Jophiel wrote:
gbaji wrote:
You actually believe this BS?
The Dept of the Interior report? Yeah, I do.
The report detailed every single patch of land in the US with any potential for oil reserves, and included all those blocked for drilling via some form of land use legislation, and concluded that even if all the areas were opened up without blocks or additional licensing or useage fee's it would be cheaper to drill in another country? And it also said that it would be cheaper still to drill in 5000 feet of water?
Really? Cause I'd love to read this imaginary report you're talking about. I don't think it exists. But feel free to prove me wrong. Show me that absent government intervention making it more expensive to drill onshore in the US, it's cheaper to drill in other countries and cheaper still to drill in 5000 feet of water. Can you do that?
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Despite the available onland parcels, it was still cheaper to drill in Saudi Arabia or wherever than Oklahoma.
And you keep using the word "available", and the fail to grasp that this excludes land which has been set aside as a protected spot from drilling almost certainly at the demand of environmentalist groups.
This is why I say you're playing word games. Let's get rid of that word. Are you saying that if we were free to drill in any and every single onshore land parcel in the US that has oil, it would still be cheaper for US companies to drill in other countries? Because my whole point is that it's more expensive *because* the environmentalists have lobbied to make the areas where oil could be cheaply drilled "unavailable".
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Maybe the oil is closer to the surface. Maybe sand drills easier than western bedrock. I understand you have problems with the excluded middle but perhaps there's just a little more to it than "There must not have been any oil here for them if they didn't drill here!"
That's not what I'm saying. You keep ignoring what I'm saying and arguing your own strawman instead.
I'm saying that the best areas in the US with oil are blocked via legislation, forcing companies to have to make do with poor locations, or drill farther and farther offshore (or in other countries). It's more cost effective to drill elsewhere exactly because the cost effective areas aren't "available" for drilling.
What the hell do you think the environmentalists have been doing for the last 50 years Joph? It's not like they hide this agenda.