Why do some people say, "drill, baby, drill"?

This year? I thought he did it in 2022, can you update me on the 2024 sales from the SPR.

I saw that, thanks for posting, things are good over here, how's the western slope? Jeff Hurd seems reasonable. I hope all is well with you, hope to run into you in Blackhawk if our paths cross. Cheers!

I'm still courious how much you think should be stored, just by percentage and your thoughts on light sweet vs heavy sour. Things have changed quite a bit from when the SPR was created in the 70's, I'm just trying to have an intelligent conversation, I hope that's not too much to ask.

It IS too much to ask of Iggo.

But since he's chosen that to bleat about, he should be schooled that the release and sale of oil from the SPR made money for the government. He should also be educated that the SPR is no longer needed, given the massive increase in domestic production since the time it was created (1970s).

As with any government project, it should be continually reviewed for efficiency and effectiveness. 

We do know that we don't yet have any effective way to store wind generated or solar generated power so having reserves of petroleum and gas seems like a good idea to plan for an emergency.

I don't know the answers, but it should not be used in a political manner or to weaken the USA as Biden's administration has done.

Solar and wind are mostly locally produced in the USA. What emergency would limit their use? Renewable energy is a big part of the USA's energy independence.

To the best of my knowledge, US refineries are set up to refine heavy sour oil, that we get from Canada, Mexico, and South America. At the same time, the US produces light sweet crude that is typically exported. Would we need both in reserve? Probably. How much do we need in reserve? I don't think there is any question that Canada, the US, and Mexico will stand together against all enemies, they have heavy sour, and we have light sweet, so maybe we don't need to have as much in reserve.

When people bring up the SPR and want to refill it, they never have any idea what the best way to manage the reserve would be. Things have changed a lot since the 1970s. Just because we had X amount five years ago, does it mean we need the same amount now. Since you brought it up I thought you might have more of an idea on how you think it should be managed and with what type of oil you feel the USA needs to have in reserve.

Renewable energy is an expensive intermittent power source.  You cannot rely on it for industry, commercial or residential use.  Until we have means to store generated power when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining (night, winter clouds, etc), it always needs to be bolstered by gas and oil.  California is experiencing this now with brownouts, blackouts and high energy costs.  "Please do not charge your electric vehicle, etc"

I'm 100% for alternative energy sources but not at the expense of the poor who's cost of living exponentially increases using 'green' sources versus living with cheap nuclear, clean coal and natural gas.

The good thing is we are adjusting back to nuclear since those pushing the 'green' solar and wind have made their money on the grift and they're being exposed as such now that we are left with unrecyclable fields of fiberglass.

I find it ironic when someone argues about the expense of renewable energy and then points to nuclear power as a more reasonable alternative, here is some information on the most recent nuclear power plant to come online in the US.

Georgia nuclear rebirth arrives 7 years late, $17B over cost | AP News

The power plant was supposed to cost $14 billion and be online in 2017, it came online in 2024 with a cost of $31 billion.  

Talk about a grift. 

To address Iggo's bleat about renewable energy (DA SUN DON'T ALWAYS SHINE, DAWWWWK), I should point out that we already have an effective, high-capacity, and relatively low-tech means of storing excess generated power. Thanks to the dam-building frenzy of the last century, we have massive unused hyrdoelectric capacity. Reservoirs such as Lake Mead and Lake Powell have shrunk because of long-term drought conditions, but we can fill them by pumping fresh water from other sources. That would be an effective way to store unused generated power--by converting it to potential energy (from a physics standpoint).

There's also the possibility of converting "cash dams" (dams that were built not for water storage, but for hydroelectric power generation) to salt water usage--an unlimited amount of seawater could be pumped into the lake behind a cash dam. It wouldn't affect wildlife, because these manmade lakes are mostly sterile anyway. Obviously, there would be logistical challenges, but the idea of using a manmade lake as a battery has been around since the 1930s. The tech is simple, even if the engineering might be complex.

I forget the exact number, but I read in a study that something like 400 terawatts of power could be stored this way, just using existing facilities.