Ok, I will base my answers off of the US Department of Energy Statistics. I have posted a link to a chart that was well put together that shows this information. If you dissagree with these statistics, I would be intersted in knowing where you get your information since this comes straight from the US Governement Dpt of Energy.
Top World Oil Producers, Exporters, Consumers, and Importers, 2006 — Infoplease.com
I will sum up, here.
2) Does the US Currently produce enough oil to sustain itself. You said yes. I say, bluntly, no. We do not.
The US produces (not refines, produces), 8.37 millions of barrels/day. Our total consuption, as of 2006 is 20.59 millions of barrels/day. We import from other countries 12.22 millions of barrels/day. We do not currently produce even half of what we use.
So, I dissagree with your assesment that we currently produce enough oil to be self-sufficient. We do not.
1) Can the US currently produce enough oil to sustain itself. You said yes, I say no.
Let me define what I mean here, as it is NOT the same question. Is the reason we do not produce more simply because we get it cheaper elsewhere? In essense, with the flip of a switch, we can be off Venezueala and SA oil and tell them to stick it?
You feel the answer to that is yes???
I highly doubt that is the case. The numbers do not agree with that. Our current potential production is 8.37 million barrels. It is not to say that we cannot produce more (to be answered and discussed in another question), but we can not currently produce sufficient oil to sustain ourselves. It would take some time, if it is in fact possible at all.
I would equate this to my property (the best example I can think of this morning for some reason). I have a lot of acerage and run cattle. I have more than sufficient acerage to be self sufficient and not buy any food from the store. However, I do not farm. There would be a considerable time lapse between me turning over the field, sowing the seed, the crop growing, harvest, etc before I could actually realize any food. As such, I am dependent on the store to supply myself and my families food. I guess I could go out and shoot a cow and try to survive off of beef for the next... 6 months or better, but the reality is that this scenario is risky and very unhealthy if even possible.
This analogy is a good one for the US. We cannot, with the flip of a switch, suddenly produce sufficient oil to be independent. Could we, in theory, all quit driving our cars, shut down the economy, and be sufficient? Yes. But, the reality of such a thing is unimagineable and not even worth discussion.
As such, the answer to that question is no. We cannot currently produce sufficient oil to be independent.
3) Are we currently dependent on foreign oil for our survival? I do not mean whether you eat or have a house (though that too could be debated) but our economic survival? Our energy survival? Our production survival? You said no, I say yes.
Again, the numbers from the US Gov (and anything I have ever heard) do not agree with your assessment.
If Venezuela and SA and other countries shut off our oil, what would happen to the US? Well, we would have a few options:
a) suddenly quit using it and find alternatives. However, that cannot happen overnight. The US economy, if not collapse, would be crushed. I cannot imagine this scenario.
b) Try to start drilling and replace what we have. But this is not an immediately viable option because the time to drill and actually see any results from that are quite long. As such, the economy would plunge.
c) Go to war and take it. God forbid...
Can you honestly say that if all foreign oil was shut off to our country that our economic, production, and energy survival would not dissapear or be serioulsy hampered? How can you say that? We cannot, as a country, suddenly switch to electric cars or hybrids or trains, using your example. We cannot. It is CURRENTLY (not future) impossible. We do not have the means available. Go look at I-635 at 8:00 am and tell me how those people would get to work if they could not fill up their cars tomorrow? Walk? Ride the bus? Impossible.
I whole heartedly dissagree with you that we have to look at oil together with our other energy needs. Nope... that is not true. Oil is not simply used to power your car, it is also used in the production of countless other items - even the keyboard I am typing on. You car is the result of petroleum products (oil). Boats. Your streets. It is everywhere around you now and has a direct impact on your everday life. Also, since very few cars run on the other energy sources (will only use gasoline), you must look at oil independently. TO not look at it independently is a mistake.
I do not dissagree with much of the rest of your statements in that paragraph, Dan. However, you are not differentiating what COULD be for what IS currently. I am talking about right here, right now... 2008. In 2008, our homes have what they have and use what they use. We can switch away from that, but again, that takes time, resources, and a really good reason. None of which would help us for our current ills.
4) Am I wrong to assume there is only so much oil? In essence, is it an exhaustable resource or will there always be oil no matter how much we use?
We agree for the most part on that. However, the timing we might dissagree on. It is my notion to start that process now. Start making a sincere effort to get off now. It will take years and years and years - most likely decades. It cannot happen overnight. It seems to be Sway's to drill and tap everything we have now and let the problems work themselves out later when there really is a shortage. I just cannot see the validity of that argument since it seems inevitable that we will have to get off. And at what cost do we take oil from Chavez? At what cost from Saudia Arabia? I do not mean money. We lie down with dogs and are suprised we wake up with fleas.
5) Can we, by putting a pumper in everyones backyard, even with the most unrealisticly high estimates, produce enough to permanently sustain our country? Permanent, not a few years. If so, is this an economically feasible solution?
You said:
No and why would we want to. Other people have oil thats easier to get and they want to sale it to us.
I agree... the answer is no, it is not a permanent solution. And if it is not a permanent solution, it is a stop-gap measure. And you ask why get off? Why do our own when we can get it cheaper from Chavez and SA? BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH IT COSTS US.
It ties us to them. No country should be dependent on a foreign country for its survival. It is geopolitical insanity. Everytime OPEC gets together, it makes national news. I don't know about you, but I sure don't appreciate it. It is not to say that we should not ever buy oil from them. However, once you reach the point that you cannot sustain yourself and are dependent on them, the rules change.
Again, imagine what would happen if they suddenly decided to quit supplying oil to us because... I don't know... how about because Israel bombed Iran (a very real scenario). Can you imagine the impact on your life personally? Now imagine the impact on them if we suddenly quit buying it and we were no longer tied to oil. Would that change world politics?
Most certainly it would.
I think we all agree we SHOULD get off of it. It sems to me that we dissagree on when. You say drill for more oil here and exploit our natural resources and let things work themselves out later. I say, let's bite the bullet now before it gets any worse. Drill where we can for a quick return, but focus the bulk of our resources on getting off - in whatever fashion that is... whether hydro, wind, solar, or nuclear (or all of the above). I cannot see the problem getting better, it will get worse.
I will equate our situation to being being on drugs. We started off sore. We took Vicodin. There is nothing wrong with that... we were sore, we were hurt, we needed it. However, we did not get off of it. We worked harder and got more done and took more Vicodin. The months passed, and our dependence grew. Now, to suddenly quit taking it would seriously screw up your body and really make you hurt - if not kill you alltogether. You have to work to get off of it. However, what is even worse is that the people giving us the drugs that we are dependent on typically don't like us very much and realize they can control us with it. Your solution is to start making the drugs locally or in your house so you don't have to deaal with them (assuming their drugs are not cheaper). My solution is to get off the drugs and realize that you have exceeded what you should have done in the first place. It won't be easy. It won't be fun. It won't be cheap. But that is what we SHOULD do.
I am not opposed to drilling in the US. I just don't see that as the real solution long term. It would likely take many years to realize any return on that effort anyways. Trying to find an alternative energy solution would be the same investment (or likely more). But drilling seems to me like the easy way out. And in the meantime, look around: we stand in bloody quicksand while consuming black gold.
- CD