What ever happened to the "Energy Crisis" we shoulda been out of oil by now!

[AKcharger]

I was just thinking about high oil/gas prices and one thing that is surprisingly absent from ANY coverage is mention that we're running out of oil. For those of us around in the 70's and 80's I remember being bombarded CONSTANTLY with report after report after report that we're RUNNING OUT of oil! I can recall back in '79 or '80 60 minutes saying we'd be out by the year 2000. Even some of the more optimistic reports were we'd run out in 2020. Now I'm no consipicy theorist but I submit if there was ever an organized Hoax/consipicy...that was it.

Guys?

[RD]

RD is    on this topic

[Orange_Crush]

No conspiracy theory.

No one really knows if and when we will run out of oil.   With the technology of the time, there really WAS a concern that we would run out of oil, howver, drilling and pumping technology has improved tremendously since then.   I addition, we now have technology that allows us to find oil in places where we didn't know there was any before.

The REAL problem with oil (which should be of grave concern to all of us) aside from the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels (which has been greatly improved) is the fact that it makes us dependent on potentially hostile foreign governments.

[Old Moparz]

 

The World Will End Tomorrow
    If You Read This Yesterday, Please Disregard This Message

[RD]

The World Will End Tomorrow
    If You Read This Yesterday, Please Disregard This Message

[Mopar440+6]

No one really knows if and when we will run out of oil.

OC, I agree with you on all points except the one quoted above. It is not a matter of IF it is a matter of WHEN. You cannot extract an infinite amount of energy from a finite source. Oil is concentrated energy that was released from the sun hundreds of billions of years ago. The earth cannot produce oil at the rate we are currently extracting it from the earth, especially when that rate is increasing exponentially. Eventually alternative fuels will become cheaper than the cost to extract crude oil from the ground. What we should be worried about is the fact that the government, private sectors, oil companies, etc. are not preparing for this inevitable change. They are waiting until the boat sinks to pull out the lifejackets.

Not trying to ruffle feathers, just my

[Orange_Crush]

No one really knows if and when we will run out of oil.

OC, I agree with you on all points except the one quoted above. It is not a matter of IF it is a matter of WHEN. You cannot extract an infinite amount of energy from a finite source. Oil is concentrated energy that was released from the sun hundreds of billions of years ago. The earth cannot produce oil at the rate we are currently extracting it from the earth, especially when that rate is increasing exponentially. Eventually alternative fuels will become cheaper than the cost to extract crude oil from the ground. What we should be worried about is the fact that the government, private sectors, oil companies, etc. are not preparing for this inevitable change. They are waiting until the boat sinks to pull out the lifejackets.

Not trying to ruffle feathers, just my

I was speaking in a "forseeable future" context, which is to say the next 150 years.

[Vainglory, Esq.]

That "crisis" was based on the shrieks of environmentalists, who don't actually believe in the truth of science if it goes against the message.

Ahem...global warming...cough.

[ChargerBill]

Yes, MISDIRECTION is method often used by environmentalists to fabricate a crisis that is baseless and fluys in the face of both scientific fact and reason. As vain said, global warming is a great example....the hole in the Ozone is another. The misdirection distracts peoples attention away from the REAL underlying agenda of these groups which include ELF. Greenpeace, Sierra Group, etc...

[RD]

gotta question.  was it these left wing groups that claimed that there would be a energy crisis? or was it some other group?  And if it was them, can you provide me with some sources?  just curious.

[AKcharger]

I think it was move0n.org

[Headrope]

No conspiracy theory.

No one really knows if and when we will run out of oil.   With the technology of the time, there really WAS a concern that we would run out of oil, howver, drilling and pumping technology has improved tremendously since then.   I addition, we now have technology that allows us to find oil in places where we didn't know there was any before.

The REAL problem with oil (which should be of grave concern to all of us) aside from the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels (which has been greatly improved) is the fact that it makes us dependent on potentially hostile foreign governments.

Something that should be mentioned is that one of the reasons we're so dependant on potentially hostile foreign governments is because we export oil to them. Yes, I typed "export." The United States imports oil from some countries while it exports what it has to others. That's what is so f-ed up about the situation.

Speaking of f-ed up: The price of gasoline has increased almost $1 from last year due to the increased price of oil - yet a quart of oil at NAPA or other autoparts store costs about the same. Oil changes at Jiffy Lube and such businesses still cost about the same too. What's up with that?

"The U.S. Census Bureau says oil ranks sixth as the greatest export from Washington, between wheat and integrated circuits and above apples, which come in ninth.
As a nation, the bureau says, we exported $3.36 billion worth of fuel oil and other petroleum products to Mexico in 2004. That’s up from $2.8 billion in 2003.
Chile? A total value of $327 million in 2004 against $71.7 million the year before. The export of fuel oil alone rose 1,152 percent." www.thenewstribune.com/business/ consumer/v-lite/story/5148560p-4683506c.html