What a real oilman says about off-shore drilling and McCain..

[sinkingfeeling]

http://mediamatters.org/altercation/200808070004

Name: Mike Wetzel
Hometown: Bartlesville, OK

Hey Doc,

There is lots of talk on the campaign about the virtue of offshore drilling. McCain says we can drill today if given the go-ahead, by somebody?

He simply does NOT understand the business of drilling. Let's follow the time line of how this might happen. Let's say that Congress removes the ban on offshore drilling in the fall, then the individual states must vote on allowing drilling on their coastal areas, this is by no means a given. But for argument sake, let's say that by next fall some states approve drilling offshore. Then the BLM must nominate the blocks that will be offered to the oil companies, then they distribute maps of these areas and ask for bids, and this takes another year. So we are into the fall of 2010. The oil companies then have to do their homework and do the exploration work to create the areas of best potential for drilling, and then decide if they are even going to bid. Let's say the several companies do the work and want to bid, now it is the fall of 2011. Now the government must evaluate each bid and decide which oil companies will be awarded leases. Now it is the fall of 2012. Leases are awarded and the winning companies gear up for the exploration phase. First step is to record a 3-D seismic survey over each area of interest, then that survey must be interpreted and any prospects must be evaluated and submitted up the line for approval by management. Another year goes by, and now the companies are ready to submit their prospects to the government for environmental approval. Now it is the fall of 2013, NO drilling as yet, but we are getting closer. Environmental approval is given, now the companies must line up drilling rigs, and mobilize the rigs onto the drilling site. Depending on the depth required to test each prospect for the occurrence of oil, it might take six months to reach the objective oil reservoir. OK, now we are in the fall of 2014, and we have a discovery, enough oil to make the project commercial. Approval of this step will have to go to the board of directors. Now more wells are drilled to determine the true extent of the oil discoveries. Another two years goes by, fall of 2016. The project is now given the final go-ahead, and the production platform is ordered, at least one year goes by to build this platform, more time if the drilling location is in deep water, more than a couple of hundred feet. So finally in the fall of 2017, the platform is in place and begins drilling production wells, the exploration wells are not usually used for production, but can be. Now by the fall of 2018 the first oil is flowing, and this happens if everything goes right in every step along the way (most projects have several delays here and there).

So the true answer to drilling offshore is much more complicated than saying, "Let's drill today." McCain needs to be honest to himself first and then to the voters. This is how it is REALLY done in the oil patch!!

[sam sarrha]

1. every drill rig is frantically drilling and capping as hard and fast as they possibly can.. they are

booked up for years if not decades.

we have family in the drilling business, they work 14 days, 12 hr shifts on.. 4 days off.. cant go anywhere and back in 4 days so they just work all the time.. nephew is drilling for natural gas. uncles drilled for oil 30-40 years, capped every one.

there isn't a ship rig available in less than 7 years, and we have no extra refining capacity.. it would just be sold to the Chinese

there isn't a shortage, congressional testimony stated that the price of oil should be $60 a barrel

[tavalon]

4. You are correct that there isn't a shortage right now

Eventually, there will be, but just right now, we're getting price gouging. I hate to see people hurting but in a small way, I'm glad we're getting a little foreknowledge of how it will soon be. People need to start thinking about communal living and living close to their work and other infrastructure. They need to start looking at alternative forms of transport and letting go of the one car/one person mentality.

I won't miss the burbs when they are gone. But that's the long term. In the short term, we need a Democratic leadership (we have neither right now) to recreate the safety net because people who are closer to the edge than my commune, will continue to hurt and die. The every man for himself credo is what helped get us into this mess (not the price gouging mess but the inevitable collapse of the age of oil).

[indepat]

2. While McCain might need to be honest with himself first, then to the voters,

this will never happen for if McCain were honest, really spoke the truth about the 'puke agenda, he would likely carry but a state or two. :P

[leftofthedial]

3. a repuke? honest?

:rofl:


That will NEVER happen. not on this issue or any other.