Is McCain correct that we need to start drilling for oil now?

Absolutely.





People need to face facts. We are transferring trillions of dollars of Americans wealth overseas. Meanwhile we only have a petroleum reserve that can sustain us a maximum of 90 days if we ration it. If we were ever to have a major energy crisis the whole economy is placed in jeopardy.





I am a firm supporter of an ';all of the above'; approach to energy. We can tap into the domestic resources we have now and lay the foundations for a green energy plan along side it. Wind, nuclear, solar, bio-fuels, clean coal, CNG, conservation and efficiency will all be needed to ensure an energy independent future.





Drilling isn't the solution to all the problems. But it is the solution to the eminent problems we are facing right now.Is McCain correct that we need to start drilling for oil now?
No - drilling won't solve the problem. Any new fields won't be brought on line for 2 - 3 years. It's not just drilling the well, but the infrastructure that is required to support and process the oil (roads, pipelines and refineries.





According to the govt DOE website, our ';known'; oil reserve is 17 Billion Barrels. We use 20 Million Barrels a day of which 12 Million Barrels are imported. If we just replace the imported oil with our reserves, it will only last 4 to 5 years.





There are people that say it will last 50 years, I don't know if they are including oil shale or their math numbers are off. Oil shale still has a few years to go before it will be marketable and then may need price support like ethanol is receiving.





If the oil companies believe ';Drill, Baby Drill'; then why do they have 65 Million acres that haven't been drilled?Is McCain correct that we need to start drilling for oil now?
He 'might'; be, but the oil companies obviously don't think so. They already have millions of acres of land under leases (including millions that are off shore) and they are not drilling on them. All estimates claim it will take 10 years for new drilling to have any impact. Congress had promised to make the oil companies ';use or lose'; the land under leases. I am still waiting to see if that gets done.
If we drill now, it will take at least 5 years to be efficient in producing oil from these drilling. maybe longer if hurricanes disturb the process which could be very possible on the east coast. Drilling on the north slope is like drilling in the yosemite or yellowstone. this is protected area and not allowed. Won't it be better to find a way to produce energy other ways than from oil, and stop being so dependent on oil?
Yes since it will be a few years before any of it is seen. Waiting on ';alternative'; fuels is a recipe for disaster. McCain wants to drill WHILE exploring alternatives.... Obama simply wants to look for alternatives... since there really is no viable alternative out there at the moment (Hydrogen tanks and Electric cars are good ideas but implementing them on a grand scale will take a LONG time. The Chevy doesn't even have a working model of the ';Volt'; due out in 2010)
Think about this. Since hurricane Ike spun thru the Gulf of Mexico, 58 oil wells in the gulf were put out of commission or destroyed. What has happened since then? Oil prices have dropped by half. Any other time a storm has impacted oil production, prices have skyrocketed because oil companies always say it affected the oil supply. This is a scam by oil companies to increase profits. They can't just say it's because of less demand. We all have to still go to work. Well, most of us.
No. The ';Maverick'; is trying to ride a dead horse! LOL! Everyone knows our future isn't in oil, but in renewable clean energy.


Susan
Yes the sooner the better to work toward ending foreign dependence.
Absolutely.


We need to get away from OPEC control of our oil.
Without a doubt yes.
Yes.