On Wed, 01 Feb 2006 16:26:57 +0000, NOYB wrote:


"thunder" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 01 Feb 2006 13:42:29 +0000, NOYB wrote:


Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach
another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports
from the Middle East by 2025.

I don't want to rain on your parade, but do you know how much of our
oil imports come from the middle east? Now if he had said 75% of all
our imports . . .


I don't believe the continuation of oil imported from Canada and Mexico
is particularly in jeopardy. But the Middle East is a powder keg.

Europe gets 30% of its oil from the Middle East, and Japan gets 2/3 of
its oil from there. If the Middle East falls into total chaos, and al
Qaeda gets control of the oil, the ripple effect felt here would be
horrendous.

There's not just a US oil market. There's a world oil market. And a
problem in one supply area affects prices everywhere.

I'm not denying that, but if memory serves, we get around 12% of our oil
from the middle east. Cutting that my 75% is better that a sharp stick in
the eye, but it ain't going to change the oil situation by very much.

I also have my doubts about ethanol. Our agriculture sector is very oil
intensive, fertilizers, tractors, transport, etc. It's my limited
understanding that there isn't much of an oil savings by using ethanol.