Why should we keep drilling for oil? Why dont politicians get it?

Oil is out, free energy is in. Oil, no matter how much we drill will run out someday. And that someday is more sooner than later. Why keep beating a dead horse by drilling a few million barrels here, a few thousand there?? Why not use the money we would spend on drilling and build some windmills and solar farms? They are never ending resources that will eventually pay for themselves. Oil is not renewable, the more we use the more we pay. Its dirty and ineffective. Do you think the US will ever be off the oil teat?Why should we keep drilling for oil? Why dont politicians get it?
great question. great argument. i thought they should drill but now reading this, i understand how people disagree with it intelligently. thanks.Why should we keep drilling for oil? Why dont politicians get it?
Wind and solar provide less than 1% of America's energy supply. There is no way it is ever going to replace oil and gas unless everyone goes back to living pre 1900's style.





There is plenty of oil and gas, it just depends on how much your willing to pay. There is enough oil in the form of shale out in Utah and Colorado to last hundreds of years. Also, we currently import 60%. If we do not begin right now to increase domestic production, we will be importing 80% or 90% in the next decade. This will make our balance of trade even worse than it is now.





Just my 2 cents ~ Jeff
Most people on here will not remember the oil embargo of the early 70's. At that time everyone said we need to be less dependant on foreign oil - well over thirty years have passed and nothing has changed. There is nuclear and hydro power for electric. The problem is no one wants to look long term. If gas prices where to drop to $2.00 per gallon tomorow no one would be standing up saying we need to fix the energy problem.
Simply, we have already begun the process to find an alternative to oil. But if everyone is going to complain about gas prices and such sort, the more we drill now the less and less the prices become and the more dependant we become from many oil bearing countries. There is no other answer we must find an alternative, but in the meantime we do need our oil.
Money. Even at today's inflated prices, oil is far cheaper than any feasible alternative. One can produce energy from sunlight or wind; one cannot do so in a manner which makes economic sense. And for some applications, such as aviation, there is not now, nor can there ever be, an adequate substitute for hydrocarbon fuels: these have a far higher energy density than any other technology.
We will not be able to change our infrastructure quickly. We will be using oil for many years in cars, trains, trucks and heating. It will take DECADES even with huge subsidies to change over to ';green'; supply technologies. Even then our government will make bureaucratic errors subsidizing the wrong things (E85) further hampering the change.


If the ';greenies'; and the ';nimbys'; would get a grip and the government would get serious about nuclear power, we could reduce oil consumption by 75% in 20 years.
oil, is the second biggest probelm, i just want oto let u no that im against drilling, but anyway these ppl want drilling because ill slow down the price serge. oil is sucking the money right out of us we need some relefe. But i think that drilling will just cause more bad than good and by the time we get the oil on the market i wont even matter anymore
Please go hug a tree. You don't know and understand the first thing about fossil fuels. Solar and wind sucks, the energy is barely enough to run a clock radio. If you only understood the products besides gasoline that comes from oil, maybe you would have a clue.
We do need to invest in alternatives. What's ';free energy';? I think you mean renewable such as solar or wind generated. Of course it costs to build machinery to harvest those sources.
Conspiracies don't die, they are exterminated.
There are no alternative sources with the capability of replacing even a small fraction of our energy use even if totaled together and even if including coal, nuclear, biofuels, and fuel cells so oil is needed until technology can come up with an affordable solution. They do get it; we need more oil and especially domestic oil.





Solar only works in southern deserts (too many clouds elsewhere 鈥?I know, I鈥檓 an off-net solar user in WA). Wind generators would have to be built on practically every piece of land to meet 3% of our electric needs. Geothermal energy is only viable in the western states and again, cannot even begin to meet energy needs as is also true of hydro-electric. Besides, do we really want all those dams killing off the fish? Electric cars use more fossil fuels then do regular ones and a dirtier type since 70% of our electricity is generated by coal plants. It all sounds nice and dandy but with the current level of technology, simply not feasible. We do need to invest more in energy research, however; especially in the hydrogen fuel cells technology. Currently, it requires fossil fuels to separate/make the hydrogen.