Comments on: Cajuns, Living Down the Bayou, and Peak Oil

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:07:17 +0000

Bill S.:
Bill S.: Yep, oil has been a boom-and-bust business since the beginning.

David B.: I don't know the answer to that, but it is relatively small. The part we burn touches nearly every aspect of the global economy, too, though.

By: David Butler

David Butler — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:27:14 +0000

Does anyone know about how
Does anyone know about how much of crude is devoted to plastics, insulation, asphalt and other non-fuel applications? Hopefully it's a small percentage since these more permanent uses seems to touch every aspect of our economy.

By: bill schrader

bill schrader — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:43:57 +0000

Ditto – West Texas – I was
Ditto – West Texas – I was raised in Odessa Tx in the 60’s and 70’s -What you say about LA is a ditto for west texas –

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:06:14 +0000

M. Johnson
M. Johnson: Yep! That's how I see it, too.

By: M. Johnson

M. Johnson — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:01:36 +0000

Things are a little less
Things are a little less nervous if we remind ourselves that "oil shortage" is not the same as "energy shortage" like they told us in the 1970's. We can get bulk energy at a livable price from several alternative sources. What oil is uniquely valuable for, as far as I can tell, is liquid fuel for vehicles. The energy density and liquid form make it preferable to any existing alternatives. That's the way I see it so far.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 04:22:46 +0000

Chris C.:
Chris C.: The oil industry has been full of boom-and-bust cycles since the very beginning. Many people have made and lost fortunes in short order, and then there are the many workers who make a living for a while and then have to look for other work or wait till they get hired in the oil industry again.

M. Johnson: Yes, the price has already gone up tremendously just in the past 7 years. It won't be long before we have no choice but to make changes.

Mike: I agree that oil and gas will last a lot longer. It's not the amount in the ground that matters, though. It's how fast we can get it out and bring it to market that governs how much of it we use and what the price is. Regarding your statement about efficiency, I totally agree. If you're new to the EV blog, check out our other articles, and you'll see that I'm constantly pointing out how much better things could be, especially, as you say, in heating and cooling buildings.

Jack: Yes, I think you're right. The problem is that, although oil and gas are still going to be around for a long time, we're at the point now where the amount we get each year is about to start dropping. Sadly, the idea that we can make up the difference by drilling more of "our own resources" is what's duplicitous. Energy independence is a fantasy.

By: Jack

Jack — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 04:05:04 +0000

We have<
We have oil to last hundreds of years. We have natural gas to last even longer. It's time we use our own resources instead of buying it from duplicitous foreign sovereignties.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 03:24:42 +0000

I grew up in Louisiana and
I grew up in Louisiana and when I got out of high school, 1972 went to work on a drillin rig. to make a long story short in 1981 I was livin in Wyoming and was a driller on one those rigs. Over the next 5 years the off again and on again world of oil field almost put me in the poor house! That is what has put me in the business i’m in today in a round about way. I really love what I do, but I will tell you that we are along way from running out of oil or natural gas for that matter. That doesn’t change the fact that the USA needs to really take a long look at the waste of our natural resourses, especially in the heating and cooling of the residental and commercial buildings we live and work in! Now that the government has gotten into the weatherization and oil business some of the stuff {the majority of it} I’m seein’ ain’t helpin the cause at all!!!I think I should stop typing now because my granddaddy always said “If ya can’t say somethin’ good, Don’t say nothin’ at all.” This thing could get real political real quick. SEE YA

By: M. Johnson

M. Johnson — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:39:41 +0000

There is an answer to what is
There is an answer to what is going to happen. The world price of oil is going to be bid up until Americans see it as too expensive, and cut their usage by supply and demand mechanisms. It is Americans who use so much per capita, and other countries' citizens who want/need to use more as their standard of living rises.

By: Christopher Cadwell

Christopher Cadwell — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:45:16 +0000

Nice story. I too grew up
Nice story. I too grew up with parents in the oil industry, and what hit my family hard was the oil embargo fiasco. Almost 3 generations of my family lost jobs. That was around that time too.

Kinda puts today's problems into perspective, with relation to jobs.