Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and Energy Independence

[Steve]

While we've all been hopefully enjoying our holidays, I want to get your opinions on the situation with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. There's a lot of posturing going on, but the situation could get serious very quickly as the Strait is narrow and much of the oil from that area goes right by Iran. And now Iran is demonstrating that they have long range missile capability.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...ld-shut-in-gulf-oil-exports-analyst-says.html

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/29/world/meast/iran-strait-hormuz-explainer/index.html

I've said several times that I consider energy independence to be a matter of national security. We are addicted to oil and our addiction gives them power. We don't need to stop using oil. We simply need to decrease our reliance upon it so that we don't HAVE to purchase it from hostile areas of the world.

I am baffled that energy independence and alternative sources of energy continue to be seen as a 'green' issue and dismissed by "conservatives" as a lefty position. In my opinion, it's irresponsible and short sighted.

 

[Makalakumu]

It's a distinct possibility for 2012. The politicians screwed up the economy so badly that they need a war to distract everyone. The problem is that this war could bring Russia and China against us...WWIII. America has lost most of its installed petty dictators in the middle east due to the Arab Spring. If war with Iran happens, it's the last desperate stab of a falling Empire. Rather then focusing on energy independence at this time, I think we need to figure out how to let go of our perceived global hegemony peacefully.

 

[billc]

This is real energy independence...

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/unlimited_domestic_energyright_now.html

The first report is that Anadarko Petroleum has just raised its estimate for its Colorado Wattenberg field holdings. Anadarko estimates that the field will yield more than one billion barrels of oil and national gas. This would place it right up there with the now-legendary Bakken shale field (in North Dakota) and the Eagle Ford formation (in Texas).

Anadarko is now looking at expanding its operations into Wyoming.

The second story is that North Dakota hit a record high oil production in October of 488,000 barrels per day (bpd). This was up 100,000 bpd (or 25%) from June's production. Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, projects that the state's total oil production will exceed 500,000 bpd next year and 900,000 bpd the year after that. The state will soon surpass California (539,000 bpd) and Alaska (550,000 bpd), rivaling top-producing Texas (1.2 million bpd).

Another story reinforces these bracing estimates. The National Petroleum Council estimates that by 2035 -- if the regulators will just stop endlessly excreting new hurdles -- the U.S. will hit 3 million bpd of shale oil alone. There are about 14 to 16 new American shale oil fields just starting to be exploited

I agree, let the terrorist, oil producing nations choke on their oil. Let's get ours from our own reserves and from actual friendly countries like Canada.

 

[Ken Morgan]

You guys get most of your oil from us up here in the Great White North!

http://www.eia.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

Most of the Middle East oil heads to Europe and Japan.

Energy independence will only come about with new technologies, and better use of existing technologies.

Hydrogen & fusion, will someday be the future.

 

[Steve]

This is real energy independence...

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/unlimited_domestic_energyright_now.html

I agree, let the terrorist, oil producing nations choke on their oil. Let's get ours from our own reserves and from actual friendly countries like Canada.

While I'm not opposed to drilling where it makes sense, our consumption only grows and it's short sighted to believe that we can make any kind of a dent in our reliance on foreign energy without ALSO looking into alternatives.

You guys get most of your oil from us up here in the Great White North!

http://www.eia.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

Most of the Middle East oil heads to Europe and Japan.

Energy independence will only come about with new technologies, and better use of existing technologies.

Hydrogen & fusion, will someday be the future.

Ken, thanks. I do understand that most of our oil comes from Canada, South America and Russia, but we get a significant amount of oil from the Middle East. A blockade by Iran would significantly impact gasoline prices within the USA.

It's also important to note that we aren't the only ones. Europe would also be heavily impacted, and their oil isn't subsidized nearly to the degree ours is. Europe pays roughly twice what we pay for gas, already.

I agree completely that we need to look at new technologies. That's exactly my point in the OP. We have to be looking at alternatives to oil in order to make our country more secure. It makes me cringe to hear "conservatives" dismiss, or worse, actively undermine support for alternative energy sources. It's become reflexive to identify anything resembling alternative energy as a green or progressive agenda, and I believe that to be very damaging.

 

[ballen0351]

They were talking about this on the local news here this morning saying gas could go up 2 to 3 dollars a gal by summer because of this mess.

 

[MaxiMe]

They were talking about this on the local news here this morning saying gas could go up 2 to 3 dollars a gal by summer because of this mess.

Well it looks like I may be working on endurance and lung capacity weather I want to or not

 

[Razor]

Interesting how everyone is up in arms about the idea of Iran essentially visiting economic sanctions against the countries that have done that to them. Don't think they could realistically enforce a blockade of the Straits with the US 5th Fleet at Bahrain though. Energy security certainly is a matter of national security, and it seems that often the attempts by Western countries to secure energy results in worse problems.