President Obama - Oil is a “fuel of the past’’

President Obama on Wednesday made his most urgent appeal yet for the nation to wean itself from oil, calling it a “fuel of the past’’ and demanding that the United States broaden its approach to energy.

“We can place our bets on the fuel of the past or we can place our bets on American know-how and American ingenuity and the American workers just like the ones right here,’’

bostonglobe.com...

Slowly but surely the truth is starting to leak out. I think that most of the Presidents since Ford have known that oil was/is a limited resource that is being used up at an astounding rate. Of course there's still a lot of it in the ground but our ability to extract and refine these oils becomes more and more difficult each year. While we might not have the technology or know how to produce a more or equal method for storing energy apparently we need to be moving in that direction.


*Quote comes at 17:45
*Funny moment at 12:00 when someone faints.

Apparently, the energy of the future is a bust. So much so that they can't stay solvent without government welfare checks.

Abound Solar Lays Off 70% Of Workforce

Until these other sources can be viable on their own, it's simply going to be another black hole for our tax dollars.

reply to post by dbates


No....Actually getting oil from the earth is a lot easier than once was. There is enough oil in the ground to last another several hundred years.

And no I will not resource or back up what I have stated. Not worth the time.

Originally posted by dakota1s2
reply to post by dbates

 

No....Actually getting oil from the earth is a lot easier than once was.

That's not actually true here in the United States. Oil is harder and harder to come by. This same scenario is being played out on a global scale as well.



When global oil peaks we can't just import from somewhere else like we do here in the U.S. but instead we'll just have wars and fight for the remaining supply.

reply to post by dakota1s2


Wow, so just make ridiculous claim and back it up with... NOTHING! Stop trolling there guy.

OP is right, and the only reason oil (and natural gas) is "viable" in the US is because of HUGE government subsidies, everyone with half a brain knows this.

reply to post by dbates


I applaud you for touching on this heated (no pun intended) subject. It is just that the topic of oil and fossil fuels is so steeped in controversy lately. You might as well say I'm in favor of "health care" as admit to being an 'environmentalist' or a 'realist' these days. Consider sustainability of the planet - and you are quickly labeled a left wing liberal eco-nut and attacked.

Now it is oil. I am waiting for someone to tell us we have to conserve water.
That's coming for the grandkids. They don't want to be "alarmists" though.
And they'd rather deal with it crisis by crisis.

I already know about The 2% -
That's how much of the planets water is drinkable.

And yet oil companies (this is how powerful they are) are fracking in mountains spoiling what little fresh water there is. Getting rights by buying some local politician. Can you say trickle down? It is more like piss on us. This shouldn't be legal without unanimous or great majority approval in a mandatory vote of locals including the children who will inherit the land. Voters are so often left out and major decisions are determined based on stunned silence of a constituency, even when their input is essential to their own best interests. People used to think everyone was on their side and so now they operate with a false expectation of honesty, integrity and fair play.

Those days are gone with the wind.
Gone is any alluded promise of clean air and fresh water.
We simply can't (will not) do it. Hell, we won't even say it.

I think that soon we will start using H3. There is enough of it on the moon and it would not be that difficult to mine with our current level of technology. Also from what i have read its a clean tech.

If oil is a fuel of the past, then I guess he won't be needing his motorcade and Air Force One for anymore vacations. I guess they'll just have to stay home like everyone else in the US.

I was under the impression they are telling us it harder to find now, so they can slug the prices up more.

I know where there is plenty of oil. but apparently they aren't allowed to source it from that area.

Originally posted by amraks
I was under the impression they are telling us it harder to find now, so they can slug the prices up more.

I think it's a mixture of both scenarios there's reason to believe that they're dragging their feet just so that the prices stay up there but at the same time the market does seem to indicate that there is not an easily available increase in production no matter what the price is. Production stays mostly flat no matter what the price climbs too. Of course this is complex economics but shouldn't we see at least a small bit of greed when the price is high and less selling when the prices are lower. Just a bit of a dip or peak would indicate that the market is being played but instead it looks as if they're not able to produce at a higher rate.

What about nuclear powered cars? It would be a lot safer in accidents etc..have a car powered by a reactor core that you refuel once every few years? Would be nice eh?

I really think electric is the future, then I would install a crap load of huge solar panels on my future house and have my car 'gassed up' ready to go at any time.

The problem I see with the idea of alternative fuels is that we will see the creation of a beast as bad if not worse than big oil. Are we going to repeat the mistakes of the past with the alternatives? More then likely I suspect. Tax breaks to get them going, then they will get more money thrown at them whenever they make a "breakthrough". Some years down the line will we be bemoaning big wind ??? We all know how politicians like throwing money at things.

reply to post by dbates


That is also the reason the USA has to find any country that has oil and somehow discover a terrorist in them, Sudan, uganda, etc...any little drops of oil have terrorists standing on them for some weird reasons.

Originally posted by hangedman13
The problem I see with the idea of alternative fuels is that we will see the creation of a beast as bad if not worse than big oil. Are we going to repeat the mistakes of the past with the alternatives? More then likely I suspect. Tax breaks to get them going, then they will get more money thrown at them whenever they make a "breakthrough". Some years down the line will we be bemoaning big wind ??? We all know how politicians like throwing money at things.

So, it is better to stagnate under the thumb of Big Oil than to advance and risk being under the thumb of a new Energy regime?

The difference between Big Oil and Renewable Energy is that individuals can't own their own oil field and refinery...they can own their own solar panels and turbines...and no one can stop the flow of the wind or rays of the sun.

Hey Preident, maybe you haven't heard of the dozens that have been "taken out" for their ideas to actually Get us off of oil.

AND I think it starts with our government not being bought and paid for by the oil companies....but, maybe I'm nuts.

his oil statements are so vulgar, and his talk and dismeanor in general are pep rallyish, just like bush and his dad's were

one moment he says we have plenty of our OWN oil to drill

remember BP oil spill in the gulf? lol

the next moment he's saying we dont need oil

pft. thats what happens in a fake democracy where the last president elect was actually JFK.

reply to post by madhatr137


Not like the materials for say solar panels can be manufactured by someone in their garage. Short sightedness is a hallmark of politics. Like mercury in light bulbs? The means of producing and materials for producing can be that devil in the details. Like the batteries for electric cars, their components are not eco-friendly. Yet quite a few people think they are going to be great. Sure we will be off oil but the trade off will leave us basically in the same position. Finite supply and nasty side effects on the environment near where it is removed from the earth.

Originally posted by newcovenant
reply to post by dbates

 

I applaud you for touching on this heated (no pun intended) subject. It is just that the topic of oil and fossil fuels is so steeped in controversy lately. You might as well say I'm in favor of "health care" as admit to being an 'environmentalist' or a 'realist' these days. Consider sustainability of the planet - and you are quickly labeled a left wing liberal eco-nut and attacked.

Now it is oil. I am waiting for someone to tell us we have to conserve water.
That's coming for the grandkids. They don't want to be "alarmists" though.
And they'd rather deal with it crisis by crisis.

I already know about The 2% -
That's how much of the planets water is drinkable.

And yet oil companies (this is how powerful they are) are fracking in mountains spoiling what little fresh water there is. Getting rights by buying some local politician. Can you say trickle down? It is more like piss on us. This shouldn't be legal without unanimous or great majority approval in a mandatory vote of locals including the children who will inherit the land. Voters are so often left out and major decisions are determined based on stunned silence of a constituency, even when their input is essential to their own best interests. People used to think everyone was on their side and so now they operate with a false expectation of honesty, integrity and fair play.

Those days are gone with the wind.
Gone is any alluded promise of clean air and fresh water.
We simply can't (will not) do it. Hell, we won't even say it.

edit on 8-3-2012 by newcovenant because: (no reason given)

I had to chuckle as your post reminded me of the following:

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Despite some growth in customers the last 30 years, the Cleveland Water Department has seen a dramatic drop in water use. And that drop is a big reason why the department wants a rate hike.

Figures provided by the department show that residential water use has fallen 42 percent, from around 98,000 gallons per household in 1980 to about 57,000 gallons last year. Consumption has fallen 20 percent in the last six years alone.


They'll always find a way to milk your wallet. Heck, Americans are driving less but the gas prices keep going up.

I foresee a rocky future ahead.

All of this urgency to move towards green energy has already put a strain on the planets supply of rare earths. Currently, the supply side is dominated by China. No surprise. How can we ever compete with China. The reason given for the Collapse of Solyndra

Interesting articles concerning Rare Earths and just how they are used

China is effectively the monopoly supplier of rare earth elements in the world today. It became the dominant supplier by producing and supplying rare earths in the 1990s and early 2000s at a price western producers could not compete. As a result China, in 2010, produced an estimated 95% of global rare earth element output, or approximately 118,900 tonnes.

Chinese demand for rare earths has also continued to rise with organic growth for current applications and new applications have been found for many of the elements and in 2010 was 60% of the global total, or 72,500 tonnes. This is expected to rise to 117,500 tonnes by 2014. At the same time, China’s supply of rare earths is expected to fall. The Ministry of Land and Resources has a 2011 mining quota of only 93,800 tonnes. Although actual output in 2011 is expected to be higher as a result of illegal mining, this is expected to continue to decline as a source of supply in future years as the Chinese government is actively taking steps to eradicate it

frontierrareearths.com...

reply to post by dbates


I'm always worried everytime Obama gets involved with the Energy industry. Everything he has touched has turned to [Snip]. The reverse Midas touch I call it.