Saturday, August 20, 2005

The Oil Shortage? What Oil Shortage?

I can’t help but wonder if we are into another fabricated “Oil Shortage” similar to the one back in the '70’s.

Why?

Well, the MSM is reporting that there is a terrible shortage of oil and the US economy is going to crash as a result and, well, basically, it’s the end of the world!

What’s wrong with that, you ask?

Nothing, much… except there is no shortage of oil, the per barrel price has come down, and the US economy is humming along.

Sure, gas prices at the pump are high, but, it’s the peak driving time of the year and gas prices tend to go up every year at this time. Plus, the very simple, but troubling, fact that we simply do not have enough oil refineries in the US.

Did you know we have not had a single new refinery built in the US for over 30 years now? It’s a fact. The big brother government regulations make it next to impossible to get the environmental permits issued to build such an installation. The US has only 149 refineries… period. If one goes down, for any reason, gas prices shoot up. The existing refineries are working round the clock at peak production to supply the gasoline needed by the American motorists. The wear and tear on those facilities, and those who work in them, is phenomenal.

Added to the mix is the fact that the US is dependent on overseas suppliers of oil. OPEC, for the most part. They have a strangle hold on the US as a result of our own stupidity. That’s what I said… stupidity!

We have enough oil, right here, in America, to tell the nations of Opec to “take a hike”. The only thing standing between the domestic oil and us is… the “tree huggers” and the “greenies”, and some “leftover Lefties” in the EPA in Washington, and a few still in the Congress. Enough of them are in positions from which they can affect American petroleum policy that they have managed to bare America’s throat to our enemies.

Folks, we have enough shale oil in the US to last for decades… and it’s cost, to extract from the rock, is $30.00 a barrel. Compare that against the $66.25 per barrel price of sweet crude from OPEC now. ANWAR is awash in oil. We have huge oil deposits off our coasts.

Now, at some point, we are going to have to get that oil. The longer we wait, the closer to a state of emergency we will find ourselves. This problem is quickly turning into a national security problem.

The answer to our oil usage is not those little “beer can automobiles” the carmakers are trying their best to foist on us. Besides being death traps, in an auto crash, they are UGLY!

There is simply no excuse for our dependence on OPEC oil. None. We have our own oil. If we stop buying OPEC’s oil, the price will come down. It’s the law of Supply and Demand.

Look, we are going to have to face reality here. We have the oil we need right here. We need to go get it. And we need to build more refineries, ASAP. If that means relaxing the EPA rules, because of an emergency, then do it. And do it now!

The outlook is very clear. If we don’t break our dependence on foreign oil, the next war may actually be for the oil. If we can’t use our own, and we can’t buy it, than the only option left is to take it. We are going to get the oil… one way, or another.

“Longstreet”

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