OT oil shortage

Richard Erlacher wrote: > What's more, they (the Oil interests) would really hate it if they were

You imply that Big Oil is purely American. Their domain is the whole planet. Eric > > Dick > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "joe" <rigdonj(a)intellistar.net> > To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org> > Sent: Monday, July 09, 2001 7:25 AM > Subject: Re: OT oil shortage was: Celebration (Not intended to be offensive, > possible humor) > > > Sorry for continuing this thread but I couldn't let this one pass! > > > > At 03:00 PM 7/8/01 -0400, Chad wrote: > > > > >Joe, > > > > > >I originally meant to send this a few days ago. I wrote it off-line and > > >it has been sitting in my out-box, but here goes :-) > > > > > >I don't think "crisis" is quite accurate. The oil industry has had > > >several refineries burn, and who knows, maybe some of them are old or > > >undersize. > > > > I think you need to do your home work. The oil companies have been > > shutting down refineries. They've shutdown almost 30% of the refineries

> > this country in the last ten years. > > > > > > > They may need to build more. or rebuild burned ones. The > > >electricity problems comes from growing and growing use, without > > >appropriate updates on the power system. > > > > That's very true but the problems with the electrical power industry > > are due to a shortage of generating stations (particularly in California) > > and has NOTHING to do with oil refinery capacity or any supposed oil

> > > > > > >Drilling in new locations isn't supposed to increase refinery capacity. > > >It is part of a longer range solution. > > > > Horseshit! They're closing down wells everyday and have been for > > years! Take a drive through Lousianna sometime! I was in Alaska a couple > > of years ago and toured nearly the full length of the Alaskan pipeline. > > Even it's only running at about 40% of it's capacity. The only reason

> > they want to drill in ANWAR and GOM is because the oil companies want a > > CHEAPER source of oil so they can increase their already record profits! > > That's the same reason that the US continues to import oil from the middle > > east. Even with their price increases it's still cheaper to buy their oil > > than it is to produce our own. > > > > If the government is serious about a "long range solutions" then they > > should mandate that ALL cars achive 30mpg by say 2006, then raise it to > > 35mpg by 2011, then 40 mpg by 2016, etc until we achive the best practicle > > mileage. 50 mpg is very possible, a number of standard production cars > > have already achived it. That's only one step, there are hundreds if not > > thousands of other practicle solutions. Another solution would be to > > mandate solar hot water heaters in all homes. I have one in my home and > > it's been my only source of hot water for over 15 years and I've never run > > out of hot water. > > > > > > > Drilling in new locations is > > >something a lot of countries are doing. > > > > Sure, because they all want to be independent of foreign sources and > > because it's a huge source of revenue. > > > > > > > Drilling in the North Sea is > > >being done now, or maybe deeper water than normal..... I don't recall. > > >I have seen a show on Discovery or TLC about the building of the > > >platform. It was a huge engineering feat the way they built it. > > > > Yes, the engineering is impressive but again that has nothing to do

> > the "nessesicity" for drilling in ANWAR or GOM. > > > > > > >Personally, I'd like to see a move away from oil, not totally, but maybe > > >a diversification. I'd like to see cars powered by grain alcohol, > > >although I admit, I don't really know any specifics. > > > > I know a good bit about alcohol powered vehicles, I've been > > experimenting with them since the late 60s. Alcohol is not nearly as > > powerfull, cost effective or as efficient as gasoline. Alcohol also has > > major incompatibilities with the components of automotive fuel systems. A > > number of companies have tried selling gasoline with alcohol added > > but AFIK they're all dropped it due to the cost, performance and other > > problems. > > > > > > > Something might > > >have to be done about people drinking the contents of ones gas tank :-) > > > > > > That would cure the population problem! Nearly all of the alcohol > > sold in this country, including that used in fuel, is either nearly pure > > methyl alcohol or has methyl alcohol, formaldahyde or other poisons added > > to it to "de-nature" it. "De-natured" is a polite way of saying that it's > > poisonous! The government requires that expressly so that people won't