midwest wrote:
You might want to check out what our largest supplier, Canada, is doing with tar sands before you say it is not "recoverable". And they have a hell of a lot of it, and we have even more shale. When the price is right we will develop ways to bring it to market---rest assured on that. I have never fallen for this myth that we are running out of oil, and I have heard that since I was 10 yrs old.
Also, the not-so-nice bottom line is: The worlds resources belong to the country with the most powerful military. In a crises, if our very survival depended on it, we would go get it. Just like soldiers have gone after resources since the beginning of man.
I am very well aware of what Canada is doing with tar sands. They need LOTS of natural gas to recover oil, and retmil46 is correct in saying you need sustained market prices over $100 a barrel for tar sand oil to be feasible. Shale recovery is similar in cost of recovery, and needs lots and lots of water, which happens to be in very short supply in Colorado's Roan plateau.
For the record, I have NEVER made the claim we are "running out of oil", that has no bearing on the conversation. My original point remains, you will not get resource development with current oil prices no matter what the US government is called on to do, unless you want to flush money down the drain. My other point is we cannot exploit domestic sources of oil to affect the world market -- we just don't have enough. It's a global market, and we cannot dominate it. Our path is clear - develop alternatives to petroleum so we can ensure our economic security.