Is $ 1.50 a gallon gas being kept from all of us.

[sansatman]

I have always bought into the "Peak Oil" story and based a lot my thinking on this narrative of inevitable shortage. I don't have the scientific knowledge of oil to make a truly informed determination of the veracity of these claims, but they are frightening.

It is my hope that this thread will will be responded to by others with a deeper understanding of this issue. :shrug:

"Federal Government ordered the documents and technical reports locked up, the well capped, and the rig withdrawn.

In 1975, an anonymous ARCO official told Hugh M. Chance, a former State Senator from Colorado, that the Government had allowed only one pool of oil in a 100 square mile area on Alaska's North Slope to be developed, even though the entire area north of Brooks Range has so much oil, that if it were drilled, "in five years the United States could be totally energy free, and totally independent from the rest of the world as far as energy is concerned." The Prudhoe Bay oil field is one of the richest oil fields on earth, able to produce an oil flow for at least 20 years, without the need of a pump; and a natural gas supply which could supply the entire country for 200 years. However, the Government wouldn't allow it to be pumped out, and it is funneled back into the ground. The Gull Island field had a different chemical structure, as did the Kuparuk oil field, west of there, which meant that the three different chemical compositions indicated the existence of separate pools of oil on the North Slope in an area of 50,000 square miles. Needless to say, this seems to be an almost unlimited supply of domestic oil.

Another ARCO official told Lindsey Williams, a chaplain for the work camps on the Trans-Alaska Oil pipeline, that "there will never be an energy crisis (because) we have as much oil here as in all Saudi Arabia." Williams had witnessed a huge oil discovery at Gull Island (5 miles north of Prudhoe Bay in the Beaufort Sea) that could have produced so much oil, that the official said that another pipeline could be built "and in another year's time we can flood America with oil- Alaskan oil ... and we won't have to worry about the Arabs." However, a few days after the find, the Federal Government ordered the documents and technical reports locked up, the well capped, and the rig withdrawn. Their excuse was that an oil spill in that part of the Arctic Ocean would kill various micro-organisms. Williams felt that the U.S. Government was deliberately creating an oil crisis, and delaying the flow of oil, in order to bankrupt the oil companies, which would lead to the nationalization of oil and gas."

This article comes from Peak Oil News http://www.peakoil.com


:wtf:


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3340274697167011147&hl=en

[donco6]

1. Doesn't pass the smell test to me.

"Unlimited supply"? That's not even physically possible.

[pt22]

2. wtf is right...that is a very large load of caca.

...

[Beregond2]

3. My boss showed me a clip of some guy making these claims the other day.

It felt totally phony to me, but obviously I can't produce proof one way or the other. Does anyone know the real story here?

[droidamus2]

4. Doubt it

Is there oil in Alaska, sure we already know that. Would I trust what any 'oilman' has to say about the supply NO! These people are in the oil business to make money. They will pump anywhere to make that money. The amount of supply that makes it worth their while is probably not the same amount that would make a long term dent in our energy problem. The truth is oil is a finite resource. Are we going to run out of it today? Are we going to run out of it tomorrow? Who knows but the fact is we, by we I mean the human race, will run out of it eventually. By emphasizing more drilling we are just putting of the inevitable when we should be facing the music and working on renewable resources and more effective conservation measures. Remember the oil barons have massive amounts of money invested in their business and will do and say anything to protect those investments and squeeze out the last drop of profits from this finite resource and they don't really give a damn how much it hurts you or me.

[hokies4ever]

5. You can look up the oil reserves in various countries on wikipedia

Saudi Arabia = 260 billion barrels. USA = 21 billion barrels. There's some disagreement over oil reserves in Alaska, but the high end of the uncertainty would add less than 10 billion barrels, so nowhere near Saudi Arabia levels. The REAL kicker is Canada = 179 billion barrels. Come on Canada start pumping out the oil! :rofl:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves#Estimated_reserves_in_order

[MrMonk]

6. Smells like an oily urban legend.

The stories are at least second-hand, and attributed to anonymous sources. The oil finds are near-miraculous in scope, and just what the U.S. was wishing for in the 1970's (and now). The find is immediately suppressed to aid the nefarious schemes of the powerful, and all of the "proof" is locked away. I especially noticed the allegation that the federal government justified burying the project to protect "various micro-organisms".

The entire story reeks of 1970's anti-environmental, anti-(liberal) government paranoia. Reagan and the Bushes had 20 years to release the "proof" of this fantastic find, yet all that we have is say-so.

[spag68]

7. I'm stunned

that anyone would believe that these assholes stopped anything for environmental reasons.

[MrMonk]

8. Is this the article that you've quoted?

http://www.peakoil.com/printout717.html

Certain questions raised during the 1973 Oil Embargo, seem to point to the fact that the crisis was created by the Illuminati, as a test, to see what it would be like without gasoline for automobiles, and fuel for heating homes.

[sce56]

9. What might really be held back from us is power from water!

http://waterpoweredcar.com/stan.html

[yurbud]

10. credible sounding until you got to the bit about gov't trying to bankrupt big oil

high oil prices lead to high profits, and congress is mostly bought off by or in fear of big oil.

[Enthusiast]

11. Okay. this thread needs some serious

Okay, this thread needs some serious participation. I want answers!

The Republicans are winning the propaganda war by shifting the blame for high oil prices onto The Democratic Party. It's just like in the year 2004 when Kerry didn't adequately address swiftboat attacks. Now, we are being attacked for holding back oil that could lower the price for hard working Americans of moderate means.

What is the truth? If the truth is, there is a very finite amount of crude, the American people should be made aware of it. If The Democratic Party is truly responsible for holding back exploration of vast oil supply's, well, that won't play very well in November.

Nothing else much matters to people (voters) in dire straights due to high gas prices. As if that wasn't bad enough millions of rural folks of moderate means heat with skyrocketing heating oil. If we face a November with Republicans framing the issue as being 'nut case Democratic environmentalists causing high oil prices', we lose, we will lose the election.

Hydrogen-electric hybrid cars won't do much to help this today. People need help right now. I want some answers.

[Arctic Dave]

19. Read my post #18 n/t

[TBF]

22. " If The Democratic Party is truly responsible for holding back exploration of vast oil supply"

Are you serious? You are concerned that the DNC has knowledge of a "vast oil supply" and is holding it back? The DNC does not own any oil fields as far as I know. As far as "some answers", it was widely publicized that Exxon had record-breaking profits last year. Profits means money going back to shareholders, not being reinvested in R&D (ie looking for new energy sources). If you have any doubt about where your money is going take a look at the financial pages and see how Exxon and the other big oil companies' share prices are doing.

Republicans can frame an issue any way they want, and they frequently do on FOX news, but that doesn't mean it's true.

[Enthusiast]

27. But, Democrats must re frame these issues or

Suffer the consequences in November. It doesn't really matter if an issue is true, as we have seen in the past. Every news program is replaying Republican talking points on how the Environmentally minded Democrats are responsible for the high oil prices. These arguments should be refuted.

[TBF]

29. Point taken, but how exactly would you like us to do this? We can blog,

we can spread the real story on progressive Internet new sources, and Obama will be able to refute McCain on this when he debates. But our media is owned by Republicans, so how do we get them to report accurately?

[EstimatedProphet]

12. Let me guess - Bill Clinton is somehow at fault.

[DavidDvorkin]

13. Another rightwing post from someone with a low total number of posts

Seeing a lot of these on DU lately.

[MrMonk]

14. OK, shame on me.

I actually spent time (too much time) looking for substantiation of the oil and gas reserves cited by the OP's source(s). The leads that go anywhere, all go back to that minister on the linked video and his "sources".

Does someone know of an independent source, preferably with a good rep related to oil and gas, who supports the posted information?

[Arctic Dave]

20. Read my post #18

[sansatman]

26. Like You, I spent a lot of time trying to find more information...

about this video. Most of the responders did not watch the video, they just pulled irrelevant crap out of their asses so they could be comforted by the aroma of their own ignorance.

This is the only commentary I could find on Lindsey Williams, and I have looked at "Peak Oil" for years and not once heard this take on the whole thing.


http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=88252

[bhikkhu]

15. One of many "limitless energy" stories you hear about

Look into it, and there's nothing there.

The real humorous part of this is that the government created the oil crisis to bankrupt the oil companies. Corporations, of course, are at the mercy of government. And now we see the oil companies struggling to pay the bills...

[Krashkopf]

16. Iraq war was ALL ABOUT Iraq's oil . . .

NOT so we, the people, could have it, cheap. But, so that BIG OIL could keep the Iraqi oil OFF THE MARKET, creating a shortage that drives UP the PPB!

MISSION FUCKING ACCOMPLISHED!

[nealmhughes]

17. I've said the same thing from Day One of Pre Schlock N' Awe.

There merely is not enough oil to be worth a war with a country that is ethnically divided like Iraq -- especially with Iran right nextdoor waiting to play Shia Big Brother. What does make sense is to make Iran and the Peninsula as jittery as possible to drive up the prices through speculation and also to prevent Iraq from "over pumping."

Saddam flooding the market with low priced crude would have made the international market reply. The goal of Saddam was simple: to liberate the Arabs from the Medieval religion and autocratic monarchies. For this, the Peninsula could not stand. Saddam's danger was to secularize and "democratize" the entire subcontinent, the Peninsula, and North Africa under Napoleon's -- je m'ajuste -- Saddam's leadership.

Destabilizing amd ousting the decadent al Saud and al Sabbah families, and their various ilk would be a dream come true for millions who suffer under their most divine right of rule. I believe in my heart that the Enlightenment is not dead in the Arab world, it just has been quashed for over 200 years by various soi disant "royals" for the danger it represents.

[Arctic Dave]

18. Are you ready for this?

I work in the Prudhoe Bay oilfield (hence the "Arctic Dave"). This "article" is total BS. I know exactly were Gull Island is and trust me there is no unlimited supply of oil under it. There is oil around it and it is already developed on all sides of it. Here is a map. All the roads and facilities you see in the picture is the MASSIVE infrastructure it takes to get the oil up and out of the ground and not the fabled "it just bubbles up from the ground". The reservoir is actually pressurized with natural gas and sea water from STP which is right next to Gull Island. Whoever sent you this chain letter, I suggest, next time you see them you smack the stupid out of them, from my guess they should lose about 15 pounds.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

http://www.d.umn.edu/~cstroupe/archive/5230/glocal/prudhoe/www.d.umn.edu/~hoef0049/prudhoe.html

[sansatman]

24. not the fabled "it just bubbles up from the ground".

"The oil itself lies in porous rock formations anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000 feet below the surface. It rises to the wellhead under its own geologic pressure, so no pumping is required."

From your own post...

[Arctic Dave]

28. Allow me to explain further.

I found the best way to describe the phenomena is by the "kegger" analogy. Remember when we were young and we went to our friends house when their parents were away for the weekend? We would all pitch in and by a keg of beer and invite everybody over for a party. When the keg arrived we would put it in a barrel of ice to chill and wait. When a sufficient amount of people would arrive, the keg would be "tapped". Do you remember what would happen when this was done? I do. Beer would flow out under its own pressure and the party would begin. YEAH, baby. However, what would eventually happen? That's right, the keg would lose pressure. Then tap would have to be pumped to re-pressurize the keg further and get the rest of the beer out to keep the party going. Remember, "No beer, No party".
Now, fast forward a few years and see that today kids are pretty much doing the same thing. However, now when they have "keggerz", instead of buying one of those outdated pump style taps, they opt for a CO2 delivery system that constantly keeps the keg pressurized and the beer flowing. Ah, technology, you got to love it. So to end this analogy this is pretty much the same thing that happens in an oil reservoir.
So the "oil flows from the ground is, in a remedial way, true, but it is also not very correct. The reservoir needs continual maintenance and re-pressurization to keep the party going.
I hope I didn't make anyone too thirsty with this explanation.

:beer:

[27inCali]

21. We need to stop using Petrol period

Whether it's Arabia's or ours.

It's just bad and we need to evolve and find the better solution.

[sansatman]

25. I agree...

http://www.businessweek.com/@@JG*LvGcQc3UElAMA/lifestyle/content/mar2008/bw2008032_603456.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_lifestyle

[nycdemocratico]

23. Bush hearts big oil

And big oil hearts expensive gasoline prices. Enough said.

[bow-tie]

30. The difference between $4.50

and $1.50 is probably going into RNC coffers.