Hoard and Use Some Resources, Export the Rest
President Obama’s administration approved expanding natural gas exports back in 2011 and 2013. Cheniere Energy Inc’s Sabine Pass facility will begin exporting to countries in 2015, Freeport LNG in 2017 at up to 1.4 billion cubic feet a day of liquefied natural gas and Cameron LNG, LLC has been added this year to export up to 1.7 billion cubic feet a day.
The United States has an abundant amount of natural resources that we are not using and may never use if technology keeps improving our energy consumption. A recent technological advancement, fracking, increased the volume of a number of our energy sources such as natural gas and oil. In a recent NCPA issue brief, the clear advantage fracking is for America’s energy needs are explained:
Just 15 years ago, analysts predicted America had only 60 years of natural gas supplies available at then current rates of use. Today, natural gas consumption is much higher, and fracking has increased estimated reserves to 100 years or more.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) that can hold up to 727 million barrels of crude oil only. Refined oil reserves do not exist in the United States. If our existing refineries went offline, we would have to import refined petroleum products. This defeats the purpose of having an “emergency” stockpile of petroleum reserves. What good is the oil if you cannot use it? There should be a Strategic Refined Petroleum Reserve (SRPR) of at least equal in size for real emergencies.
We have an abundant amount of natural resources that we are not using and may never use. Resources like our natural gas and oil are very valuable and can be easily exported. We would then boost our nation’s economy and have the money needed to improve the technology at a faster rate making our energy use more efficient.
“We would then boost our nation’s economy and have the money needed to improve the technology at a faster rate making our energy use more efficient.”
That sounds like the winning ticket to me. Export what is abundant here, and improve innovation.
While fracking is becoming more and more abundant and is how to retrieve natural gas, we must not ignore the adverse effects that fracking has on the land and environment.
I agree. If you don’t believe it, watch the documentary Gasland. Homeowners who live near fracking are able to light their household water on fire. Scary stuff.
Then your plan is to leave a precious resource like natural gas in the ground? Ill take a little fire water if it means an economic boost.
A person who can say that obviously hasn’t been in that situation. I am not saying to abandon natural gas, but to find better fracking technologies that are not as invasive onto our land and other resources.