The Lure of Black Gold

Of course the hords in California are now opting to support offshore drilling. They refuse to relinquish what they consider to be their God-given right to continue driving gas-guzzling hogs while moaning and groaning about high fuel costs. Heaven forbid that the guilty ones responsible for our foreign oil dependence have to ponder a lifestyle change!
Granting more offshore drilling leases will make no difference whatsoever. Oil companies have millions of acres already leased to them where they are NOT drilling. Anyone suspect there is an ulterior motive here somewhere? OPEC and our oil companies are staunch supporters of the inefficient, internal combustion engine and the ill-informed.
The only way we can achieve energy security in this country is to reduce our dependence on oil.

The majority of Californians? Says who? I'm a Californian and I don't remember anyone asking my opinion.
Forget drilling. Find the alternative. Oil is not a renewable energy source. It's days are numbered.

I am utterly distressed by the mania for offshore drilling. Every reputable source I have seen, including government analysis, say that additonal oil from new exploration would not come online until 2017 or thereabouts, and would have a minimal effect on gas prices. But recent polls show that ONE HALF of Americans believe that opening up offshore drilling will result in lower gas prices within a year. Why? Because it will scare OPEC into lowering prices? Don't think so. Between the craven people who are willing to lie to become elected and an electorate which is too stupid or lazy to distinguish between truth and lies, this country is truly screwed.

"Ridiculous! That oil won't be available for decades and will be sold on the open market. It will have minimal effects on price. Why do people fall for this stuff?"

Its not people that fall for it. Just brain dead republicans like the article says. The same way they fell for the Iraq war, the California energy crisis, the deregulation of the markets, the gay bashing, the stem cell research, the .. .oh the list just goes on and on. I dont see how these people get up in the morning without drowing themselves in their coffee.

Off shore drilling will kill the oceans. We are so sad...a Nation of fat, lazy, selfish, over- entitled fools who believe we deserve it all. What will we do when there is nothing left? Eat each other?

Speaking as a liberal from californialand and the central coast, I OPPPOSE drilling for oil. It will run out, drilling some oil offshore that will last a few years and potentially destroy an ecosystem isn't worth it. You sound like a douche. I dont care how much gas costs, it isnt worth it.. we need to find alternative methods for fueling cars rabo77.. ass.

Greedy big fat asses driving around in their Hummers, SUVs, humongous Explorers, motor boats and trucks... desperate for more gas to guzzle at the expense of the world. We pay very little at the pump compared to Europeans - who are paying about twice our prices. But they've got OPTIONS like Public Transport, High Speed Trains, smaller vehicles when they do drive, and walking, biking, etc. They are not quite as fat as we are either.... though some are catching up. As are the Chinese younger generation. Eating our garbage, guzzling gas to drive around everywhere....

Good luck to you in your quest for the Holy Gas Grail.

We have plenty of oil to drill and produce in Baaken, North Dakota - light sweet crude, almost ready for the tank of your cars. It's not offshore!!! The reserves are estimated at about FIVE TIMES the biggest of Saudi Arabia's.

Get the BIG OIL companies to focus MORE ON WHAT WE"VE GOT ONSHORE. None of them are playing in the Bakken formation. NONE, except Marathon and some independents. It's much more feasible than the shale in Colorado, though we have that too.

Get on the stick and stop talking about "offshore drilling" like it's Mecca. It's not going to amount to a hill of beans - it's another political distraction. It might trigger some of the speculators toward lower prices in the shorter run (as a psychological effect) but it's not going to do much of anything.

It's an empty idea. For a world that will be running on empty as long as it remains oil-dependent.

We are running short on oil, and will see even more dramatic effects during the coming decade.

There is no significant supply after we peak out. Some analysts believe that happened in 2006; we peaked out in the US in 1970. There is not that much oil left that hasn't already been discovered. If they do find it offshore, it will likely be very deep and the technology and capital investment to run it will be very costly. Plus, if we do get it to the global market in about 5-10 years, IF we discover a significant field, the price of oil by then will be much higher.

We need to be serious about weaning ourselves OFF oil. It is so tempting to keep on using it once the price goes down a bit. Just wait. There won't be any left -- in less time than you can imagine.

What a bunch of garbage! I'm convinced that to the people that take the polls and the Eastern media California has only one county, Orange County. Put it on the ballot and see how many will vote for drilling off our coast. We don't have to live on the coast to see the horrors of an oil spill. I agree with the people who have suggested this is another scam. George Bush's last present to the big oil companies; opening up the off shore drilling.

We cannot drill ourselves out of this mess. Even if we started drilling right now, in 10 years the impact on prices and supply would be minimal. In the meantime we would have been lulled back again into the oil trap. We have to break, what even Bush called, our dependence on oil. Alternative fuels, solar, wind, geothermal, conservation are the answers, NOT MORE DRILLING FOR A NON-RENEWABLE, AND SOON TO BE GONE, FUEL.