Putting the Lie to Off-Shore Drilling as the Answer
Posted by SBG on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Our refineries are exporting 1.6 million barrels of refined petroleum products every day.
While the U.S. oil industry wants access to more federal lands to help reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, American-based companies are shipping record amounts of gasoline and diesel fuel to other countries.
A record 1.6 million barrels a day in U.S. refined petroleum products were exported during the first four months of this year, up 33 percent from 1.2 million barrels a day over the same period in 2007. Shipments this February topped 1.8 million barrels a day for the first time during any month, according to final numbers from the Energy Department.
The surge in exports appears to contradict the pleas from the U.S. oil industry and the Bush administration for Congress to open more offshore waters and Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.
Loading ...
I don't understand... Is the US a net exporter, or is this what the US exports and the imports are even greater?
I don't know, but what I do know is this: we are exporting a lot of refined gas and diesel. We've been told that supplies are tight and that drilling for oil offshore would improve the situation. Perhaps stopping the exportation of oil refined here would help, too. Just a guess.
See here.
The U.S. is importing about 3.2 million barrels/day of products, exporting about 1.7 million b/d, for a net import of about 1.5 million b/d.
domestic crude production is about 5 million b/d; imports about 10 million b/d. U.S. refineries provide ~90 pct of domestic gasoline and diesel consumption.
OK, i think I get it... Importing lots of crude, exporting some products.
However, as these products and raw materials are consumed worldwide, drilling offshore or in ANWR could in theory reduce raw materials prices, and therefore reduce prices. Disregarding whether they're sufficient enough to make a dent in supply, I don't see how the amount of products exported (while still importing crude and products at net) contradicts that.
Precisely AMR.
We export alot of fuel to diesel hungry Europe (who conversely exports alot of gas to us). We have to go beyond looking at inventories domestically, but rather worldwide inventories.
It's not unlike sugar SBG. Even though SBGville is not far from the sugar producing center of North America, when you go to the shelves of the SuperValu there is plenty of foriegn sugar waiting to soften the edge of that morning cup-a-joe.
not nearly enough foreign sugar, however, as the U.S. slaps idiotic-but-politically-potent import quotas on cane sugar.
I really, really, really dislike U.S. sugar policy. We make buttloads of high-fructose corn sweetener just because we restrict entry of cheap foreign cane sugar. Which means that Coke doesn't taste right unless you buy it as an import from Mexico. Guh.
The Rainbow at Midway used to have Mexican Coke in bottles in the ethnic section. About the same price as a 20-ounce botle, IIRC. Mmmm... Mexican Coke. I wonder if they still have it. I want some now.
So delicious. Makes a mean rum & coke to boot.
Which means that Coke doesn't taste right unless you buy it as an import from Mexico.
Don't forget Passover Coke! At any rate, judging by soda sales in the '90s, consumers don't seem to think the taste difference is very significant.
I would be more worried about the potential health risks associated with HFCS vs. sugar, but I tend to avoid sugar in general these days.
Philistines.
Budweiser is the world's biggest selling "beer" brand. I rest my case.
Passover Coke, much like all Passover food, sucks.
Ah, yes. The Coke of haste. I'm sure I read about that in the Bible somewhere. Maybe you're just not drinking it fast enough, Will.
I must clarify. There is one good food from Passover: Gefilte Fish. That stuff is so good.
Gefilte fish?? Out of the jar? Eeeeuuuww. Not the cr@p my MiL puts on the table every year
(and to be clear, she doesn't like it either, although my FiL does)
now, charoset and maror, that's a different story. I'm partial to the Hillel Sandwich.
we usually have noodle kugel and roast chicken or brisket. Nothing wrong with any of those.
So, why do StLouisans have to import beer from places like Wisconsin, Colorado, etc. when more than enough beer is to be found here?
Okay, I fail at life.
for comparison purposes, the U.S. (the world's biggest exporter of wheat at 34.5 million metric tons in 2007/08 out of 56.2 million metric tons produced ) also imported 2.9 million metric tons of wheat in 2007/08.
trade is good.
Okay, let me explain my point. Drilling in ANWR isn't really going to provide a domestic supply that is going to somehow cause prices to go down, precisely because there is a world market for petroleum products and because we export these products, too. The bullshit line that we are being fed is that if we just drill here, drill now, we will somehow increase the domestic supply and prices will go down. That's simply not true.
Let's say that we tap into oil supplies in ANWR. Let's also say that in response to that, OPEC says, we're going to reduce our supply of oil. What have we gained? Bupkis. This is not about reducing the price of oil at all. It is about granting rights to oil companies to exploit lands for their own profit when they feel like it. It will not impact domestic supplies, as these companies will turn around and sell it wherever they want. Their interests are not
necessarilyin line with those of the United States.The answer is to generate alternative sources of fuel. Drilling here, drilling now, right below John McCain's feet, wherever he might be at any given moment is nothing more than a cheap political stunt. People need to realize that, but it's an effective political stunt because it sounds good. Kind of like saying that player A is better because he has a higher batting average than player B. It might sound good on the surface, but if player A is hitting .280/.290/.285 and player B is hitting .279/.406/.590, one knows with just a little thinking that it is simply not true. Similarly, if we back a drill here, drill now policy and give short shrift to developing alternative sources of energy, we are setting ourselves up for a huge stick to be inserted up our collective ass and then be broken off. Right thinking Americans would reject this simplistic bullshit, just as right thinking Americans should reject the notion that banjo hitting player A is somehow a better hitter than the monster stud that is player B.
for the record, I agree that drilling in ANWR is bad. The Republicans have been trying to get at ANWR since the 1980s. Nothing new there.
the answer is to radically reduce US demand for gasoline/diesel. the only sensible path to that outcome that I can see is to make big strides in efficiency, through more rapid adoption of clean diesel technologies and hybrid technologies, and by downsizing vehicles and engines.