I got a call from a guy still in the oil biz asking my opinion on something. I told him my opinion was I am retired and I don't really care what he does. After all, when my opinion really counted for something I was able to get tons of data and had a staff that sifted through it. All I am getting from him is what he wants me to hear. How can I make an informed decision when I don't have all the information?

The question was: Why are Americans so upset that some US energy companies want to export Natural Gas? (Here I am relying on his word. I don't know that anyone is really angry about this.)

I did venture a guess. After screaming about how oil companies need every break they can get from anyone they can get it from because of the need for US energy independence the US people seem to think that all those tax breaks/ EPA regulation roll-backs and what have you are starting to enable us to reach that goal.

And now that cheap energy can be made available to everyone we need to forget the whole 'independence' thing and go after the overseas money?

I must admit there is a big plus to selling overseas, like balance of payments and such, but it is going to be a tough sell to the average person that their taxes must go up to help pay for a goal that (apparently) never was the goal in the first place.

So anyway.... I wanted to see what the oil consumer of above average intelligence thought about this. I am going to keep drawing my Pension no matter what they do, and I don't have a consulting contract, so they can give it away if they want to.

By the way.... Back in the 1930's, when NG was considered a waste product, the oil companies did give the NG away to the small towns they were near. This practice was common until the mid 80's.

It was cheaper to give it away than to flare it off.

Because a lot of environmental damage goes into producing that gas, so the less it produced, the better? We should be exporting genuinely clean tech (i.e. renewables, hydro, and nuclear), not fossil farts.

That is, without a doubt, where the future lies. Finding a new way to produce electricity is a very good thing.

Besides, so many products are made from oil and NG there will always be a market for it beyond making electricity.

And no environmental damage occurs with other energy sources? Have you ever seen a large wind farm? I'm all for clean, renewable energy but by the time you factor in the materials used, the transportation, the installation and the maintenance of a windmill then multiply by a whole bunch I'd be willing to bet that there's more environmental damage there. And all to produce around 3% of the nation's electricity. Hell, we could leave the television off for two days a month and save more than that.
I'm actually a proponent of nuclear power but the real answer lies in using less electricity, not spending grillions of dollars to find new ways to make more. And I have many friends and associates that are profiting handsomely from wind energy but IMO it won't work out the way it's been planned.

__________________
1983 M-B 240D-Gone too.
1976 M-B 300D-Departed.

"Good" is the worst enemy of "Great".

I support nuclear power as well. However I do not think "using less" is really a viable solution. So much we do and will do depends on electricity.

Nuclear power can provide large amounts of power.

__________________
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82 300SD 145k
89 420SEL 210k
89 560SEL 118k
90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010
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93 300E 195k

Safety/Environmental issues are "Constraining" Production/Competition...
(The A**H*L*S would Pollute Outer Space, if Profit was involved.)

There's a HUGE LNG Terminal Here (Politicians sold us ALL out)

When the prices were high the Goniffs wanted to Import.

Now the prices are "lower" due to shale Oil/Gas they wanna Export OUR
Precious Non Renewable (Attained at a HORRIBLE Environmental Cost)
NG for Their Profit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Opinion is:
They (Shell) should be dragged through the Special Justice System
as Traitors and War Profiteers for attempting to Squander our National Security "Back-Up" Fuel.

"Energy Independence"? From all those "Nasty": Saudi,Venezuelans,Etc.,Etc.
ONLY WHEN it suits the Oil Hoors!

__________________
'84 300SD sold
124.128

Quite frankly that is my opinion. Some of us took this 'oil independence' thing for real. Now that we are on the verge everyone is a 'free trader'.

I don't think the Majors understand the thinking of a lot of the American people. Folks can put with a lot if they see the reason for it. When that reason is then just blown off it makes a lot of folks wonder why they worked so hard to reach the goal.

I know why I worked that hard: It was because of the paycheck. But everyone has skin in this game through the higher oil prices we are all paying. After all, we knew about lots of oil in the ground, but it cost more to pump out than it was worth on the open market. Now it is profitable and the fact is the American consumer is the one that made it that way.

By the way, there are no more Seven Sister. It is really now down to about four due to mergers.

People don't understand fungibility.

When I was a kid with my uncle's family driving from Beaumont to Crystal Beach at night we'd pass the field near High Island. It was a picture of Medieval Hell -- flaring gas for as far as you could see, sulfurous aroma, flickering yellow torches lighting the marsh.