[firestar]

Imagine if we found a alternate fuel supply and we no longer needed the Middle East oil. We could just step back and let them dry up in the dessert sun.:p

Without oil, these trouble spots would simply fade away. No oil money=no nothing for these countries. Without oil they have nothing. They could go back to camel hearding or whatever the heck they did before oil.

[MitchSchaft]

Yeah, it's nice to dream.

[illuminatus99]

if you look at the actual amount of oil we get from the middle east it's not much, about half we get domestically and we get quite a bit from south america. we actually wouldn't be too hurt by going without mideast oil, europe on the other hand would be screwed.

[fmjcafe]

Can you say ethanol?

[buzz_knox]

To supply all our fuel needs with ethanol, we'd have to convert the majority of the country to farm land. Not exactly practical.

Also, is it possible to produce plastics and other non-fuel hydrocarbon products from ethanol?

[AJ Dual]

As others have pointed out, we get only a fraction of our oil from the Middle East. Maybe 10% if that.

The problem with the Middle East is OPEC. The majority of the imported oil we get from Venezuela and Mexico can be affected by the Middle East, because they're OPEC members, even though it comes from nowhere near there. The only sources OPEC dosen't affect are Canada and the U.S. but environmental regs, and labor costs keep the price high anyway.

Even if OPEC were broken in the Western hemisphere, market pricing would still be affected to some degree.

I was hoping that post 9-11 and with the Russians getting friendly with us over Chechnya, we could get a mutually profitable lock on thier oil reserves...

[Khornet]

it'd be something else. These people are about hate. If we became independent of oil they'd still hate us.

[CMichael]

Two words:


Nuclear Power

[Raistlin]

I recall a 60 Minutes interview given by Diane Sawyer to a representative of the U.S. oil industry: "How much oil do we import from the Middle East?" His reply: "About eight percent." He then went on to explain that if the U.S. companies were allowed to go farther out into the Gulf of Mexico and drill, we could stop using Middle Eastern oil entirely.

[beckrodgers]

Last year on the way to Shaw,Ms we heard a radio show talking about this very subject. The man was saying we dont need the oil ,we dont need to spend trillions on R&D,the country has what it needs. they talked about the fuel involved,& powering up the economy,to include being out from under the urban sprawl .We where waiting to see if some one would post this.Haven't had time to research what we heard that night& the implications,you guys and gals see what you can come with The Subject was Industrial / Economics of Hemp. Thats right, Hemp & its many by products,SERIOUSLY THANKS

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

As long as it didn't create bigger problems than it solved, yes.

- pdmoderator

[Art Eatman]

I find it ironic that Canada, England, Germany and France get far more of their electricity from nuclear power plants than we do. France, for example, is 76% or more nuke-source.

I doubt that we'd be involved in any of the WOT stuff or the mideast, were it not for the money they derive from the sale of oil. I find it ironic that those who most protest the war with Iraq are also in the same group most vocal against nuclear power and/or SUVs.

Even hydro-carbon fuel-cell cars are some 30% more efficient than conventional IC. Figure what we could do to reduce consumption of natural gas and oil in electric generation as well, if we added more nukes to our electric source. Hmmm. Less CO2, also. :) Hey, I'm a Greenie! :D

But because of our movies and music and TV programs, the professional haters would still hate us.

Art

[CZ-75]

I find it strange there are so few diesels on the market in the US, mostly in the biggest damn pick-ups they make.

I'd like to see more SUVs running with diesels, should everyone still feel the need to buy one.

Guess GM spoiled it for everyone.