[Shalom Israel]

I sincerely HOPE these sorts of schemes DO NOT deflect us from the goal of moving on to the development of alternative energy sources and the internal combustion engine.

I think you're missing the point: shale oils are an alternative fuel source. As that gets used up, decades from now, the price will rise, and yet further alternatives will be exploited. You would profit from reading "The Doomsday Myth: 10,000 years of economic crisis".

[Dick Bachert]

Understand your replies.

But the fact is that these are still FINITE energy supplies.

The history of the industrial world has been to find it, use it -- in ever-increasing quantities -- then HOPE you can find MORE of it!

It's a bit like building highways: The statistic is that for every NEW LANE OF HIGHWAY constructed, A FULL LANE AND ONE THIRD OF ADDITIONAL VEHICLES ARE PRODUCED TO ATTEMPT TO USE IT.

We could pave the ENTIRE PLANET and STILL be 30% behind.

[kpp_kpp]

this, plus montana's plan to cleanly turn coal into oil (which they claim becomes cost effective in the 30's per barrel too) could eliminate our foreign oil dependence completely over time (10-15 years? maybe quicker?)