Drill Our Way Out!

[bennelson]

Grr.

Just been watching a little bit more politics on the television.

I am constantly amazed at how many people think that the biggest problem in America is just that we aren't drilling enough oil.

Over and over, we are hearing about just drilling more and "energy independence" in the same sentence.

The problem isn't oil. And it isn't that we aren't drilling enough. The problem is our culture - how we view fossil fuel use, and how dependent we have become on it.

There really isn't a shortage. I can buy all the gasoline I want. I just don't like the price of it. But just because I don't like the price of it, doesn't mean we should throw wars, have bad foreign policy, and cause ecological problems.

Somehow, the way everyone is talking about drilling, sounds like an alcoholic saying that being out of liquor is the problem.

Isn't it time that we take a new look at how we live our lives, rather than just going at everything the same, only "faster, harder, deeper"

You can't drill yourself out of a hole!

[bbjsw10]

I have been thinking the same thing lately, alot. We are so addicted to oil it is not even funny. I am slowly thinking EV is the only way to go. It has been consuming my thoughts at times.

We need drastic measures to knock down the automotive and oil industries. They are big and strong but with numbers any thing is possible. I am trying to save the world and not afraid to admit it. Call me a tree-hugger, nerd, whatever you like. I just think it is about time we take care of our home.

We buy anti-bacterial soaps, cleaners, vacuums, mops, brooms, etc for inside our homes but WTH are we doing to the outsides. You can not buy a spray for that. And wars over oil enough is enough.

[metroschultz]

Right you are.
When you find yourself in a hole the first thing to do is
!!!!!!!!STOP DIGGING!!!!!
Us Darn Tree Huggers Gotta stick together.
S.

[RH77]

I support your opinion, but I can see the topic becoming Politically charged quickly.

Any respondents, I ask to please consider your reply.

RH77
Moderator

[bikin' Ed]

I kinda like the idea of drilling, with the mandate that all of our oil stays here in the US. I believe it would bring the price of gasoline down and create many new jobs. Most of us have always been "hypermilers" of some sort most of our lives--we just didn't know it or have a name for it. We are, by nature the appointed stewards of the land and it is our lot to conserve and teach others to do the same. It is just as important to conserve $2/gal fuel as it is $4 fuel, as there is a limited quantity. Unfortunately, it is a sign of our times that the general public doesn't care about anything until it directly affects them personally. If we could bring about a change of attitude all of the rest would work itself out.

[mavinwy]

On an environmental side, I can see the desire to stop drilling.

On an economy side, and until we get the alternate fuels up and available and effective, I still see the need for maintaining the current status and expanding it somewhat.

The idea of keeping it in the country is nice....but we are part of a global economy, and the fact is....other countries pay more.

Is additional drilling the only answer...No.
Is it part of the solution....yes.
If we all conserve what we can will it help as well...sure

Jim

[igo]

I say wait until things start looking really bad before we increase drilling in the US. I don't think we have it the really bad point yet.

Just think of all the oil left in US ground as one giant stratigic petrolum reserve.

[MechEngVT]

I don't think it's so much that we've become dependent on oil use per se, we've become addicted to prosperity and its ability to insulate us fragile humans from the harsh realities of nature. Oil (and coal to a large degree) is only the present means by which we achieve that prosperity and the lifestyle it affords.

Bennelson is right, our cultural attitudes are largely a problem and a shift in those attitudes can reduce wanton waste, but will not magically contribute to whole-scale elimination of the use of "fossil fuels." I support an energy policy of "more, cheaper, cleaner." Cheap energy is the engine of prosperity, more energy makes it cheaper and available to a wider segment of global population, and more people with more cheap energy will then be able to contribute to a cleaner world. Environmentalism is a luxury for "rich" nations while people in poor nations are forced to strip whatever they can from the earth to make their existence less brutal or even just possible.

The reality is that in the near term we will require additional oil to continue our way of life until technological breakthroughs enable larger portions of people to do more with less energy or enable us to use different forms of energy. I would much rather more of that energy come from within the USA/Canadian borders where I expect environmental oversight and regulations are far more strict than they are in the Middle East or Russia.

Mandating or price manipulating energy use into minimal levels slows technological breakthroughs, reduces availability of energy to the poor, and diverts money from "green" pursuits into replacing the functions that cheap energy once allowed. All in all, less more expensive energy I think is more likely to harm the environment than help it.

[jamesqf]

The reality is that in the near term we will require additional oil to continue our way of life...

Seems to me that's a big part of the problem right there. What exactly is so great about the current American way of life that we should continue at any cost, instead of looking at ways in which we might actually improve quality of life while using less fuel?

I think most people have things just backwards, because they're stuck on the idea that a lot of oil is necessary for everything. That for instance 30 mpg is really good fuel economy, that personal transportation has to be this big chunk of metal that also compensates for all your insecurities, that stuff has to be hauled in diesel-powered trucks, long-distance travel has to be in jet airplanes, and so on.

Raise the price of oil, and people start thinking outside the box, as we've seen in this last price increase. They start to wonder for instance whether they really need to be driving a Hummer, when doing so costs more than they can afford - and some might even begin to wonder why they ever thought they wanted one in the first place. When the price of heating oil goes through the roof, some people start insulating their houses, and find that in addition to lower bills they have a pleasanter place to live because they don't have to listen to the furnace or A/C run all the time. Start riding a bike instead of driving, and you not only save on gas, you lose weight & gain fitness... And so on down the line.

[MazdaMatt]

James, i really like that last paragraph.