A 70's pipe dream coming true? Energy.....

[JustRalph]

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news...bal-order?lite

I hope I live to see the day the U.S. is energy independent. I have to think that these predictions of the next 5- 15 yrs might be optimistic. But I hope not.

If government doesn't get in the way it sounds like it could be feasible

[sammy the sage]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news...bal-order?lite

I hope I live to see the day the U.S. is energy independent. I have to think that these predictions of the next 5- 15 yrs might be optimistic. But I hope not.

If government doesn't get in the way it sounds like it could be feasible

No way THE government allows it to BE CHEAP for peons like you & I...

[Robert Goren]

I don't have much hope for cheap gasoline because too many people have an interest in keeping it high. The real hope for cheap transportation costs is in Natural Gas. The unexpected explosion(at least on my part) of wind to produce electricity has helped keep things in line too. Although I think the electric car will have very limited use because they can not come with a quick way to recharge the battery. As quickly as oil fueled power plants were replaced by coal fueled, the coal fueled ones are now being replaced NG fueled ones with wind producing more of electricity. In Iowa almost 25% of it electrical power is produce by wind. Before I saw that number last summer, I would guessed maybe 2%.
I have my doubts the pipeline will ever be built even if Obama approves it. The landowners are in revolt. Even Texas landowners have gone to court to fight it. The limited government movement of the tea party is a two edged sword. It is rapidly becoming an obsolete idea any way.

[Tom]

No way we become energy independent.
Not on Obama's agenda.
He says we need to be, but he has everything in his power to make sure it never happens.

I think he is in cahoots with the Arabs.
He surely is not on OUR side!

[rastajenk]

I've never understood the need to be "energy independent." As long as we grow most of the food for the world, we should be able to get a fair shake in the energy market.

[Marshall Bennett]

The world market is regulated in US dollars. As long as we can import oil so cheaply and keep printing money, they won't take any serious move towards alternative energy or becoming energy independent.
Like with our economy in general, when the dollar is no longer the world reserve currency, it will all change. By then any move made will likely be too late.
This administration seems to be completely oblivious to future preparations for this country of any kind. They'll print and spend as if it will last forever. I truly believe so many Americans blow money and go in debt in the same manner that they don't see anything wrong with the government doing it. Eventually it all comes crashing down, it nearly has to.

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by Robert Goren

I don't have much hope for cheap gasoline because too many people have an interest in keeping it high.

Wait...I thought Bush and Cheney have been out of office for over four years now...what gives?

[ceejay]

The business model for natural gas has already changed. Now we are in the process of applying the same techniques to oil plays. These techniques include fracture stimulation of low permeability (and low hydrocarbon-saturation) reservoirs. The oil and gas business is now driven by cost effective extraction rather than geological discovery.

I expect that these techniques will be applied worldwide, resulting in long-term depression of oil prices. For example, a major new play in the USA is the Mississippian limestone. This reservoir has hydrocarbons but low permeability and low deliverability. But now, instead of a vertical well with maybe 20 feet of pay, we drill horizontally and have thousands of feet of pay. I do not know much about Saudi Arabia geology but the reservoirs there are include limestones and I do not see any reason why they would not start to exploit the lower permeability rocks effectively increasing worldwide supply and keeping energy prices low.

[Robert Goren]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Wait...I thought Bush and Cheney have been out of office for over four years now...what gives?

Bush and Cheney aren't/weren't then only one interested in keeping gasoline prices high and you are smart enough to know that. The people heavily invested in crude oil are the real culprits. If a new energy source comes a long, they lose their investments because crude oil is getting very expensive to harvest and will not be able to compete with things like Natural Gas. There is lot people who need to keep gasoline as the primary transportation energy source from the drillers, the big oil companies, the refiners and the people of Alaska who pay no taxes because the money the state collects from selling its reserves. That does even include the the small players like the commodity traders. Why do you think the Koch brothers are fighting the use of NG so much? They spent a ton of money in the last Nebraska senate race making sure a senator favorable to them won both the GOP primary and the general election. I am sure they will do it again next year as Nebraska's other senate seat becomes open with the retirement of Mike Johanns(R). It is all about delaying as long as possible the use of cheaper alternatives to gasoline. Even Just Ralph has said he would convert his truck to NG if he could find a fueling stop. So would a lot of other people and people would buy NG powered cars if they had a place to fill up because it is a lot cheaper. The gasoline interests are doing everything possible to make sure those fueling stops are very slow in coming to place close to you.

[Robert Fischer]

not every commodity's pricing seems to operate on supply and demand

[plainolebill]

I doubt we'll be energy independent anytime soon but the good news is the less energy we import the better our balance of trade and better for creation of jobs in the US. I just read about some overseas manufacturers planning to locate plants in the US to take advantage of low energy prices.

US chemical companies are enjoying a competitive advantage because feedstocks are so cheap.

[Tom]

Bush and Cheney aren't/weren't then only one interested in keeping gasoline prices high and you are smart enough to know that.

Yes, Obama want us to be at European levels - $5+.
It's on the record.

And his actions restricting any development of oil at home back it up.