Rightwingers are at it again spreading misleading information about crude oil and alternative energies. I've decided to gather 5 facts about crude oil that debunk the major rumors going about. I hope fellow Fogbowers can forward this to others.

1. The federal government is mostly to blame for the cost of crude oil. They charge 50 cents to the gallon! They could bring the cost down by simply eliminating the fuel tax!

Wrong. While there is a Federal fuel tax in place, it's 18.4 cents to the gallon. The rest usually comes from the State fuel tax, for example, the State of Texas charges 20 cents ontop of the Federal fuel tax!

What difference would eliminating the Federal fuel tax make? Will let's take an example, in January of this year a gallon of crude was $3.29 at average. This month (April 2012) a gallon of crude amounted to $3.80, there was a change of 51 cents in the cost of crude, so what amount of difference would eliminating the Federal fuel tax make in the cost of crude? You do the math.

2. There are trillions upon trillions of barrels of crude reserves hidden below the rockies!

No, those aren't crude reserves, those are shale oil reserves. Shale oil (otherwise known as Kerogen) is an alternative to crude oil, it is a different type of oil all together. Shale oil can be converted and used in the same manner as crude oil, but it takes a considerable amount more in energy to convert, as well as in extraction.

3. Subsidizing the oil industry will be a key factor toward American energy independence.

Not really. During the last 10 years that oil subsidies were steadily on the rise, American oil producers more than quadrupled the number of domestic crude oil exported abroad. In 2002 108,000 barrels of domestically sourced crude was exported abroad, by 2009 that number amounted to 529,000 barrels. So much for energy independence eh?
http://205.254.135.7/dnav/pet/hist/Leaf ... REXUS2&f=M

4. There are billions of barrels of crude hidden in Northern Alaska, most of it within the Arctic Wildlife refuge.

Yes this is true. As an estimated range, the USG calculates that there are some 6-16 billion barrels of crude oil hidden up there. Putting aside the years it will take the extract the crude resources hidden there and assuming that we’d use about 20% of the crude reserves hidden there on a yearly basis, we’re looking at a good 3 years, maximum, before the reserves are depleted in that area. (The United States consumes some 18 million barrels of crude a day).

5. Wind turbines are responsible for an estimated 40,000 animal deaths yearly in the United States alone!

Yes. There is also an estimated 60-80 million animal casualties as the result of Automobiles a year, around 130,000 animal casualties as the result of windows, yes windows, and another 40 million animal casualties as the result of lighting towers.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/enviro ... -birds.htm

What ya'll think of these facts I made? Corrections are welcome.

I'd have to look it up again, but I read in multiple places that every barrel of crude taken out of ANWAR is earmarked for sale to Pacific Rim countries. Not a milliliter would stay here for domestic use.

Maybe not so much earmarking but rather excessive demand as those countries industrialize, which drives up the price in those countries. And the oil, like most markets, will go to the highest bidder.

With the same result, I fear. The oil will go to the Pacific Rim.

Used to read theoildrum.com talks about peak oil etc and lots of geologist used to hang out there. Have a look if interested. Hate this iPad,,, censoring/correcting It's a conspriracy I tells yah

Most of the ANWAR stuff is heavy crude, not as useful as the stuff the ME pulls because it's harder to refine.

For Lili

http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/

Good onz tanks ! Funny !

Right now unleaded Petrol is 1.65 euros a liter in the garage up the road. Diesel is 1.55

You know, I remember diesel being cheaper than gasoline when I was growing up, but it hasn't been that way here in years.

Is that the way it normally is over there?

I thinks Zorbas and Suranis is just lyin' to us about the price of gas "over there" because they're afraid we might immigrate to their lands and take their jobz. Yeah. That's what I thinks.