Attack at Twilight Vietnam twilight washingtontomeettheworldsboundlessthirstforoil,drillersaresearchinginthesandandmudofremotewesterncanada,thetoughshalerockofnorthdakotaandmorethanamileundertheseasoffthesouthernu.S.Coast,whereadrillingaccidenthassenthundredsofthousandsofgallonsofcrudespewingintothegulfofmexico.Whyarewegoingnearlytotheendsoftheearthandthebottomoftheseasforoil?Theanswer,saymanyexperts,isthatwereconsumingasmuchoilasweeverhavebuttheeraofeasyoilisinourrearviewmirrorandrecedingfast.Productionfromonshoreoilfieldsintheu.S.Hasbeendecliningsincethe1970s,andnear-shoreproductionalongthegulfofmexicopeakedmorethanadecadeago.Manyoftherichestremainingconventionaldepositsareinplacesthatarepoliticallyunstable,suchasiraqandnigeria,orhostiletowesternoilcompanies,suchassudan,venezuelaandthemiddleeast.Whileamericansremaintetheredtoapetro-driveneconomyandsurgingdemandfromchinaandotheremergingmarketsisdrivingupglobaldemand,thequestfornewsourcesrequiresmoremoneyandtechnologicalwizardrythaneverbefore.Asanyonetrackingthemassivegulfspillcanattest,itbringsgreaterrisksaswell.Noonegoesandtriestodrillinamileofwateriftheycanthinkofsomewhereeasiertodoit,saidchrisskrebowski,aformerstrategistforbritishpetroleumwhonowrunsalondonconsultancythatstudiesoildepletion.Theeasystuffthatyouhaveaccessto...Isalreadyspokenfor.Allthatsleftisthefrontiers,whicharenecessarilymoretechnicallychallenging.Justasthespaceprogrampusheditshorizonsfartherandfartherawayinthelastcentury,occasionallysufferingdevastatingsetbacks,the21st-centurysearchforoilistestingthelimitsofscienceandtheenvironment.Italsoconfrontstheobamaadministrationandcongresswithapolicyproblemtowhichtheresnoeasysolution.Weaningtheu.S.Offoilhasneverbeenpoliticallyconvenient,anditsevenlesssowiththenationslowlyclimbingoutofadeeprecession.Themostpromisingapproachesincludesharplyhighergasolinetaxesandmileagestandardsandincreaseduseofnuclearpower,wind,solarenergyorgeothermalpowerallofwhichhavetheirowndrawbacks.Pushingaheadwithunconventionaldrillinginthewakeofamajorspillcouldseemrisky,butputtingthebrakesonexplorationwouldworsenwhatanalystswarnisanimpendingoilpricecrunchasworlddemandincreasesandproductionslows.Anoilspillhereortherehasntgotteninthewayofoilextractionanywhere,saidpetermaass,theauthorofthe2009book,crudeworld:theviolenttwilightofoil.Wewantouroil,andwereprettymuchwillingtopayanypriceforit.Duringthepastdecade,americanshavecurbedpercapitaoilconsumptionslightly.Overallu.S.Demandisroughlythesameasitwasin2000,whenthepopulationwasabout7percentsmaller,accordingtoofficialstatistics.However,withchinaandindiatogetheraddingmorethan1.2millioncarseachmonth,accordingtofiguresfromtheorganizationforeconomiccooperationanddevelopment,theresmoreglobalcompetitionforoilthaneverbefore.Theu.S.Stillimportsmorethanhalftheoilitconsumes,andenergycompaniesareracingtoshoreupthedwindlingsupplyfromconventionalsources.Beforethedeepwaterhorizonoffshorerigexplodedandsanklatelastmonthinthewatersofflouisiana,drillinginultra-deepwater,usuallydescribedaswaterdepthsgreaterthan5,000feet,waswidelyregardedasavitalpartoffutureu.S.Oilproduction.Presidentbarackobamahassaidhellwaitfora30-dayreviewoftheoilspilltodecidewhethertoproceedwithnewoffshoredrilling.Itwascertainlyseenasoneofthemostpromisingofthe...Newunconventionalsources,saidelliottgue,theeditoroftheenergystrategist,aninvestornewsletter.Itsalsoveryexpensive.In2008,bppaid$34millionfortherightstothe5,700-acresiteoffthelouisianacoast,outbiddingnineotherfirms,accordingtotheu.S.Interiordepartmentsmineralsmanagementservice.Expertsestimatethatthemacondoexplorationwellthatsnowspillingoilintothegulffrom18,000feetbelowtheseafloorwhichitselfis5,000feetbelowthewaterssurfacecostbp$100milliontobuild.Theyreinthishigh-techatmospherewherealotofthingshavetoworkrightandworkperfect,saidgarytaylorofplattsoilgramnews,anindustrypublication.Thatisthekindofriskthatsprobablyouttherewithdeepwaterexploration,buttheresourcestherearelarge,sopotentiallytheresmoneytobemade.Othermajornewhorizonsincludetheclayliketarsandsofnorthernalberta,incanada,andindenseshalerockformationsscatteredacrosstheu.S.Tappingeachofthesesourcesisfreightedwithcostsandcomplicationsthatwouldhavebeenunthinkableintheoilindustryadecadeago.Largeshaleformationssuchasbakkeninnorthdakotaandbarnettintexasarethoughttocontainthelightsweetcrudethatshighlyprizedbyoilcompanies.However,environmentalgroupshavequestionedwhetherthetechniqueusedtoreleasetheoilfromtherockdeployingamixofwater,sandandchemicalstocreatecracksintheshalecouldcontaminategroundwatersources.Extractingoilfromthecanadiansands,meanwhile,requireschoppingdownvastswathsofforest,steam-heatingtheearthtoreleasethecrude,andthenrefiningitaprocessthatscientistssayproducesthreetofivetimesthegreenhouse-gasemissionsofconventionaloilrefining.Canadianenvironmentalgroupsalsosaytheprocesshascontaminatedthenearbyathabascariveranddestroyedwildlifehabitats.Forthepeoplelivinginalberta,itsacatastrophe,saidkjellaleklett,thepresidentoftheassociationforthestudyofpeakoilandgas,agroupofscientistswhobelievethattheworldsoilstoresarerunningout.Theonlythingthepoliticianscando...Istodealwithanissuewhenacatastrophehappens.Nowisthemomentforpoliticianstositdownandlookintoweaningtheworldoffofoil,aleklettsaid.However,manysaytheeconomicforcesdrivingunconventionaloilproductionaretoostrong.Theobamaadministrationhassaidbpisresponsibleforthespillandwillpayforthecleanup.Tightersafetystandardsonoffshoredrillingarelikelytofollow.Exceptnoneofthiswillforceamericanstouselessoil.Ifyouwanttodrillless,youhavetosignificantlydecreaseyourdemandforthestuff,saidmaass,theauthor.Pattingourselvesonthebackforfiningbp,increasingsafetystandards,makingmoreareasoff-limitstodrillingitdoesntgetatthefundamentalproblem...Whichisourhighconsumptionofoil.Morefrommcclatchymoremcclatchyoilspillcoveragegulfoilspillspreadsintou.S.Politicsu.S.Tapscanadasoilsandsbutatwhatcost?Inalaska,fear,notfavor,greetsoffshoreoildrillingtalk 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