I don't think most Americans are waking up yet, their only concern still seems to be the retail cost of gasoline.

Because they are a lunatic fringe.

I don't have a problem with any eco-friendly behavior, it is plain common sense and I would put myself, and my lifestly, up against that of the most virulent eco-nut. I was a Boy Scout and I'm an avid and lifelong outdoorsman.

I take care of my enviroment because it's the right thing to do and because it is economical.

Not because Al (Chicken Little) Gore recently found a way to make a shit load of cash off of trumpeting it to everyone who is already predisposed to being "progressive".

The doom-and-gloom, end of the world bullshit that (he) they use to get the message across does more harm than good.

The eco-lunatic movement's prophet had a larger carbon footprint than ten average Americans combined (until he got caught) and bases his campaign for progress and change in large part on advocating sinks and credits in which he, oddly enough, is very heavily invested.

To aid himself in this caper he produces a film that is riddled with factual inaccuracies and based on science which, at best, is heavily disputed.

It's the eco-left's version of the GWOT.

A calm, measured, responsible approach to envirnonmental and energy issues is what's called for.

Just like a calm, measured, responsible approach to international Islamic terrorism was what was called for in 2001.

At the end of the day American's actual response to both threats has been taken overboard by shysters looking to make a quick buck and their ideologue followings trying to do the "right thing" by doing what ammounts to very much the wrong thing.

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...Old Europe, a once-dominant region now reduced to sucking at the geopolitical teat of America... they spent the better part of the last millennium conquering the world and taking the good stuff home with them... And what do they get for their troubles? Ungrateful colonies demanding their independence. And after you taught them how to play cricket!...

-Jon Stewart

I have only seen Alaska petroleum reserves mentioned once. Build more refineries and open up domestic supplies. ANWR ANWR ANWR.
Also, Alaska just today rejected an Exxon plan to develop the Point Thompson field. This is largely a political move, and will be re-leased to another company.
State again rejects Exxon development plan: Alaska News | adn.com
BP and Conoco Phillips stock might be a very wise way to go these days.

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Abstinence Education at its finest:

Can you blame the state for rejecting Exxon?

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When they come a wull staun ma groon
Staun ma groon al nae be afraid
Thoughts awe hame tak awa ma fear
Sweat an bluid hide ma veil awe tears

There is also the Gulf. And of course nuclear power, wind power off Ted Kennedys place. Any number of solutions that have been denied by liberals and many RINOS.

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http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

NO! I think Exxon is the worst single corporate entity in the world today. Followed closely by mining giant Anglo American.

This has been an ongoing fued. It stems orginally from the spill and thier wanton disregard for the lawsuit they lost and have never paid a nickel on while delaying and appealing to the supreme court over a period of 15 years.

But also, they have been sitting on this PT Thompson field and have fended off anyone else getting thier hands on it for 20+ years. They fought tooth and nail about an increase in thier royalty payments to AK last fall. They fended off efforts to build a natural gas line for decades.

Now it comes time to pay the piper for Exxon. Thier bad faith engagements with the state of Alaska government and its citizens are coming full circle. They are going to be left out of a major project in the gasline.

You will see either BP or CP quickly pick up those leases. Possibly in a joint effort is my speculation. They are self financing the gas line project in a 50/50 venture. Whereas 1/4 of the stranded gas on the north slope is in this field.

There is lots of talk about what will become of this. I think it is to early to tell. But either way, Exxon is being marginalized, and as a direct result of thier corporate behavior.

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Abstinence Education at its finest:

Which Gulf? There are several.
Along with ANWR, Shell was the big winner of leases O&G in the Chukchi Sea in the far northwest of Alaska. They are claiming it is the biggest domestic discovery since Prudoe. Shell doesnt have an existing presense in AK through either production or retail methods. From what I understand though is that Shell is generally a respectable company.

Also there is going to be lease sales in Bristol Bay which I have mixed feelings about due to the very critical habitat for the richest fisheries in the world that exist right in the lease area.

Meaning, if in 10 years there is still the show deadliest catch, it will take some tricky editing to show the horizon on those king crabbing grounds without showing an offshore oil rig.

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Abstinence Education at its finest:

Really - there is no end in sight:

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Crude oil rose to a record $119.74 a barrel in New York as the dollar dropped to an all-time low against the euro, kindling interest in commodities as an inflation hedge.

The dollar touched $1.60 per euro for the first time on signs the European Central Bank won't cut interest rates because of inflation concerns.

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"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
~Thomas Jefferson

"There is Still No Such Thing As a Fair Tax"

There is more than the Gulf of Mexico?

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http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

While the US cuts interest rates in a time of high inflation to facilitate bailout borrowing directly from the Fed by its incompetent financial institutions. Good-bye USD.

China (Hong Kong) put together an interesting USD hedge for ME oil producers. An investment pool of committed futures that returns dividends based on future oil production at market prices, it bypasses the Muslim tradition of not charging or receiving interest and I can't think of anything that makes more sense for producers of a finite commodity.

Any bets on the price of crude oil six-months and one-year down the line?

I honestly dont know. I am just going on what the Shell CEO said on my small local radio station.

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Abstinence Education at its finest:

Goldman Sachs is predicting a range of $150-200 over the next 6 to 24 months... hold on to your seats:

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

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Considering increases in just the past six-months to $120/barrel, I seriously doubt that it'll take 24-months to reach $200/barrel. It needs to be around $500/barrel to properly stimulate alternative energy R&D.

Carter was ready to fund a huge initiative for synthetic gasoline and some other alternatives etc...then miraculously the price of oil, started dropping...the world economically was different then no doubt, but, in the end, opec and their enablers saw what was going to happen so they decided to do what they had to do to help prices ease.....

that may not be possible now, so I fear you are right, but 500? I don't know about that, I'd say 200 will be the alarm bell......then again, what’s that in late 70's dollars?


in the last 30 years we have done squat, and this is what we get. We reelect idiots who are responsible for this, and they sit in their sandbox trying to pass the blame buck and still do shit…..we got what we paid for. We know where it nis, but we won’t go get it or consider viable alternatives, the ethanol alternative thank you gore et al is a complete and absolute bust and was a huge waste of time and resources, besides poisoning the public regards efficacy of some alternatives that may come down the road.

But it aint just us, Mexico is next up, but for different reasons, the economist did another reassessment article and Pemex is going to see a 10% drop starting NEXT year, as they have zero infrastructure to explore deeper fields and their state bureaucracy destroys any initiative etc as it siphons off ever dime it can instead of reinvesting some of it in infrastructure etc. .
( they are the worlds 6th producer but import 40% of their oil? Unfriggin believable).

Chavez is living a charmed life as well, his crude takes more energy and infrastructure to refine as it’s a heavy crude, he too has allowed his infrastructure to dilapidate and in 10 years he’ll start seeing the results….so hold on tight, its just starting.

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No individual can plan his own existence in their view.

So the state planners must arrogate to themselves the right to manipulate any sector of the economic system if the good of “society” or the “general welfare” is paramount.

Ipso- if the rights of the individual get in the way, the rights of the individual must be sublimated.

The Road to Serfdom
FA Hayek (interpretation)


Mortgage Backed Security survivor

Goldman Sachs says "Oil to be $200 per barrel soon"...which translates to what almost $6 per gallon.
And I second pretty much Imperators entire post above.