I was thinking I should have added a comment about the hyper-promotion of a relatively small increase. We are going to continue to see increases, and quite a bit with the right leaders, but a boom? We are not there, yet.
Posted on 03/09/2012 11:57:44 AM PST by thackney
Admiral Mike Mullen downplayed Iran’s threat to shut the Strait of Hormuz during an energy conference this morning, saying he was confident the United States could reopen it within three weeks.
The former chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said the boom in domestic energy production has the ability impact longstanding national security concerns about the Middle East. He spoke to an audience of energy leaders at the week-long CERAWeek conference, which ends today at the Hilton Americas in downtown Houston.
“We talk about the new found potential in North America for some level of independence from the Middle East,” Mullen said. “The security environment is going to shift because of the independence we can take advantage of.”
He emphasized the needs for greater energy infrastructure in Iraq to improve development of abundant fossil fuels there, so “they can be a contributor to security and prosperity, rather than someone that draws on resources.”
Still, Mullen said, the Middle East and Gulf region remain the hub of concerns about world security. The lack of communication between the U.S. and Iran has left the nations at risk of misunderstandings and miscalculations that could lead tensions to spin out of control.
He said China’s rapid rise as a global economic powerhouse have made it a critical part of managing tensions in the region.
“There is probably no more critical relationship in the world than between the United States and China,” Mullen said. “I hope we can collaborate with this second largest economy to work out the security mechanism for that part of the world so we both can thrive.”
Mullen also spoke on the U.S. Navy’s nuclear operations, saying the Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan gave shook the entire nuclear industry.
“If we ever had an accident that was substantial, it would essentially put us out of business,” he said. “So our risk management, our policies and procedures, our regulations are all focused on that to insure the risk is as close to absolute zero as it possibly could be.”
A “boom in domestic energy production”??? More like a “pop” with Obama, Chu, and Salazar doing all they can to stop it.
I was thinking I should have added a comment about the hyper-promotion of a relatively small increase. We are going to continue to see increases, and quite a bit with the right leaders, but a boom? We are not there, yet.
I’ve believed this for a long time. A neighbor and I are going to convert a couple of our trucks to mutilfuel so either gasoline or natural gas can be used as fuel. If House bill 1380 was passed this country would make a big leap towards energy independence.
Once our demand for imported oil drops and the traders realize oil can no longer be manipulated like today, the amount of cash flowing into the Middle East is going to drop significantly. Below $80/bbl the Iranian mullahs are looking at a bleak future without the money to keep the population under control.
Likewise the Saudis are going to have to cut back their donations to terrorism.
Plus it is not Mullen's job to speculate on our energy future. It is his job to run the Navy and make sure we are combat ready if necessary.
A hard enough task to accomplish, I might add, when his priorities seem to be making the venerable institution friendly to fudge-packers.
I met Admiral Mullen when he was CNO and found him to be a very bright guy, but “boom in domestic energy production”??? What the hell does he know that we can’t see?
What the hell happened to Mullen? He really seems to be carrying Obama’s water these past few months.
You must have missed this post on FR. Natural gas drillers have been steadily working the shale plays.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2847351/posts
Honda sells a natural gas powered Civic. I may buy one in the future. Just waiting for the infrastructure to build up. Not sure how many dealerships there are, but they sell these cars near where I am.
If it is (and it IS) a matter of our national security, then why in the Fluke are we not drilling? Treasonous administrstion stuck on a worldview and policies that are decades away from contributing in any great measure to our success.
Newt, Sarah and our side are correct. Drill here, drill now, pay less and let the ME sort out their own problems.
We are drilling like crazy in some places. Just not on Federal land or water.
I did miss this post and thanks for linking it for me. However, hailing from NW PA I'm fully aware of this county's energy potential (oil and gas). My only concern is that I know the American left and I know how they operate.
There will not be any long term benefit if these people have anything to say about it and if there is a current 'boom', it will be short lived. The left will not let us harvest this energy and will use whatever government agencies they can to bog down the permit process, etc.
This potential boom is based on an extraction process known as fracking. The word itself is becoming a leftist call to arms to halt any further action.
We'll be stuck in courts for decades trying to get this started (remember, we haven't built a new nuclear power plant in nearly 40 years).
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