If you drill more, it still doesn't help because they need REFINERIES to process it. The first new refinery since the 1970s has been ok'd in Wyoming, I believe.

my daddy designs those!

that's why you are such a refined woman.

that's why you are such a refined woman.

sorry...

not refineries, the rigs!

but I am refined (said with an exaggerated southern drawl)

some americans also say "KILL KILL KILL!"

I hope they find huge oil deposits right off of Malibu or Boca Raton. We'll see how quickly they start drilling.

I just don't understand why we have such little faith in human ingenuity. Why are we so resistant to new technologies new sources of energy? Where is the American leadership here?

woowww what a surprise, gas prices skyrocket, gas companies profits soar and now americans want to drill drill drill. we have been drilling in a oil boon in north dakota since 04 and lo and behold gas prices continue to climb, we need to stop acting like oil is always going to be there and start making smarter decisions. lets put it this way, honda and toyota are the top selling brands of car. honda is considered one of the greenest companies out there and toyota created the prius, one of the first hybrids. did honda choose this, did they have some kind of foresight that american car companies didnt have? nope, japan placed restrictions on there CO2 emissions and also demanded that they make fuel effiecient cars. when these same restrictions were introduced in the us, companies balked saying that it was impossible, it would cause mass layoffs and plant shutdowns. so no restrictions and what happened? gas prices went up, honda and toyota were ahead of the game and now american car companies are scrambling. so if you really want to blame someone for gas prices its not the hairy enviromentalists or the guys in suits, its us. if we make smart decisions about our consumption, if we demand a safe and easy mass transit system, we dont have to keep shouting drill drill drill.

i also heard that saudi bumping up their production can actually cause the price to rise because investors believe they are tapping into the reserves, so they buy more to protect againist what they perceive to be inflation.

Developing alternative forms of energy and new forms of transit will help in the future, but drilling offshore will help much more quickly. Why can't it be both?

As for mass transit, it would be great for every city to have a developed mass transit system, but it's just not financially feasible. I think more mass transit in medium sized cities would be great, but people who live in rural areas will always need cars.

Drilling off shore won't help. Even if we find the largest oil deposit ever, does anyone really think the oil companies are going to lower their prices?

"I just don't understand why we have such little faith in human ingenuity. Why are we so resistant to new technologies new sources of energy? Where is the American leadership here?"

The issue isn't what is going to help us in 10 years, what can help us now. It's not that we're resistant to new technologies, it's that we don't have access to those technologies right now. ie: better fuel effecient cars aren't being manufactured in large enough quantities to completely cover the market. Because of this, they are still unaffordable to the average person (like me). I agree that we need to develope new tech in the area of energy, but we also need to continue to do things that have an immediate impact on our problems, which drilling will do.

This isn't a new issue, the 70's gave us a very clear indication of the problems to come - our 'leadership' did little or nothing new, stuck with the status quo and now we're in trouble. Every time we start new drilling, we buy people more time to sit back and do nothing again.
We can conserve right now, we can cap now, we can support solar and wind and geothermal energy now, we can direct money to new technology now - if we're going to suffer and pay more, let's suffer and pay more for reasons that will make things better, not postpone the reckoning.

Stephley, I agree that we should support solar energy, etc. now, but why can't we also drill now?

I still don't see why it has to be either or. And as far as rac's comment, yes, I do believe drilling would lower the price of oil. Maybe not by leaps and bounds, but it would lower it and even $0.50 a gallon would make a difference to a lot of people. I've seen interviews with economists who agree. Though I'm sure you could find ones who don't as well.

Because drilling lets people relax, it takes away the sense of urgency. If you're almost out of milk for coffee, but find a little half pint in the back of the fridge, you don't run to the grocery store.
I doubt the oil companies would lower the price at the pump and their excuse will be, you're relaxing and drinking your coffee but WE have to be ready for that big run to the grocery store. They're saying now that the profits are needed for future exploration etc., that tune won't change.

That's a valid opinion Stephley, but it's just that, an opinion. I am looking for a valid reason why both can't be done, not speculation on what would happen if we did offshore drilling.

And by the way, I replace pretty much everything when it's about half gone because I know with my luck that it will run out at a time when I don't feel like going to the store.

Most offshore oil production and exploration has been banned since a federal law passed in 1981. Mostly for environmental reasons. A bill to open it up just died in committee the other day. From a Fox news article:

"The disappointing part about some of the energy policies being promoted (is) that it calls for more drilling when drilling really is the problem. And all we've got to show for pretty aggressive (domestic) drilling for the last 35 years is, again, $4 for a gallon of gas," Manuel said, adding "since the first Arab oil shock in the 1970s, the U.S. has produced almost 90 billion barrels of oil since then, so we've tried drilling our way out of the problem and it just hasn't worked."

Environment Florida spokeswoman Holly Binns told the Media General news group that offshore drilling has no immediate impact on prices.

"It would take anywhere from seven to 10 years to bring those resources to shore — to have any measurable impact on supply,” Binns said, advocating renewable energy sources.

I'm a terrible procrastinator with groceries - if I can stick the tip of a knife into a jar to get the last little bit out, I'm staying home.

Don't you think it's possible that it could take more than 10 years for new energy sources to have any sort of impact on the economy? So this could take ten years and renewable energy could take 35. (I just made that number up; I just know for a fact that even if hybrids/alternative energy sources were more widely available and cheaper, a lot of people would still be stuck with "regular" cars. Some people can't afford a new car until theirs literally dies, and still all they can afford is a used car.)

I mean, I know drilling offshore isn't going to be the be all and end all to energy problems, I just don't see many negatives with it.

I get bizarre cravings for specific things and I know I usually don't feel like shopping after work, so I buy them ahead of time so I don't run out and have to go to the store when I don't want to.

Although, I will admit, I think more people wait like you.

Yeah, we all crash the stores on Sunday night to buy stuff for school lunches the next day!

I don't know how long it will take for new energy sources to have an economic effect, but we know where we're headed now and it's not to a good place. We know the ripple effects of drilling - the environmental damage, the pollution - and there's evidence suggesting that alternatives would have fewer harmful ripples which would mean cost savings. Not everyone can get a new car, but we can use the one's we have less and run them more efficently.

I have no idea what will happen, but it's like the war: Bush feels that it's worth the risk to have done something this radical that might not pay off for years to come. Sometimes, you've just got to do something, and I think we've just got to cut lose as much as possible from what we've been doing.

can someone please explain to me how drilling now is going to lower gas prices now, is it really that simple?