Coastal Drilling - For or Against?

I just wish we could come up with an elegant, creative solution which did not necessarily line the pockets of oil executives.

Are you against a financial incentive for solutions posed? Or just for men who are already in the business? Serious question.

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Oh boy oil shale, all the fun of strip mining plus smog!

Offshore drilling heats up in Congress, looks like we may see some legislation soon -

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/business/26offshore.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Just today I received two emails regarding people getting hurt using motorcycles/ scooters for alternative transportation. One was a colleague who got hit by a deer riding his scooter from work and was thrown 100 feet down the road. Another was an alumnus who was killed in a motorcycle accident today.

Last month another colleague was hit by a pickup truck while using her bicycle to go to work. She had the right-of-way. Thankfully she only suffered a broken leg.

I think we'll be hearing about more incidents like this as people try to ease the pain at the pump. Oh, and oil is trading at about $140 a barrel today.

I'm sorry your friends are hurt, but hitting a deer w/ a scooter is rather impressive from an odds of 2 small things colliding standpoint.

I've been seeing more scooters on 30-A - seem to work well here and I haven't seen an issue w/ their driving yet.

I'm sorry your friends are hurt, but hitting a deer w/ a scooter is rather impressive from an odds of 2 small things colliding standpoint.

I've been seeing more scooters on 30-A - seem to work well here and I haven't seen an issue w/ their driving yet.

I know you think hitting a deer is improbable, but you can't imagine how many deer are near where I work and live. There are 4000 contiguous acres of undeveloped property nearby. I know several people who have had cars totaled by deer on many occasions. A deer charged our car while we were going up our driveway after attending church, and thankfully we avoided it.

Deer or no deer, if someone has an accident on a scooter or motorcycle, they have less protection than if s/he is in an enclosed vehicle.

Heard on CNN about a Georgia Tech student who has a diesel car. He purchases vegetable oil discarded from Atlanta restaurants, filters it, and rigged up a contraption to heat the oil under the hood prior to injection. His fuel costs are 12 cents per gallon.

I'll admit I was oblivious to the oil crisis until recently -- just not on my radar screen. But surely someone had to have had a clue of the dire straights in which we now find ourselves. You would have thought that all auto manufacturers would have been ready with the right technology to create lithium batteries or whatever to power our vehicles. Maybe we were just ostriches with our heads hidden in the sand. I, for one, was. And not all of us live in areas with public transportation.

What's really scary is that I have seen several new SUVs in SoWal today with dealers' temporary tags. Everything I've read lately says that the SUV is today's dinosaur. I'll be glad to take a offer on ours.

Spoke to someone today who has a hybrid, he said he gets right at about 100 mpg on 30A. Probably due to all of the stopping and starting, and lack of using the gas portion he said it rarely kicks on the engine.

Spoke to someone today who has a hybrid, he said he gets right at about 100 mpg on 30A. Probably due to all of the stopping and starting, and lack of using the gas portion he said it rarely kicks on the engine.

This is how I roll..total renewable:

Yabbadabba' an' all that blabba'

Are you against a financial incentive for solutions posed? Or just for men who are already in the business? Serious question.

This thought is elegant. Innovation 6thGen, not confrontation.

JUST PUT THE WORD OUT THAT WE ARE GOING TO START TO BUILD MORE REFINERIES AND DRILLING ON OUR OWN AND IN A SHORT TIME WE WILL SEE THE PRICE AT THE PUMPS START TO DECLINE. WE HAVE A LARGE SUPPLY OF OIL AVAILABLE IF WE WILL JUST GET IT. THE TREE HUGGERS NEED TO GET A REAL LIFE AND MOVE ON. JUST THE THREAT TO DRILL DRILL DRILL- MAY TELL THEM SOON WE DO NOT NEED IT AND LET THEM JUST DRINK THEIR OIL. IF WE HAD STATED TO DO THIS YEARS AGO - WE WOULD NOT BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY -TREE HUGGERS GET A LIFE - FROM THE REAL WORLD - LETS MOVE FORWARD -

JUST PUT THE WORD OUT THAT WE ARE GOING TO START TO BUILD MORE REFINERIES AND DRILLING ON OUR OWN AND IN A SHORT TIME WE WILL SEE THE PRICE AT THE PUMPS START TO DECLINE. WE HAVE A LARGE SUPPLY OF OIL AVAILABLE IF WE WILL JUST GET IT. THE TREE HUGGERS NEED TO GET A REAL LIFE AND MOVE ON. JUST THE THREAT TO DRILL DRILL DRILL- MAY TELL THEM SOON WE DO NOT NEED IT AND LET THEM JUST DRINK THEIR OIL. IF WE HAD STATED TO DO THIS YEARS AGO - WE WOULD NOT BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY -TREE HUGGERS GET A LIFE - FROM THE REAL WORLD - LETS MOVE FORWARD -

Couldn't you have bolded everything, you know, for emphasis?

JUST PUT THE WORD OUT THAT WE ARE GOING TO START TO BUILD MORE REFINERIES AND DRILLING ON OUR OWN AND IN A SHORT TIME WE WILL SEE THE PRICE AT THE PUMPS START TO DECLINE. WE HAVE A LARGE SUPPLY OF OIL AVAILABLE IF WE WILL JUST GET IT. THE TREE HUGGERS NEED TO GET A REAL LIFE AND MOVE ON. JUST THE THREAT TO DRILL DRILL DRILL- MAY TELL THEM SOON WE DO NOT NEED IT AND LET THEM JUST DRINK THEIR OIL. IF WE HAD STATED TO DO THIS YEARS AGO - WE WOULD NOT BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY -TREE HUGGERS GET A LIFE - FROM THE REAL WORLD - LETS MOVE FORWARD -

So your pro drilling?

I guess tomorrow doesn't matter as long as you can do what you want today? Tell your kids their future isn't your problem.

Just today I received two emails regarding people getting hurt using motorcycles/ scooters for alternative transportation. One was a colleague who got hit by a deer riding his scooter from work and was thrown 100 feet down the road. Another was an alumnus who was killed in a motorcycle accident today.

Last month another colleague was hit by a pickup truck while using her bicycle to go to work. She had the right-of-way. Thankfully she only suffered a broken leg.

I think we'll be hearing about more incidents like this as people try to ease the pain at the pump. Oh, and oil is trading at about $140 a barrel today.

riding a motorcycle or scooter is very dangerous, and people who do so should be really well prepared or educated in doing so. ride a bike. don't ride a scooter or motorcycle unless its something you are very, very well prepared to do. pleeeseeeeeeeeese.

riding a bike on 30A bike path is a load of funn, good for you, and saves gas. but, riding a scooter on 30A is truly a danger to yourself and others, unless it is something you have truly learned to do in the most safe manner. we do not need a bunch of a-holes riding on 30A on their scooters, whether they are local aholes or visiting aholes. the end.

and that's all I am going to say on that matter!

riding a motorcycle or scooter is very dangerous, and people who do so should be really well prepared or educated in doing so. ride a bike. don't ride a scooter or motorcycle unless its something you are very, very well prepared to do. pleeeseeeeeeeeese.

riding a bike on 30A bike path is a load of funn, good for you, and saves gas. but, riding a scooter on 30A is truly a danger to yourself and others, unless it is something you have truly learned to do in the most safe manner. we do not need a bunch of a-holes riding on 30A on their scooters, whether they are local aholes or visiting aholes. the end.

and that's all I am going to say on that matter!

here's an ahole named Scooter

I love how the whole country is now being brainwashed into consenting to the drilling of the Cali and Florida coasts. Oil companies really have this country by the balls. If we want to reduce our dependency on foreign oil
we probably ought to reduce our dependancy on all oil, period. There are smart people who will figure it out and they won't come from the halls of BP, Exxon, etc, despite what those companies sickening ad campaigns say.

Exxon Valdez damages

What do locales think about the drilling issue vis a vis the reduction in damages to the property owners whose land and livelihoods were devestated when the tanker captain drove the Exxon Valdeze ashore while intoxicated? Would panhandle property owners accept reduced or limited damages if a similiar incident trashed the beaches, fishing, et al in your area?I guess the only area along the coast that would be vulnerable would be hitting a bridge along the intercoastal or running aground along a rock jetty somewhere. Or an oilspill secondary to weather, the drilling platform goes down and the oil spills.

What do locales think about the drilling issue vis a vis the reduction in damages to the property owners whose land and livelihoods were devestated when the tanker captain drove the Exxon Valdeze ashore while intoxicated? Would panhandle property owners accept reduced or limited damages if a similiar incident trashed the beaches, fishing, et al in your area?I guess the only area along the coast that would be vulnerable would be hitting a bridge along the intercoastal or running aground along a rock jetty somewhere. Or an oilspill secondary to weather, the drilling platform goes down and the oil spills.

We'd never see oil tankers here, the oil is pumped directly to the coast via pipeline. As far as storms go, Katrina, Ivan, et all resulted in zero spillage. Newer platforms are designed to shut off the the wells down at the base before the platforms are evacuated.

Actually I stand corrected, there were minor spills because oil companies aren't required to purge lines. Definitely a restriction to consider if government pushes this through over here.

http://www.mms.gov/tarprojects/581/44814183_MMS_Katrina_Rita_PL_Final%20Report%20Rev1.pdf

edit - link - lots of info in there, definitely a good read!

Couldn't you have bolded everything, you know, for emphasis?

Some of us are not computer literate enough to know how to "bold" and other SoWal posting "niceities" others know how to do.

Some of us are not computer literate enough to know how to "bold" and other SoWal posting "niceities" others know how to do.

Sorry, another need for sarcasm alert. He rudely wrote in all caps and shouted a bunch of garbage. So I basically said "hey could you just be a bit ruder?"

I am totally against off shore drilling and all for R&D into alternative fuels and harnessing nuclear energy. For those of you that have fears of it, I encourage you to do some research about nuclear technology and nuclear cell usage. It's not as Chernobyl as you think. Countries in Europe, particularly France, have been using it for quite some time. Our Navy has been using it without incident.

For those of you concerned with storage of nuclear waste, there is R&D being done on how to even harness and recycle it. We need to encourage companies, students, and others to educate our populace in promoting excitement about this technology. We need to raise our education standards and offer our students the benefit of the best educations possible. Our country is one of the most uranium rich in the world.

We expose ourselves to harmful toxins every time we pump. Sitting in congestion is akin to smoking cigarettes. Some people probably don't even realize that a flight to NY from CA exposes you to more radiation than an X-ray.
Texas alone, where oil is drilled has high rates of cancer.

I'm not very science minded to negate what I have read thus far, but something in my gut, based on all the reading I have done about nuclear energy tells me that nuclear is going to be our best solution. Not corn or sugar. I want to use it as food, not decide if I should eat it or fill my vehicle if there is a drought one year.

We expose ourselves to harmful toxins every time we pump. Sitting in congestion is akin to smoking cigarettes. Some people probably don't even realize that a flight to NY from CA exposes you to more radiation than an X-ray.
Texas alone, where oil is drilled has high rates of cancer.

Elaborate please!

I definitely don't think corn ethanol is the way to go. Sugarcane ethanol is 4x as efficient and doesn't use our food supplies.

Elaborate please!

I definitely don't think corn ethanol is the way to go. Sugarcane ethanol is 4x as efficient and doesn't use our food supplies.

That's what the X-ray techs told me in the hospital when I biotched about yet another X-ray. I wish I could have gotten a free flight to CA from it.

Another informative email from Allen Boyd:

Myth: In recent years, Congress has not boosted domestic drilling.
Fact: Yes, we have. Since 2000, domestic drilling has increased by 66 percent, while gas prices also have increased, from $1.47 per gallon in 2001 to the current price of over $4 per gallon. Also, between 1999 and 2007, the number of drilling permits issued by the federal government for the development of public lands increased by more than 361%, again contradicting the argument that more drilling means lower gas prices. Additionally, according to the Department of Energy, refining capacity has increased by 20% since 1985.

Myth: China is drilling off of Cuba?s shores.
Fact: China is not drilling off of Cuba?s shores. In fact, on June 12, Vice President Dick Cheney?s office admitted that he was mistaken when he asserted that China, at Cuba?s behest, is drilling for oil in waters 60 miles from the Florida coast.

Myth: Oil platforms have a good safety record as evidenced by their survival of recent hurricanes in the gulf.
Fact: In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused massive spills of oil and other pollutants and seriously affected the production, refinery capacity, and price of oil in the U.S. The storms caused 124 oil spills into the Gulf of Mexico. During Hurricane Katrina, 233,000 gallons of oil were spilled, and there were 508,000 gallons spilled during Hurricane Rita, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service.

Myth: Congress is not doing anything to combat high gas prices.
Fact: In May, Congress passed legislation that would temporarily suspend the filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), the nation?s emergency supply of crude oil. The SPR is already at 97 percent capacity. Experts have concluded that by stopping shipments to the reserve we can add 70,000 barrels of oil a day back into the market, which is estimated to reduce gas prices from 5 to 24 cents a gallon. Additionally, this Congress has passed and put into law:

• The America COMPETES Act, which supports energy research and the development of more clean energy technologies.
• The Farm Bill with historic investments in affordable biofuels and increased oversight over market manipulation.

The House of Representatives took action to help Americans at the pump by passing the following legislation:

• The Energy Markets Emergency Act. The Act directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to use its full authority and most potent emergency tools to curtail excessive speculation and other practices distorting the energy market. Rampant speculation has been cited as one cause of the spike in gas prices. Experts testified recently before Congress that the explosion of speculation in the oil futures market could be driving up prices from $20 to $60 per barrel.
• The Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008. The bill gives grants to mass transit authorities to reduce public transit fares, giving consumers a cost-effective alternative to high gas prices. The bill?s $1.7 billion in mass transit grants for the next two years could also be used to expand transit services and for the escalating operating costs of public transportation and would be available to both rural and urban areas.

I also supported the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act. This legislation forces oil companies to produce oil and gas, or diligently develop, the 68 million acres of public land they already have leased, but are not using to produce energy. Unfortunately, this legislation was blocked by House Republicans and was not approved.


Myth: Drilling off our coasts would immediately lower gas prices.
Fact: According to the Energy Department, ?Access to the Pacific, Atlantic, and eastern Gulf regions would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030.? The Department of Energy concludes ?because oil prices are determined on the international market, however, any impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant.?

Myth: Drilling off every single one of our coasts would put an end to our energy crisis.
Fact: According to the Energy Department, by the time full production actually ramped up in 2030, this drilling off of all our coasts would only result in a 3% increase in domestic production. Over that same timeframe, domestic demand is projected to increase by 7%.

Bottom line: I support responsible drilling, but it is only one small component of what is needed to lower gas prices and end our energy crisis. To really and truly end our dependence on foreign oil, we must develop a long term energy strategy that not only increases domestic energy production, but also addresses climate change, fuel diversity, renewable energy sources, and technology development.