Do you think technology has come far enough along that drilling for oil...?

off the coast of the United States or in Alaska is safe for the environment? I ask because everyone in the US is tired of paying over $4 a gallon for gas but yet everyone is agaist drilling for our own oil to be less dependant on foreign oil. Many other forms of fuel used in cars are being worked on. But until the practicality of those fuels is nationwide, do you think that we should drill? Even temporarily? Do you think that we have come far enough with our drilling techniques that we could keep the environment safe?Do you think technology has come far enough along that drilling for oil...?
Yes oil drilling can be done with minimal impact on the environment. Its already being done in the Canadian arctic. Any new oil drilling in this country would be so closely monitored by every watchdog group and the EPA that there would be very little chance of anything bad happening. When Hurricane Katrina shut down oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico you didn't hear of any environmental disasters. If they could remain safe through that it proves my point. As for refining capacity, a new refinery could be built as oil fields are developed. If both went on line at the same time equilibrium would be maintained. Even if it doesn't change the price I would rather see my money stay in the U.S. than go to other countries. Research for other fuels should continue and we should be drilling for more oil at the same time.Do you think technology has come far enough along that drilling for oil...?
Baccheus is right. In addition we can never drill enough oil soon enough to out pace the benefit of conservation. We already have the technology to make vehicles more fuel efficient and the knowledge to shave a small percentage off of everyone's consumption. These two efforts can have an impact in as little as one year to stabilize prices at the pump and for heating.





It would take a multi-prong effort to decrease prices in about 5-7 years. Ultimately, the only way to decrease prices is to make it ';unprofitable'; for big companies to charge high prices.
We have, but like all technology and safety precautions, they are only as good as the hands that use them. In this case, it is the corrupt businessmen who pinch pennies and cut corners to save a dime. It is this kind of selfish greed that could lead to a disaster, regardless of how ';safe'; the technology is.





Never the less, I think we should drill in AWAR since, in a worst case scenario, a couple acres of frozen land that NO ONE will ever see gets ruined. In the Gulf, could mess up entire eco-systems, the fishing industry AND contaminate the Gulf Coast, which would adversely affect many economies. To me, the risk in the gulf is too great.
I think the government should drill in these areas, That way nobody is cutting corners on safety for profit and the government would obviously be able to monitor and test the facilities without big oil interfering. This way the oil could be safely extracted and then sold for cost only, and all of it sold within the united states to drive down prices. The problem with big oil companies drilling in these area is not only the enviroment but the fact that if it causes a sharp decrease in US oil and gas prices they will sell it abroad for larger profits. it makes good business sense to sell where the bigger profit is. That why it is time for the government to step in and secure our energy future or these prices are gonna drive the country, if not the developed world into a major Economical depression, while big oil makes billions and billions....
I suppose! But I also think that we should find other alternative methods..We're trying with corn ethanol, electricity, solar...But even if we drill our own what happens when that runs out? One day, we'll have to do without oil...Plus its better to do without it sooner or later, its not good for the environment!
i think....ok here is the thing Japan has made and is testing a car that runs enitly on water..and al you do it put 1/2 a gallon of water in the car and then you go an you can drive 50miles..no stop drilling oil and just use the car japan is working on
Yes, when hurricanes Rita and Katrina hit the gulf we had hundreds of oil platforms destroued and never spilled a drop. How's that for proof of oil safety?
It all depends on how much U are willing to sacrifice. Your world will shrink to your town and nothing more.
yes i think we can and should start drilling our oil
You have been fed a bill of goods, just like


usual, by this Administration.


If drilling were to begin tomorrow, there


would be no oil to refine until 2020.


It is doubtful that there is enough oil there


to even cover the cost of setting up the


platforms and spending all that money to get it out.


Until we get a definitive estimate on whether or not oil is there, and whether or not it is feasible to pump out, then it is just a pipe dream.


Instead of looking to drill oil in the U.S.


maybe you had best ask yourself, What is


happening to all the Iraq oil that we killed


so many people to get?


How come Dubai citizens pay -0- for


gasoline? How come many EU countries


have placed a cap on gasoline prices.?


How come it was shortly after GW visited


Saudi Arabia (twice) that our gas kept


going higher and higher. Is it kick-back time


for somebody?


Or was that just a ruse to get us to open


every possible U.S. source to look for oil


(and use up what REMAINING RESERVES we now have?)
The problem is that drilling would not make more oil available for us. Oil is drilled by private companies who will sell it where they get the best price -- and that will not be in the US. Worldwide demand is increasing very rapidly, and the oil off our coast is just a drop in the bucket. It will not stay in the US, and will not be enough additional worldwide supply to affect worldwide prices -- and it wouldn't be available for 10-15 years. Whether the risks are slight or great, there is no solution off our coasts to satisfy the booming demands of developing countries such as China and India.
The technology and current practices are there for safe oil/gas development. The hold-up has been the green lobby. Depending on where the oil is developed, getting it online could take anywhere from 18 months to 6 years, though if the oil market saw that our congress was legislating development of U.S. oil and gas, we would see an immediate drop in prices.





The ANWR and eastern gulf/east coast need to be opened for development immediately!
The answer is simple. Drilling for oil will never be safe for the environment.





One major resource that is neglected is fresh water. Any fresh water in Alaska will likely be diverted, by the thousands of barrels per day, into the oil wells. It will be pumped thousands of meters underground, and it will stay there. As has happened in Alberta and Saskatewan, soon fresh water supplies will begin to dwindle, because we went and pumped all our water underground like idiots. This will have a massive impact on the environment.





Another important issue is the massive fuel consumption and carbon footprint of dragging oil out of the ground in Alaska and shipping it to refineries which will likely not be in the United States (The US hasn't added new fuel refining capacity in years, and thus doesn't have enough capacity to deal with demand). Imagine the amount of energy wasted doing that.
The answer is not in drilling. The answer is in refining. There are only 149 refineries that at full capacity can produce 9.1 million barrels of fuel. In the U.S., we use 9.3 million barrels of fuel per day, with absolutly no plans on building any new refineries. We import the additional fuel to cover the shortage. As long as we are dependant on importing, our economy is partially controlled by those countries that would rather we not exist. To make matters worse, we are taking food and turning it into ethanol, a viable fuel additive. If I had a choice of eating food or filling my car, I'd rather eat.
Of course the technology is here, oil is still just too profitable right now.





We already have the technology to run our cars off of water, but that one's not very popular because anyone can get water for really cheap.





Electric cars were gaining popularity when I was graduating high school, but the oil companies squashed that one. Check-out the movie ';Who Killed The Electric Car'; for more details on that.





If Industrial Hemp catches-on in this country again, we can run our cars off of Hemp Fuel. http://youtube.com/watch?v=NPxcLnpgX8w





Lots of alternatives, none of which will be popular until there is no more profit to be made with oil.





Have a great day! :-)
I just watched CNN’s international Channel(3pm EST), breaking the news that oil price spikes again. But the anchor and the reporter assert it is China’s diesel demand contributed to the hike.





Waited a sec ! It is already THIRD time I am hearing CNN’s assertion of China’s diesel demand. The first time was about two weeks ago. What’s going on?





Then, Israel’s-Iran-attack-drill news flashing back-------Which Was Just Happened This Morning ! That “unmistakable signal” is surely an act to have a consequence of oil supply disruption ! Why is it not reported as a oil spiking cause ? !





Time to scapegoat China again before a major offensive ? To verify, I went to CNN web site , there it is :





China hikes fuel prices http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/20/news/int…





China to raise energy prices


http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/19/news/int…





But nowhere saying that Israel’s-Iran-attack-drill will unstablize the oil supply region, causing the oil price up.





For Israelis Iran Strike Drill see


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c…