Why is Alaska not being drilled?

[ScrapMetal]

I heard the reason this country is not drilling for oil in Alaska is because of Caribou.I wanted to know if this was true, because it sounds pretty stupid to me, and if it's not true, why are we not drilling in Alaska? From what I heard there is a lot of oil up there.

[dusred]

I'll bet you're not the first one to ask that question.

The Environmentalists have a ton of power in the US so when a project like that is ever proposed they do all in their power to stop it.

[audtatious]

The caribou and such was one of the main arguments the environmentalists had against the Alaska pipeline. It was built anyway. What was the result? Caribou flocked around the pipeline because it was warm and they have actually increased in numbers.

[Jimefam]

Yeah till the company that operates the pipeline gets slack on the maintenance and the motherf***er burst . The reason was because oil prices were so low that we didn't mind paying some other country to run the risk. Exxon valdez is why america said F this let someone else spend billions and billions cleaning up a possible mess. Now that oil had gone up like 500% maybe its worth the risk.

[WDRacing]

If the problem with gas prices are these 4 legged deer wannabee's...well I say we open the season on Bambi. Feed my big block it's 5 mpg and get the heck off my planet. Sorry...next time have God give you some thumbs...until then get out of the way and give me my oil.

Penguins? Give me a club a couple cases of beer and a few homeless dudes...I need to hit the drag strip. In fact, we can use deer and penguin pelts to suck up any spilt oil.

Man kind is here to stay...fact. We can and will kill everything else in order to thrive...FACT. So quit all the posturing and step aside so we can get on with life. Bambi don't drag race and penguins make lousy copilots

[audtatious]

Penguins are lower on the food chain anyway

http://current.com/items/88930...nguin

[SteveTheTech]

There was a show on Discovery about this topic recently, A little bias yes but it was actually pretty informative.

Apparently there is a Native tribe of <1000 people that have control over this area. I think it was Shell that did some exploratory drilling there but would not release their results. Researchers have said that they think there is not much easily accessable oil there. Then there is the environmental impact we can't hurt the Caribou.

WHO will save the Caribou!!!

[WDRacing]

Patriots rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But anyway...these researchers are liars dude. We have oil fields already tapped and waiting to be shipped. We stole this whole country years ago from hundreds of thousands of Indians...do you think a few thousand Eskimo's are going to hoard oil? They are an excuse.

The Gov has the oil, don't doubt that. They are getting pig rich off of us while we do nothing.

They have had oil since the 70's and we haven't used any of it. Some people choose to believe that the Gov would never do anything like this...that they are honest folk and they are wrong.

WD

[SteveTheTech]

The Pats are going to have a rough season, maybe Cassel can replace TFB just maybe.

See I would agree but its known that oil is a finite resource and there can only be so many rotted plants and animals in the earths crust. Someone has the research on production levels, from what I could find (although it's not from a reputable enough to link source, so take that for what it is) says oil production from Alaska has been dropping consistantly, and the energy required to extract it almost breaks even, since they now have to blow into the hole and basically flush it out.

Another reason the Republicans may have selected Palin? I smell conspiracy...

[audtatious]

Yes, oil is finite. BUT, there is enough oil and oil sources around the US to supply us for 100+ years. I say set the course to help wean off of oil but not the way they are doing it today where it hurts the poor. Drill the damn oil AND work towards alternative energy solutions at the same time. Some people are just stupid and think the technology to supply us with all the resources we need is simply a mouse-click away when that's not the case.

[SteveTheTech]

I agree with you, but what is the cost of drilling and where is this oil?How about the quality and ease of refinement?

The off shore drilling now off the Atlantic shelf is getting down in the region of 5+ miles.

Even if there was enough oil to supply the US what about sky rocketing demand in Asia,petroleum companies are greedy and I do not think they would keep it here unless the price made it worth it?How will that effect prices in this country?

It was said that a few years ago the economy would crash when gas hit $4/gallon. We passed that a while ago, when will the economy break, and to what extent? I know that it's tanking now, and gas is a contributing factor, but as supply decreases I assume that demand and therefore price will sky rocket.

The damn hybrid driving liberals think that the technology should be her yesterday and that is not the case IMO they have rushed to production on many of these hybrid without the long term research of the environmental impact that they will produce when their usefull life has expired.

I feel that Hydrogen fuel cells may be the way of the future but it is just that the future. It will eliminate the internal combustion engine as we know it. It will be a sad sad day.

[ScrapMetal]

I will probably get flamed for this but because of high gas prices and all this talk about oil running out, people have actually started to take alternative fuels and smaller cars seriously. The only thing that pisses me off is that we are making these oil rich foreign countries even more rich. If we have crude oil here in the U.S., money will be coming into the U.S. instead of leaving to Saudi Arabia/Venezuela/who ever else we get oil from.

[SteveTheTech]

I agree with you on this.

It sucks that there are no checks and balances for this vital resource. I am not championing government oversight in the oil industry since they do not have our best interest at heart. Maybe a non partisan oversight board, funded by a tax on petroleum profits. We allow the companies to do what is in their best interest with no repercussion.

Although it must be sending them a clear message since the amount of oil consumed this year is down significantly. The only thing that will change their perception is nationwide unanimous call for action, I am sure there is too much red tape and money invested to actually get anything done. It would be a good concept though in theory.

[srellim234]

We need a President who will make a Kennedy-like "America will put a man on the moon by the end of the decade" commitment to making America energy self-sufficient. And then actually act on it.

The same amount of money we are committing to the war in Iraq needs to be invested in energy. That amount of money in government investment will go a long way to infrastructure updating, development of new technologies and incentives into building new power plants based on current technology (nuclear, wind turbine, recapture of combustible gas at treatment plants, more oil drilling at home, etc.).

As a homeowner in a high sun, low cloud cover area, I personally can't afford to put the solar panels on my south-facing roof, but I'd love to do so. I'm willing to let the government put them up there if it will cut down on our deperndence on foreign oil. I don't expect the government to give them to me. I don't have a problem, though, with the government utilizing the south side of my roof to put the solar panels up there and hooking them into the grid. Inspire people to see that every American should do their part to get involved and homeowners could allow such a program as part of the call to service that both major Presidential candidates are touting. There are a ton of homes in the southern states that could be used this way; that adds up to a lot of square miles of solar power generation.

[SteveTheTech]

I would love to see someone bring the people of this country but the practicality of that in this day and age is slim to none. There are so many people that express their opinion over the web(myself included) and it has had significant impact on the evolution of our society and furthering our downward spiral.

I am avidly pro the First Amendment rights entitled to all Americans, but we need unity for the greater good and to change our course. Which at this point is very uncertain.

The same amount of money we are committing to the war in Iraq needs to be invested in energy. That amount of money in government investment will go a long way to infrastructure updating, development of new technologies and incentives into building new power plants based on current technology (nuclear, wind turbine, recapture of combustible gas at treatment plants, more oil drilling at home, etc.).

Yes you are 100% right but the practical implication of this is a mere pipe dream and we all know it. It would re spark my patriotism to see the money diverted to fix bridges, health care, and social security. IMO if we can find someone who can practically make this happen then I think that Americans would have a sence of unity that has not been seen since the end of WWII.

As a homeowner in a high sun, low cloud cover area, I personally can't afford to put the solar panels on my south-facing roof, but I'd love to do so. I'm willing to let the government put them up there if it will cut down on our dependence on foreign oil. I don't expect the government to give them to me. I don't have a problem, though, with the government utilizing the south side of my roof to put the solar panels up there and hooking them into the grid. Inspire people to see that every American should do their part to get involved and homeowners could allow such a program as part of the call to service that both major Presidential candidates are touting. There are a ton of homes in the southern states that could be used this way; that adds up to a lot of square miles of solar power generation.

If more people would just do something like that then it should make a decent enough of an impact to save our resources.

http://www.boston.com/news/glo...ules/

When we have Senators who are pretty far the the left not giving a little nothing will get done.

[ScrapMetal]

The same amount of money we are committing to the war in Iraq needs to be invested in energy. That amount of money in government investment will go a long way to infrastructure updating, development of new technologies and incentives into building new power plants based on current technology (nuclear, wind turbine, recapture of combustible gas at treatment plants, more oil drilling at home, etc.).

As a homeowner in a high sun, low cloud cover area, I personally can't afford to put the solar panels on my south-facing roof, but I'd love to do so. I'm willing to let the government put them up there if it will cut down on our deperndence on foreign oil. I don't expect the government to give them to me. I don't have a problem, though, with the government utilizing the south side of my roof to put the solar panels up there and hooking them into the grid. Inspire people to see that every American should do their part to get involved and homeowners could allow such a program as part of the call to service that both major Presidential candidates are touting. There are a ton of homes in the southern states that could be used this way; that adds up to a lot of square miles of solar power generation.

Very well said, and about the solar panels, I don't know if the government is currently doing this but why don't they give the home owners with solar panels on their roofs some sort of tax credit like they use to do with the Toyota Prius. I think that will motivate more people into investing in solar panels. A couple of months ago I read an article in the Miami Herald about a South Florida family who did invest in solar panels and they said that their meter was running backwards. Florida Power and Light was paying them, chump change like $10 a month, but nuntheless this is a lot of money families will be saving. I don't know if everything in the article was true, the Miami Herald has been known to exzagerate things.

[HashiriyaS14]

I have no real problem with the idea of drilling offshore or in ANWR, just because I don't think either exercise would have drastic environmental impacts if conducted properly.

That said, you guys had better talk to your man Johnny Mac. He opposes ANWR drilling, and has for years, on the record.

[96Qowner]

As of December 31, 2007, most of the residential tax credits (windows, doors, roofs, insulation, HVAC, and non-solar water heaters) expired. You have until April 15, 2008 to report these credits on your 2007 taxes. The tax credit for solar water heaters and solar panels remains in effect through December 31, 2008.

http://www.energystar.gov/inde...edits

[Encryptshun]

If the problem with gas prices are these 4 legged deer wannabee's...well I say we open the season on Bambi. Feed my big block it's 5 mpg and get the heck off my planet. Sorry...next time have God give you some thumbs...until then get out of the way and give me my oil.

Penguins? Give me a club a couple cases of beer and a few homeless dudes...I need to hit the drag strip. In fact, we can use deer and penguin pelts to suck up any spilt oil.

Man kind is here to stay...fact. We can and will kill everything else in order to thrive...FACT. So quit all the posturing and step aside so we can get on with life. Bambi don't drag race and penguins make lousy copilots

Please PLEASE tell me that every word of that was sarcastic and an attempt to troll for treehuggers.

[WDRacing]

All truffs

[Encryptshun]

^ Wheew. For a second there, I thought I was gonna have to get out the car and choke a b*tch.

Anyone who thinks that we should not care about our environment, especially with regard to learning to live in harmony with our ecosphere is just pants-on-head retarded. When I say "harmony" though I don't mean we give a polar bear a coke and hump its leg. Our planet is a CLOSED SYSTEM and as such everything we do creates an equal and opposite reaction, but one we cannot necessarily predict. You kill off the seals, they stop eating mackerel. They stop eating mackerel, the mackerel overpopulate and starve out the tuna. The tuna die off and we start to wonder why we can't have a tuna sandwich anymore. Mmmm. Tuna.

Also, penguins don't live in Alaska -- they live in Antarctica.

Drilling in ANWR won't destroy our planet. Hell, the reason we BOUGHT the land that we now call Alaska (Seward's Folly) was because of the rich mineral wealth (which turned out to be even richer than we thought) in the first place. But as with all things there is a middle ground.

And anyone who doesn't think that one of the reasons Palin was chosen was because of her ties to Alaska is likewise wearing their underpants on their head. And probably howling at the moon while covered in chunky peanut-butter to boot.

[ScrapMetal]

Our planet is a CLOSED SYSTEM and as such everything we do creates an equal and opposite reaction

The circle of life!

From what HashiriyaS14 said, McCain doesn't want to drill.

[SteveTheTech]

It is indeed a vicious cycle we have started to play with since the Industrial Revolution. I think that mankind was lacking the information at the time to understand the shear impact of what they were starting.

The planet does however move in extremes. We have just helped the process a little bit.

It would be ideal if there were in fact a middle ground. Why is there no responsible middle ground? I think the influence of either side of the spectrum has blurred anything resembling normalcy.

Yeah Palin seems like a perfect candidate with oil interest and qualifications and the such. Yeah just perfect.

[HashiriyaS14]

From what HashiriyaS14 said, McCain doesn't want to drill.

Correct.

McCain supports offshore drilling but NOT drilling in ANWR.

Anyway, despite the inclination of extremist politicians and the media to frame every issue as black and white, the choice is not as simple as "KILL T3H ANIMALZ OR NOT GET OILL!!11".

The technology exists to safely exploit the energy resources offshore and in Alaska while still preserving the integrity of the wildlife. I completely support drilling in both locations so far as it is performed responsibly.

That said, no matter what anyone tells you, the United States DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH OIL to sustain itself for any meaningful time. The North Shore of Alaska is *not* the 2nd largest oil-field in the world, this is a lie. If it was, it would have been exploited before or would be getting exploited now. People aren't stupid, they're not going to leave a massive natural resource untappted. It wasn't tapped because it isn't really material, it's just become a hot-button political issue so now it's getting addressed.

We need wind, solar, and nuclear.

[Encryptshun]

McCain has opposed ANWR drilling. Palin is for it. Because of the position Palin has taken, McCain has admitted the idea deserves a second look.

In point of fact, it's a brilliant move by McCain to ensure that, whichever position he ultimately takes, he has someone to justify it almost above reproach.

[audtatious]

Oil Shale

Of course, it requires a whole lotta water and the enviro's oppose it just as much as oil (maybe more)

[WDRacing]

We need wind, solar, and nuclear.

Nuclear yes...

Wind and Solar systems put out basically nothing in comparison to the time and money it takes to setup and "wind farm" or installing an obsene amount of solar panels. Can solar be used on individual properties...definitly. But only as a suplimental type of energy.

Coal is a far better resource, albeit not renewable, then solar and wind.

Coal and Nuclear are definitly the future of Nation wide power.

[HashiriyaS14]

Nuclear yes...

Wind and Solar systems put out basically nothing in comparison to the time and money it takes to setup and "wind farm" or installing an obsene amount of solar panels. Can solar be used on individual properties...definitly. But only as a suplimental type of energy.

Coal is a far better resource, albeit not renewable, then solar and wind.

Coal and Nuclear are definitly the future of Nation wide power.

Well, the benefit of wind and solar is that, once set up, the ongoing costs to generate power are very low, as there is no resource to extract, mine, or ship other than simple electricity. High upfront capital investment is not something that is easy to swallow politically though, even if the long-term situation is pretty rosy.

I wonder how many KW of wind power could be generated by the equipment purchasable with the money we spend in a single year on oil. I imagine it wouldn't produce as much energy as all that oil, but it would keep producing energy year after year, unlike the oil.

Yeah, I forgot about coal. If we can figure out how to make coal burn a little cleaner, it'll be a fantastic solution. We have tons of it.

[WDRacing]

Man, I had an article on how much money it costs to run and up keep the wind farms vs the energy output. It wasn't as promising as we are being lead to believe. The problem is everyone is grasping at straws and making everything apear to be the next big resource...mostly because...

A) They want to apear to be doing "something"...

B) They will profit from whatever system is put in place...

I'll dig in and see what I can find.

[Encryptshun]

Wind power costs from 4 - 10 cents/kwhNuclear is 3 - 4 cents/kwhCoal is 4 -5 cents/kwh

Those are just production costs -- they do not include setup, infrastructure maintenance, or waste disposal.