Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

White House Puts the West on Fast Track for Oil, Gas Drilling
LA Times ^ | 8/25/04 | Alan C. Miller, Tom Hamburger and Julie Cart

Posted on 08/25/2004 8:59:39 AM PDT by NormsRevenge

WASHINGTON — Placing a heavy emphasis on energy production in the American West, the Bush administration has moved aggressively to open up broad areas of largely unspoiled federal land to oil and gas exploration.

The administration has pressed for approval of new drilling permits across the Rocky Mountains and lifted protections on hundreds of thousands of acres with gas and oil reserves in Utah and Colorado. In the process, it has targeted a number of places prized for their scenery, abundant wildlife and clean water, natural assets increasingly valuable to the region's changing economy.

Soon after taking office in 2001, the Bush White House set up a little-known task force that acts as a complaint desk for industry, passing energy company concerns directly to federal land management employees in the field. Although the creation of White House task forces is commonplace, experts on the executive branch say it is unusual to have one primarily serving the interests of a single industry.

In addition, the Bureau of Land Management has been pushed to issue drilling permits at a record pace for three of the last four years, an increase of 70% since the Clinton administration.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: drilling; energy; environment; fasttrack; gas; oil; west; whitehouse
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-84 next last
To: capitan_refugio

I agree.

Given the general laziness and stubbornness of all human beings, I say let's hurry up & suck all of Earth's oil out of the ground as quickly as possible so we can then force ourselves to find a cheaper, healthier alternative.

There's no way that we'll stop sucking the oily teats of the Earth until it's (oil) all gone, so the quicker we do that, the quicker we'll be forced to find an alternative.

And as you said, this can be done with minimal environmental intrusion so that limp-wristed, bunny-hugging argument can't be used.


41 posted on 08/25/2004 12:08:02 PM PDT by Blzbba (John Kerry - Dawn of a New Error.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: Dog Gone
Kentucky!

"This is the story of a man named Jed,
a poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed,
and then one day he was shooting at some food,
when up through the ground came a bubbling crude!"

That's what I call a "shallow completion."

42 posted on 08/25/2004 12:12:42 PM PDT by capitan_refugio
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Blzbba
As you listen to campaign rhetoric, keep this in mind: "alternative energy sources" are not a cure-all. Every "alternative" source has one kind of drawback or another.

We have Senator's over in Iceland looking at geothermal as we speak. Where are the active geothermal areas in the United States? Yellowstone, Long Valley (Mammoth lakes area) in California, the Salton Sea area on the Mexican border, and the Geysers area north of San Francisco. Not withstanding three of these four areas are in anti-everything California, do you think any of these areas could be developed for national needs. No way.

How about wind power. That mean massive "wind farms." One has been proposed for off of Cape Cod. The Kennedys are against it - it would impact their view. There are a couple of projects in the boonies of California, but they are out in the desert or tucked away in the mountains. And they don't supply all that much power.

Solar energy, you say? That means the manufacture of solar cells, which use polluting materials, and of course, the storage question. Lead-acid or other metallic batteries on a large scale? Perish that thought.

Well, what about "clean burning coal"? There is no such thing. "Cleaner" burning maybe, but not because of the coal, but from the expensive scrubbing apparatus involved."

Okay then - oil shale. Which mountain range in Utah or Wyoming do we level? And its no cleaner than any other oil source, it's just mined instead of pumped.

In the long run, the most viable and cost-effective petroleum replacement for non-transportation needs is nuclear. And we know how that has been accepted.

The point you allude to, in reality, and one I agree with, is this nation needs an energy policy that looks past the next election cycle.

43 posted on 08/25/2004 12:39:15 PM PDT by capitan_refugio
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: conserv13

A beautiful sight!!!

44 posted on 08/25/2004 12:51:26 PM PDT by fishtank
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: capitan_refugio
That is a Capstar rig, at least Capstar seems to have a monopoly on them. They have a pick-up arm for the drill pipe and a top drive, I have gone to 6000' with one.
45 posted on 08/25/2004 1:20:11 PM PDT by razorback-bert
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Dog Gone; TexasCowboy; NerdDad

Yep, it is a Capstar, I used one over in Jackson, Ohio.

Scape the ground with a dozer, dig a pit, set 15 ft of surface casing, and drill to maybe 3000 ft.


Results, six dry holes.


46 posted on 08/25/2004 1:24:58 PM PDT by razorback-bert
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Well blow me down.

Now this is one I never expected to see again. Hallelujah!!


47 posted on 08/25/2004 1:26:53 PM PDT by Leatherneck_MT (Goodnight Chesty, wherever you may be.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dog Gone; TexasCowboy; NerdDad

This is what, we were looking for.

48 posted on 08/25/2004 1:29:50 PM PDT by razorback-bert
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: fishtank; razorback-bert; Dog Gone; capitan_refugio; El Gato; Smokin' Joe; Eaker; Squantos
Let's look at a real rig:

South Texas, 18,000'.

49 posted on 08/25/2004 1:34:37 PM PDT by TexasCowboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: RicocheT
"Oil and gas drilling can be done and not harm the local environment."

In most places, the wellheads can be sunken so that you can't even see them.
We drilled several wells across from and behind the Ramada Inn in Laurel, MS. You won't see them unless you know where they are.

50 posted on 08/25/2004 1:43:32 PM PDT by TexasCowboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: TexasCowboy

Yes sir! That's what I'm talking about.

At 18,000 feet, it's probably a gas play.


51 posted on 08/25/2004 1:50:41 PM PDT by capitan_refugio
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: razorback-bert

Back in "the old days" I recall "Varco" as pioneering top drives. Truth be told, most of my experience is in offshore drilling, so I'm not familar with Capstar and the smaller rigs.


52 posted on 08/25/2004 1:56:03 PM PDT by capitan_refugio
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: capitan_refugio
Yeah, lower Vicksburg.

Lots of low perm in this area, but when they frac nicely some of them come in for thirty million or so.

53 posted on 08/25/2004 1:57:49 PM PDT by TexasCowboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: razorback-bert
Results, six dry holes.

Bush's fault.

54 posted on 08/25/2004 2:00:02 PM PDT by Dog Gone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: capitan_refugio; razorback-bert
Top drives can be a real money saver to the operator if the hands are trained to use them.
Varco was a pioneer in a lot of our tools, but CanRig is probably the premiere top drive nowdays.

I have one on this rig I'm on.

55 posted on 08/25/2004 2:01:22 PM PDT by TexasCowboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: Dog Gone; capitan_refugio; razorback-bert; Smokin' Joe; Eaker; Squantos; HoustonCurmudgeon
This is almost real time.

We've just pulled into the surface casing to replace a traction motor on number two mud pump:


56 posted on 08/25/2004 2:22:56 PM PDT by TexasCowboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: TexasCowboy

Is that mesquite or crops surrounding the pad?


57 posted on 08/25/2004 2:43:27 PM PDT by Dog Gone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]

To: Dog Gone
That's mesquite.

It's been so dry down here that the rattlesnakes are carrying Chapstick.

58 posted on 08/25/2004 2:46:51 PM PDT by TexasCowboy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: TexasCowboy
CanRig is probably the premiere top drive nowdays.

Always liked TESCO myself, but it might be because you can/could rent one when CanRig would only sell.

59 posted on 08/25/2004 3:15:05 PM PDT by HoustonCurmudgeon (Bush, DeLay and Armstrong - Good to be a Texan.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: TexasCowboy
We've just pulled into the surface casing to replace a traction motor on number two mud pump:

I hate mud pumps. The first one I worked on was in the forward hold of the Glomar II. We had to change the liners (in 68) with no air tuggers, and about 110 degree heat in that compartment.

60 posted on 08/25/2004 3:20:21 PM PDT by HoustonCurmudgeon (Bush, DeLay and Armstrong - Good to be a Texan.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-84 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson