An interesting article about Oil Production

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

My dad has a friend who's running his suv on vegetable oil. He gets it from a fish and chip shop when it's ready to be dumped.

I would love to do it.

[Aliantha]

I think a lot of people would.

I'm not exactly sure how he does it, but at this stage, he pretty much gets his fuel for free other than the time it takes him to strain the crap out of it.

[richlevy]

So the two 'oil men' running this country seem to have overlooked a major crisis and spent 7 years (5 with a one party government) doing almost nothing to reduce consumption.

Conspiracy or just plain old-fashioned incompetence?

And trying to drill in ANWAR and invading oil producing countries doesn't count. We have a 12 million barrel per day gap in domestic production versus consumption. Drastically lowering consumption is our only hope.

I agree with TW that oil and its byproducts are more valuable as an ingredient in plastics, fertilizer, paint, wax, cloth, etc. Burning it in our cars is probably the least productive use for it. At $100 per barrel, it's being priced as the valuable commodity it is. It was the 99 cent gas that was the anomaly.

We're going to have to play catch up here. We're in the same place the Europeans and the Japanese have been for the past decades. Gas is expensive. Drive smaller cars, scooters, etc.

The next president might be smart enough to get us some breathing room. The current resident of the White House has taken a pass on another critical issue of national security. History will not be kind to GWB.

[Undertoad]

Originally Posted by richlevy

So the two 'oil men' running this country seem to have overlooked a major crisis and spent 7 years (5 with a one party government) doing almost nothing to reduce consumption.

Ethanol. It's 10% of the fuel you're driving around with today.

Drastically lowering consumption is our only hope.

Google "Bakken formation".

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Ethanol. It's 10% of the fuel you're driving around with today.

Which is driving food prices higher.

Google "Bakken formation".

Canada has a shitload of oilsands, but it's already been promised to China.

[Undertoad]

Maybe we can drink their milkshake!*



*This is a reference to the recent fine film There Will Be Blood. It is not a spoiler. Thank you

[TheMercenary]

Corn ethanol not culprit for food inflation

By Christine Stebbins

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. food inflation is rising but don't blame the ethanol-based boom in corn prices, the head of global agriculture and food-industry research firm Informa Economics said on Monday.

Memphis, Tennessee-based Informa, formerly called Sparks Companies, said a study based on 20 years of price data shows that corn prices have minimal impact on the U.S. Consumer Price Index for food, which has been on the rise.

The study, released on Monday, "debunks the concept that the ethanol expansion is the underlying and main significant reason for food price increases," Bruce Scherr, Informa's chief executive, told Reuters in an interview.

"We're not saying that corn prices are cheap, that ethanol hasn't helped underpin the growth in the corn economy," Scherr said. "What we are saying is to blame corn and corn-based ethanol for all of the inflation associated with food and food prices ... is to grossly under-consider all the other forces at work."

http://www.reuters.com/article/reute...42557020071210

[xoxoxoBruce]

"What we are saying is to blame corn and corn-based ethanol for all of the inflation associated with food and food prices ... is to grossly under-consider all the other forces at work."

Not all, but a contributer.

[TheMercenary]

Consider who may have an interest in seeing corn or other bio-fuels fail. Big Oil. And who has enough money to flood the press with expert opinions and other information management in an effort to maintain profit margin?

[skysidhe]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Maybe we can drink their milkshake!*



*This is a reference to the recent fine film There Will Be Blood. It is not a spoiler. Thank you

lol , I admire your brand of funniness.

[skysidhe]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

My dad has a friend who's running his suv on vegetable oil. He gets it from a fish and chip shop when it's ready to be dumped.

I saw this on one of those night time shows.

I'm ready!

'cept maybe here in america will be holding up our micky'ds for the grease. * shrug*

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Consider who may have an interest in seeing corn or other bio-fuels fail. Big Oil. And who has enough money to flood the press with expert opinions and other information management in an effort to maintain profit margin?

It isn't just Big Oil propaganda even though I'm sure they do add to it. Many environmentalists have doubts about corn and other bio-fuels because it will take food away from humans and cattle and more forested area will need to be cut down to replace the loss. But I do think this is more of a long termed concern than short.

[TheMercenary]

The point is that it will take food away from humans only if we go 100% biofuel. I don't think that is a realistic goal in the near future. Currently the effect on the worlds food source is nothing.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Currently the effect [of biofuel] on the worlds food source is nothing.

You may be able to argue that is is small, but to say it is "nothing" is simply false. The Washington Post article I linked to said it was one of the top 5 reasons why grain prices have increased.

[TheMercenary]

A short search shows that the number, 25% of US corn for biofuel, varies widely. The bottom line is that bio fuel is not a feasible solution to our energy problems. The problem has little to do with how much is available and more to do with the speculative costs of the grain in an effort to make a profit. There is plenty of corn to feed the US and still maintain exports. It is not the volume it is the cost of investors driving up the price. There is plenty of corn.