drill, We are the ones we are killing by continuing on the same track.
And yes, we DO have the technology to make our futures much brighter. Maybe not the technology to haul 2 tons up a steep hill doing 70,(yet) but we do have the technology that would allow 90% of americans to get to work, go the store, pick up the kids and get home without using a drop of gas and instead use all natural renewable energy. We just have to demand it from those that want THAT technology gone.
By
Anonymous, at July 08, 2008 9:22 AM
You might enjoy this....a car that gets over 100 miles to a gallon
http://videos.kansas.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=1909059&item_index=27
LOve ya,
Aunt Darlene
By
Darlene, at July 12, 2008 1:37 PM
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