Yesterday oil was up another $5.00 a barrel. Oil closed at $104.00/barrel. Fox news said that it was mostly because of Chavez and his little Army massing on the border of Columbia. President bush said he was standing by to assist Columbia in any way that was needed. Do you all out there think we are in trouble? If so why.

Dude, the Oil Companies are full of CRAP. I worked at the ExxonMobil in torrance california. The gas costs next to nothing to make compared to what they sell it(The refinery makes $4million everyday BTW) this refinery(and many others) don't even use foreign oil. The Torrance refinery had a pipeline that came down from mid-california, it was heavy crude but it is still good to go.


I don't know what these crooks are up to, but I know their full of ****.

quote:

Originally posted by Aco275RGR:
Dude, the Oil Companies are full of CRAP. I worked at the ExxonMobil in torrance california. The gas costs next to nothing to make compared to what they sell it(The refinery makes $4million everyday BTW) this refinery(and many others) don't even use foreign oil. The Torrance refinery had a pipeline that came down from mid-california, it was heavy crude but it is still good to go.


I don't know what these crooks are up to, but I know their full of ****.

That pipeline to Northern California most likely ends at a port facility, not an oil field. The oil you use in California mostly comes from Alaska via tanker and those things are NOT cheap to operate.

Yes, the refinery may "make" that much money per day on the books, but if you follow that oil all the way back to it's source, probably on the North Slope, and figure in the cost of finding it and transporting it to your pump, you'll find that the profit margin isn't as high as you may think.

Yes, it's a lot, but consider this: Those oil companies will not just sit on their earnings. They'll spend most of it looking for the oil you'll need in the future and preparing for the next bust cycle, and that cycle is coming. It always does in the oil business, and if those companies don't have the money on hand to continue operating during that bust cycle, you won't have any gas at all.

I'm not defending the oil companies record high profits, just pointing out that it is those profits which will ensure you have fuel 10 or 20 years from now.

quote:

Originally posted by stillkit:

quote:

Originally posted by Aco275RGR:
Dude, the Oil Companies are full of CRAP. I worked at the ExxonMobil in torrance california. The gas costs next to nothing to make compared to what they sell it(The refinery makes $4million everyday BTW) this refinery(and many others) don't even use foreign oil. The Torrance refinery had a pipeline that came down from mid-california, it was heavy crude but it is still good to go.


I don't know what these crooks are up to, but I know their full of ****.

That pipeline to Northern California most likely ends at a port facility, not an oil field. The oil you use in California mostly comes from Alaska via tanker and those things are NOT cheap to operate.

Yes, the refinery may "make" that much money per day on the books, but if you follow that oil all the way back to it's source, probably on the North Slope, and figure in the cost of finding it and transporting it to your pump, you'll find that the profit margin isn't as high as you may think.

Yes, it's a lot, but consider this: Those oil companies will not just sit on their earnings. They'll spend most of it looking for the oil you'll need in the future and preparing for the next bust cycle, and that cycle is coming. It always does in the oil business, and if those companies don't have the money on hand to continue operating during that bust cycle, you won't have any gas at all.

I'm not defending the oil companies record high profits, just pointing out that it is those profits which will ensure you have fuel 10 or 20 years from now.

Actually I'm rather glad you pointed that out, so as to get a more well rounded perspective. It's perhaps a bit to easy to buy (pardon the pun) into the notion of this evil corporate America. No doubt there are greedy people out there but earning a profit, even high profits shouldn't be a direct indicator. If a man saves most of his income and lowers his expenses, is he greedy for not going to his employer and saying "I've been makin a good deal over my operating costs you can cut my salary, I don't want to overcharge you for my labor services."

Now that I got that off my chest.


If Chavez makes good on his threat to Colombia I say we take advantage of it. Back up Colombia and get rid of that tin plated dictator once and for all.

The amount of oil imported from Chavezuela is insignificant as compared to the oil imported from the ME. It is not Chavez causing the increase in oil prices, it is the US president's failed tirckle-down "bushnomics" as well as his failed foreign policy in the ME that is driving the value of the dollar down on the international market and the price of oil up that is mostly responsible for this...

I'm very distrusting of anybody who defends Oil Companies, especially when they never worked at one, and especially when their stocks are through the roof


That Pipe-line went straight to some oil field in California, nothing foreign or distant about the oil coming there. It is however CHEAP as hell both to receive and make.

Another Gem: "Thrifty" Gas is all the same crap from one of the Big 5 barons. They can charge less because they don't add those super-secret additives...You know why you're paying alot? Because Chevron has those Talking cars...LOL

Don't belive that? When have you ever heard of a "Thrifty" refinery? (Note, i'm using thrifty just as an example, there are many no-name outlets out there who sell shell or chevron fuel)

quote:

I'm not defending the oil companies record high profits, just pointing out that it is those profits which will ensure you have fuel 10 or 20 years from now.

Give me a break, what investments are they making exactly except buying back their stocks?(Chevron)....Fact is, they are just getting what they can while they can. We have run out of low-cost high quality oil, simple as that. Its only going to be harder and vastly more expensive to FIND good quality oil, let alone refine into gasoline.

There is a big difference between Light crude like in the Middle East, and Garbage Heavy Crude like what venezuela has....And you know, our Civilization was not built on the latter.


I'm telling you guys, I worked there. You wanna believe them go ahead. Remember last year when the excuse was "Oh, we just had scheduled maintence thats why our refineries are not operating at full capacity"...BULLSHIT..

A 30 year retiree from ExxonMobil would laugh at that crap, they USED to schedule maintence at different refineries during different times....NOT DO IT ALL AT THE SAME TIME, the only benefit of doing it all at the same is: JACK UP THE PRICE.


"We're in the money, we're in the money"

Pearl of Wisdom: Oil might be cheaper if we had more of it.

Sadly, we do have access to more oil, but we must protect the Spotted Owl and caribou...

One thing is we have been sitting on our butts for the past thirty years doing nothing. Everything was great win oil was $8/bal. food prices were normal and everything seemed to be held in check. Now with this stupid corn idea from Brazil corn prices have doubled and have you bought a pound of beef lately? We have more oil off shore and in places like Colorado and Alaska than Saudi Arabia has. But can't drill because of the spotted frog and the ski resorts.
I am afraid that $ 5 and 6 dollar a gallon prices are just around the corner. We can't go to war over it now because we no longer have a deployable armed forces. They are too burned out over Iraq and Astan. So I guess all we can do is sit and take it. Looks like China, Russia, Mexico and the rest said it best. Just sit back and wait. America will do nothing. They were right.

My belief has always been that this all goes back to a plot by the Big-oil companies to allow the price per barrel to soar in order to get the drilling rights in Alaska that they've been denied for so long.

Whatever - I'm ready to let them drill right through Bambi, Thumper and an Indian burial ground if it means flooding the market with our own production and reducing the price per barrel. They can even build a new refinery in my living-room too if it will help.

Ranger--

Man, every post I see from you is about not trusting the government nor some of our best allies, yet you were a ranger and have talked to me about getting into Recon---I am beginning to see there may be a disconnect in the progress there.

Duster--yep!

quote:

Originally posted by Kegler300:
Pearl of Wisdom: Oil might be cheaper if we had more of it.

Sadly, we do have access to more oil, but we must protect the Spotted Owl and caribou...

Maybe we should just eat 'em

quote:

Originally posted by skinman13:
The amount of oil imported from Chavezuela is insignificant as compared to the oil imported from the ME. It is not Chavez causing the increase in oil prices, it is the US president's failed tirckle-down "bushnomics" as well as his failed foreign policy in the ME that is driving the value of the dollar down on the international market and the price of oil up that is mostly responsible for this...

Bush's fault again right skin?

So, how high does the pump price have to go before "we' start to do something about it? I like to think that somebody, somewhere is doing something. Where is all that shale oil we're supposed to crack with geo-thermal heat? all the nickle apiece photovoltaics we're supposed to cover the deserts with for energy or to hydrolize water for H2? Eating our food (ethanol) may have been fun to play with but to rely on for fuel? Not unless it can be made from non-food sources or non-food producing land. There are other viable alternatives in the batter's box. What is the "break out" petroleum price before some of these ideas come up to bat? Not long ago I heard it was $3/gal. Whoops.

Damn, and I really want that new F-350 too

In Canada, they're extracting tar/oil from shale and making gasoline. We have a similar resource of tar pits in Colorado.

We just have to get digging. The less we have to buy from the middle-east or Venezuela.....the better our economy.

quote:

Originally posted by Kegler300:
Pearl of Wisdom: Oil might be cheaper if we had more of it.

Sadly, we do have access to more oil, but we must protect the Spotted Owl and caribou...

Just a thought, how about we feed the spotted owl to the caribou and then open up caribou season for anyone who wants a bit of "fresh meat".

Keep your eye on the crime rate in the major cities across the US as prices hit 5 and 6 dollars a gallon.

All i know is that the price per gallon shifts 30-40 cents in a day without explanation. We no longer even blink an eye at it. Even when the oil companies did try to give us a reason, it was an idiotic one. They use anything as an excuse to jump up the price. I don't think a tornado in Kenya means gas has to go up 10 cents a gallon.

quote:

Originally posted by goldenwings:
Ranger--

Man, every post I see from you is about not trusting the government nor some of our best allies, yet you were a ranger and have talked to me about getting into Recon---I am beginning to see there may be a disconnect in the progress there.

I'm paranoid by nature, I forgot who said it but I like this quote "It is a Patriots duty to protect his country from his government"

I am not trying to connect our current administration to the Oil Companies in my previous posts if you thought so sir.

Oil Companies are really full of BS. If they are doing it to force us to conserve or force the public to support new exploration here in America good....


On the other hand, If any of you guys live near an Oil Refinery and need a job do everything in your power to get in. The salaries are ridiculous, even if you're off the street and don't know what a wrench is...

quote:

Originally posted by pken:
In Canada, they're extracting tar/oil from shale and making gasoline. We have a similar resource of tar pits in Colorado.

We just have to get digging. The less we have to buy from the middle-east or Venezuela.....the better our economy.

Here is what people do not stop and think about: You CANNOT disconnect something and reconnect something else when it comes to oil.

It takes MORE energy to convervt that Oil Shale into gasoline than the Shale will produce itself...Not a good Idea.

The only thing that MIGHT save us is clean coal technology(You can convert coal into high quality gasoline) but who knows how far away that is economically, the technology is there but it's too expensive still..