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America must break its snake oil addiction
Published Sunday, July 6, 2008
Congratulations all around. We’ve finally done it. With dead-eye blindness, studied ignorance, and Herculean laziness we have fulfilled one of Osama bin Laden’s fondest dreams. On July 2, oil hit $144 a barrel, the “just price” he advocated a decade ago in order to “punish the West.” Well, are we feeling it yet?
Nobody knows where gas prices will go next, but the source of Bin Laden’s glee — other than still being free and unpunished seven years aftåer murdering 3,000 Americans on American soil — runs deeper. It’s that so much of the profit is going to countries like Saudi Arabia, which remains the world’s primary ideological sponsor and financier of Islamic extremism. Every time we bite the bullet at the pump, we’re indirectly buying bullets for the very people we claim to be fighting. The higher the price, the greater the subsidy for America-hatred. Now, are we feeling it? Our troops sure are. For them, the pain isn’t in the pocketbook either. Our casual betrayal of their sacrifice is breathtaking.
The solution? Some stress more domestic drilling, offshore and in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.
Oh, really? Here are some sobering stats from the U.S. Department of Energy. We produce about 7 million barrels of petroleum per day, behind only Saudi Arabia (10.5 million bpd) and Russia (9.5 million bpd). That’s down from our peak, but for a “mature” producer, not bad. So, the problem is not so much in the supply. Rather, it’s in our insatiable consumption. While we pump seven, we use almost 21 million barrels per day, triple that of any other country, and up 18 percent since 1990. Note that even if we were to annex Saudi Arabia, we would still have a large deficit. Also, world demand is rising far faster than supply.
Now, we can surely find more oil here in the United States. But can we find enough to triple our current output, match supply to still sky-rocketing demand, end our dependence, and significantly lower gas prices? What a farce are those who say we are selling oil. Snake oil.
This is worse than a mere non-solution however. It’s a non-solution to one problem that compounds another. With it, we will continue to subsidize Islamic fanaticism. With it, we’re begging for more punishment. “Thank you, Mr. Bin Laden, sir, may we have another?” Be assured, he will oblige.
What’s the answer? Drop the illusion that the drill-bit will save us. Reduce demand for oil. That must be our highest priority. It’s shameful that we ignored this situation for so long, but our negligence since 2001 is absolutely scandalous. Here on Independence Day weekend, let’s display a patriotism that requires more energy than wearing a flag pin. Let’s commit ourselves to energy independence through fuel efficiency, plug-in hybrids, biofuels, etc. Maybe even, coal gasification with CO² sequestration, à la Rentech of Natchez. Now that would punish Bin Laden and truly “support our troops” for a change. What a novel idea.
Jim Wiggins is an Adams County resident.
Comments
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 12:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Osama didn't devalue the dollar. Congress and the Federal Reserve did that.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 12:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
All i can say is let the drill bit drill, keep it going to the right!!!
Posted by Idefinitelymight (Tom Scarborough) on July 6, 2008 at 6:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great column, Mr. Wiggins. I'm always struck by the very irony you describe when I see these hyper-patriots with their sparkling dually pickups, and mammoth SUVs, plastered with American flag decals and Support the Troops ribbons. It seems these days that patriotism has become commensurate with the right to extract and consume oil irresponsibly--political consequences and environmental realities be damned.
Posted by iconoclast (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 8:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
EnkiKur is correct about the weak dollar, which Dick Cheney has been insisting is a good thing for six years now. Mr. Wiggins is correct on everything else. More domestic drilling wouldn't amount to a drop in the bucket to meet America's gluttonous consumption of oil and gas, so there's no sense in bothering the polar bears and the caribou. Geologist, even those that work for oil companies, know when the supply will run out. Remember, it takes the earth millions of years to create crude and we have used over half of it in less than two hundred years. The only way to decrease our dependence on foreign oil is through less demand with hybrid cars, hydrogen cars and alternative sources of energy such as bio-diesel. Despite safety concerns, we may need more nuclear energy plants also.
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 8:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well even if EnKikur is right, Jim Wiggins' point -- that Ossama has succeeded in making it worse is after all what he is saying. Let's not get bug-eyed on our favorite subjects and fail in reading comprehension.
There is plenty of petroleum in the ground. Oil companies have to pay people for leases, and pay people royalty. If they get a deal from the Federal government, tax breaks, etc, they want to drill on public land. If they grease the wheels of congress they get special deals better than they could ever get from the private sector. That is why all the furor over offshore drilling. Listen around and all the producers will tell you there is not a shortage of oil -- even the Saudis say that.
Guess what? Do you think those oil companies would avoid selling oil to foreigners for $140+ per barrel, no matter what the actual costs of producing the oil on public land? Or that competing against the entire world for prices, do you think you want to be the highest bidder? The oil companies will certainly be selling at that price.
I'm sorry but on this subject the thrust of our adminstration is dishonest and corrupted.
"Free enterprise" is what brought us hordes of illegal immigrants, job outsourcing, indebtedness to China and other countries, and a congress intent on getting a percentage of every change from the folks who stand to make the most money.
Counting on the stupidity of the folks who support them, now a voodoo idea of free enterprise is being sold by the GOP as if it is a solution to the petroleum crisis.
This free enterprise application rests on the faith that drilling in environmentally sensitive zones will make your plight better. The real truth is when oil execs want to see pristeen beauty they will fly somewhere else to see it.
Leave the oil there for your kids. And if they want to screw up their environment let them make that decision. It will only be more valuable later.
Posted by Natchezms (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 8:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It will take 10-15 years before those offshore and Alaska oil fields produce, so that approach is obviously not a quick fix. America's only solution is a long term plan to reduce consumption and to invest in alternative energy. Unfortunately, many politicians and voters want quick fixes, and there aren't any. But some politicians are hoping voters are ignorant enough to fall for their snake oil.
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 9:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I want a quick fix with a better fix in the making . Is there anything wrong with that ? I want it now and I want it later.
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
After all, if your tire goes flat ,don't you air it up or change it until you can get it fixed . Just common sense to me.
Posted by ProNatchez (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes. We have to reduce cosumption, but we are not going to reduce it enough to get back down to the 7 million barrels a day. We also have to drill to increase our production. If we could decrease our consumption to 14 million barrels a day, and increase our production to 14 million barrels a day, then we would be in better shape than we are now.
Saying that it will take 10 years? Get started today.
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 9:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If your tire is flat, you change it because you had a spare in the trunk. THEN you fix the flat.
George Bush didn't make sure we had a spare in the trunk. Even now, that spare tire -- offshore and environmentally sensitive oil fileds -- is something he wants to use up, right now.
He thought that if Big Oil was happy everyone would be happy. That if Wall Street was happy, everyone would be happy. That if the military was happy, then everyone would be happy. He bankrupted us on that vision while all the Republicans in congress and the nation cheered him on.
Did I mention that I am finished with Republicans? He,he!
Posted by sidney (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Only about 4 gallons of oil per barrel ever make it to a gas pump. The rest is consumed in a variety of other ways such as plastics, so the concept of consumption making a difference would have to extend to far more than the automobile. Do you think some how our reduction will cause China and India to demand less?
Right now, the devalued dollar is worth 50% of the price increase and more domestic production would reduce the out flow of dollars and additionally create the idea that America was also serious about becoming less foreign oil dependent, thus dropping the price because of speculation, about another 25%.
While no one can argue that we need more energy types, such as nuclear and coal, we also need to quit using ethanol which takes 1.2 gallons of gas per gallon to produce one gallon of ethanol and drives up the price of corn therefore driving up the price of most other foods.
A recent Wall Street Journal article pointed out that Americans want the Arab countries to give us more of what they have, charge us less for it, so that we can keep what we have. Whenever one assumes that the Saudi’s are the bad guys, or Exxon-Mobile, as they drive one person in a 17-mile a gallon car, to Wal-Mart for the fourth time, to pick up over priced bread cause of the cost of corn, who are the bad guys?
The solution to our energy problems is to drill and refine off of our entire coast and all federal lands where oil exist. While it will drive the price down, the great concept of greed or money will cause some worthy entrepreneurs to continue to still seek a better more efficient automobile engine. My son recently pointed out to me correctly that of all the innovations that we have, phones, TV's, appliances, houses, etc., the internal combustion piston engine is the only one that has not changed significantly in the last 40 or 50 years, maybe really since its invention and high gas might just do that.
But the one thing we all know is this. If we don’t increase drilling and continue to seek cost efficient energy alternatives, then we sure nuff want have any more oil.
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 11:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
With oil selling for 140/30 of it's former price, I just bet we will get more drilling, or the wisdom of the marketplace does not exist.
The pretend isssue is that the only place left to drill is those federal lands where oil companies get a better deal than they can anywhere else.
If Exxon-Mobile will spend a few million to convince us that climate change is not from human-liberated carbon, then you can sure bet they would be happy to act like the continental shelf was the last oil on earth.
Posted by xenon314 (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 12:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The best way to combat the Saudis is to take a page from China - they declared war on us economically, and have never had to fire a shot.
We need a modern-day Manhattan project to find a replacement for oil. If we were to find a feasible alternative energy source (solar and/or fusion power are our two best bets), then all the oil under the ground would simply become something from which we make plastic jugs and Vaseline.
A clean upstream power source would allow us to make all of our vehicles electric or hydrogen powered. Oil is simply a stepping stone to the next generation of energy.
Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 3:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think we should have open hunting season on whales. They have enough blubber and oil to fuel cars for at least a hundred miles. When we hunt whales into extinction then we will move on to the next high oil species. After all, we are humans and we rule the world.
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 6:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm sure glad I have read enough of your posts to recognize saracasm!
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on July 6, 2008 at 9:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
freedom, he's full of it (ha-ha). But it makes a more enjoyable day.
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