Quick numbers from this report:
Bakken Formation, USA = between 150 to 500 BILLION barrels of oil
Saudi Arabia = around 260 Billion barrels of oil
Now, before anyone "green" starts yelling, this is on dry land and NOT off shore! Also, I'm all for electric cars, solar and wind power, etc. and one day those technologies will become financially workable. Today they are simply NOT financial workable. Today they also are NO WHERE CLOSE (even if it were free to produce) to being able to provide the QUANTITY of energy we need in the US. Funny how no one talks about that fact in the debate isn't it?
Again, I'm not knocking green energy at all so please stop knocking oil. Oil is not a bad word. We can obtain, transport, refine and use it responsibility here in the US. We have tons of oil (and don't forget about natural gas) within our borders. We have the technology TODAY to get at it. So, let's use it until the more renewable energy sources become available to us both in quantity and in technology.
Lastly, again to kinda put a cork in the extremist, oil hating people out there, see the list (and a partial list at that) below showing products we use oil to manufacture and use! Again, even if renewal energy sources were feasible for current use, we would STILL NEED OIL to make all the things we use on a daily basis that so many of us don't even think about. Plastics, waxes, drugs, soap, paint, etc., etc. just to name a few. The list below, again is just a partial list, hopefully will open some eyes. We still need to make sure the oil industry is producing our own American oil safely, effectively, and efficiently for sure but don't make oil sound like it's small pox, okay?
A partial list of products made from Petroleum (144 of 6000 items)
Solvents | Diesel | Motor Oil | Bearing Grease |
Ink | Floor Wax | Ballpoint Pens | Football Cleats |
Upholstery | Sweaters | Boats | Insecticides |
Bicycle Tires | Sports Car Bodies | Nail Polish | Fishing lures |
Dresses | Tires | Golf Bags | Perfumes |
Cassettes | Dishwasher | Tool Boxes | Shoe Polish |
Motorcycle Helmet | Caulking | Petroleum Jelly | Transparent Tape |
CD Player | Faucet Washers | Antiseptics | Clothesline |
Curtains | Food Preservatives | Basketballs | Soap |
Vitamin Capsules | Antihistamines | Purses | Shoes |
Dashboards | Cortisone | Deodorant | Footballs |
Putty | Dyes | Panty Hose | Refrigerant |
Percolators | Life Jackets | Rubbing Alcohol | Linings |
Skis | TV Cabinets | Shag Rugs | Electrician's Tape |
Tool Racks | Car Battery Cases | Epoxy | Paint |
Mops | Slacks | Insect Repellent | Oil Filters |
Umbrellas | Yarn | Fertilizers | Hair Coloring |
Roofing | Toilet Seats | Fishing Rods | Lipstick |
Denture Adhesive | Linoleum | Ice Cube Trays | Synthetic Rubber |
Speakers | Plastic Wood | Electric Blankets | Glycerin |
Tennis Rackets | Rubber Cement | Fishing Boots | Dice |
Nylon Rope | Candles | Trash Bags | House Paint |
Water Pipes | Hand Lotion | Roller Skates | Surf Boards |
Shampoo | Wheels | Paint Rollers | Shower Curtains |
Guitar Strings | Luggage | Aspirin | Safety Glasses |
Antifreeze | Football Helmets | Awnings | Eyeglasses |
Clothes | Toothbrushes | Ice Chests | Footballs |
Combs | CD's | Paint Brushes | Detergents |
Vaporizers | Balloons | Sun Glasses | Tents |
Heart Valves | Crayons | Parachutes | Telephones |
Enamel | Pillows | Dishes | Cameras |
Anesthetics | Artificial Turf | Artificial limbs | Bandages |
Dentures | Model Cars | Folding Doors | Hair Curlers |
Cold cream | Movie film | Soft Contact lenses | Drinking Cups |
Fan Belts | Car Enamel | Shaving Cream | Ammonia |
Refrigerators | Golf Balls | Toothpaste | Gasoline |