Oil Forever ? ( I think not )
Oil Forever ? We all know that this country needs to reduce
its dependency on Foreign oil. The question is how (and how
long). Recently Ford Motor CEO Bill Ford addressed his concerns,
perhaps leading one to question how long it will be before
demand exceeds production. Also; one hopes that his calls for
Energy summits are of value. Perhaps Mr. Fords concerns will
nudge the members of congress and the white house to get off
their duffs and adopt some energy policies that will make us
less dependent and not locked into an inflated oil price venue.
I'm sure Mr. Ford realizes they developed the Gas Guzzlers and
some adjustments need to be made.
Lets look at some facts: Foreign oil dependency has not been
reduced. New regulations simply slowed the growth. The average
gas mileage for new vehicles has gone down for the last 15
years. Technological advances did not improve efficiency during
these years. Manufacturers created Faster, Larger and more
Powerful vehicles. Should the people who choose to continue
buying these gas guzzlers be charged higher fees on certain
items to offset the loss of reserves, etc? (Probably won't
happen).Yes; Demand was there for these vehicles and still is
for some models, but these types of vehicles have proven to be a
burden on our oil imports and reserves. If you feel you deserve
a Credit, there is an Energy Bill Credit for buyers of Hybrid
vehicles in 2006 (limited amount).
The high cost of Oil, etc. will have a huge impact on many
consumers this heating season with many experts predicting
heating bills expected to surpass last years by as much as 50 to
75 percent. This places a huge burden on many households (lower
incomes, etc) and always comes at the time of the year when they
can least afford it. Gas prices (at this writing) have come down
somewhat but still quite high by most standards. Speaking of Gas
prices, some states are asking for a vote each year in order to
justify a Gas Tax increase , no increase, or would you believe -
a decrease ? Well, the latter would probably not come into play.
Many question why we don't have an alternative to Fossil fuel.
Well; there is. Usually the problem is they are to expensive and
or simply just not available to some. One such fuel would be
ethanol - from Grain. Lets look at one particular form of
Ethanol - E85. E85 is a blend of 85 percent Ethanol and just 15
percent gasoline. Just that statement alone sounds good. But
wait, Ethanol burns cleaner than
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gasoline, produced in our own
country, renewable, good for the environment, (reduces
emissions) and reduces our dependence on foreign oil. E85 can
also be purchased for less - some areas as much as 40 to 50
cents a gallon cheaper than we pay for other gasolines. So what
is the problem ? E85 can only be burned in certain vehicles and
is not available in many areas although distribution points are
increasing. This (E85) seems to be one of the more attractive
alternatives at this time and we can hope for further use of our
resources. Another form is Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. Fuel Cells
are like batteries. Fuels similar to Hydrogen gas or Methane are
combined with Oxygen. The result - Electricity. Some cities are
testing the Fuel Cell powered vehicles but it would appear that
this form of power is more costly than anyone (lets say most)
could afford, at least for now.
Some interesting figures on Oil production (and probably higher
at this writing).
World production ------------- 75 Million Barrels a Day 27
Billion Barrels a Year US Consumption -------------- 19 Million
Barrels a Day 7 Billion Barrels a Year US Production
----------------- 8 Million Barrels a Day ( a shortfall of 11
Million Barrels).
Question - Can we run out of Oil? Surely; but probably not in
the near future. If we estimate our consumption, reserves, etc,
it appears we have enough oil to last us somewhere in the 25 to
30 years area. This assumes present consumption. If we consume
more, we have less time. If we are more conservative, that gives
us more time. Many people would not know we (US) are the second
largest producer of Oil(very close to Saudi Arabia's
production). Reserves are also very interesting. Many people
also would not believe our neighbor to the north (Canada) has
the second highest amount of oil reserves (Saudi Arabia is
number one).A survey done recently estimates that there are
three or four times the amount of oil reserves we have today
waiting to be pumped to the surface. We have the time to develop
an alternative means of Fuel, Power, etc. Business leaders along
with the Government can make it happen if they work together. It
will never be easy but we have no alternative and Wait and See
is not an option.
About the author:
Ed Faust is a small business owner and freelance writer Ed can
be reached at edco10@msn.com and site (www.worksathome.4t.com).
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