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Even if all of this oil were to be extracted instantly, and used exclusively by America (which isn't how it works on the global oil markets - oil is a fungible commodity), this oil wouldn't last very long.

According to the CIA World Factbook, figures for 2004 show that the United States consumes 20.73 million bbl/day, for 2005 it was 20.8 million bbl/day (new window).

This shows that oil consumption is only going up. I don't know what the figures are for 2007, the last full year, but one could safely assume that it is higher than the 2005 figures. So, we'll use the 2005 figure of 20.8 million barrels per day. So:

96,300,000,000 barrels in ANWR and OCS, divided by 20,800,000 barrels per day, equals: 4629.8 days of oil usage, or approximately 12.7 years of oil usage.

This assumes that recovery could be instant, that all of it would be available immediately, and that none of it would go on the world oil market. It also assumes that our energy needs never exceed current usage rates, which is an absurd assumption to make.

Now, this doesn't take into account tar sands, oil shale, or coal conversion (ie, by Fisher-Troph synthesis, most likely). Yes, there is a lot there. The biggest problem, though, is the amount of energy and resources required to extract it from any of these sources, currently. The methods I have read about involve the use of a hell of a lot of water, and many megawatts of electric power - ie, you need a river and an electrical power plant just to begin to think about harvesting this oil.

I don't think anyone knows the true numbers, but one would think that if it were larger than "break even" in energy costs, it would be being done at a breakneck speed - faster than we are seeing, anyhow (and yes, I know in Canada they are experiencing a boom on their tar sands). I do tend to wonder why they aren't employing solar energy as part of this process to offset the energy needs for extraction, but that is different argument.

Furthermore, for the Fisher-Troph coal oil, no one knows what kind of pollution would be released by the conversion process, nor from burning the resulting oil. In case you aren't aware, coal-fired power plants emit more radioactivity than nuclear power plants do - and this is with special scrubbers and other controls attached. Would synthetic oil made from coal contain this radioactive contamination? Would it exist in gasoline refined from it? Would it be emitted by cars which burned and used it?

I also want to remind you that oil production is not infinite. A day may come, possibly in the very near future (if we aren't already there yet), when worldwide oil production peaks, and can't be pushed further. There may be plenty of oil in the ground, but that oil takes energy to extract. When that ratio flips "upside down" - that is, when it takes one barrel or more of oil to extract another barrel of oil, there could be trillions of gallons available, but it becomes a net energy sink to extract it, and thus unprofitable for the oil companies to do so.

In that scenario, having a reserve of oil available in the future to extract just might save America's bacon.

If you are unaware about all of this information, I urge you to educate yourself about it. Much of what we are all being fed are mistruths, or outright lies. Even though all of this information exists freely and widely, most of the citizens of the United States are completely in the dark about it.

You want clean, abundant, cheap energy here in Arizona? It shines every day right above your head (new window).

Nothing can beat it, not even oil. Where do you think the energy in oil came from, anyhow. "God" didn't put it there. It came from the sun. What Arizona and the rest of the nation should focus on is how to gain peak efficiency and storage of solar energy. While photovoltaics are good for distributed use, they don't currently scale well, the technology needs further refinement. However, the capture and use of solar heat is arguably over 2000 years old - practical usage of such energy is well over 200 years old (some of the first solar steam experiments were done in the late 1700's in France, believe it or not). You want to know more? Check out the publications here (new window). I am not affiliated with the owner, just another satisfied customer.

2) Do you support a moratorium on "pork-barrel" spending to reduce government waste and reform the earmark process?

Yes, but I want the reform to be the following: One Bill, One Issue. There is no need, other than for lobbyists and there political hangers-on, and the politicians they "support", for there to be more than one issue on a bill or other legislation. All such riders and attachments do is to obscure the issues at hand, provide hidden handouts to them, and stifle the legislative process. When good bills are vetoed because of these riders, and bad bills are passed for the very same - the entire process is broken and corrupt. END IT NOW.

3) Do you support a clean troop funding bill with no extraneous or pork-barrel spending?

Clean troops? You mean, like, they get showers and stuff? Seriously - but, NO. If there isn't enough money in the current bloated "budget" that Congress has approved for use on this so called "War on Terror", in addition to the nation's funding of Defense (altogether, well over a TRILLION dollars) to fund our troops properly, it isn't because there isn't enough money. It's because that money isn't being used effectively and efficiently. I would dare say that some form of embezzlement and graft is occurring.

Quit throwing good money after bad. Hell, had we spent -just- the money earmarked (ooh - there's that lovely word) for the war in Iraq so far on both our children's education, as well as on research and development (ala Manhatten Project) for development of solar and other alternative energy sources, we could have really left no child behind and raised a finger to the wind toward OPEC and other oil suppliers.

But of course, that would've required intelligence, foresight, and fortitude, all of which most citizens of America, as well as Congress, seem to lack.

But thank gawd we have our stimulus checks and plasma TVs, right?

Good day, Mr. Franks. While I would love to see a personal response to this email, rather than a form letter mailed to my house, I tend to doubt I will get anything so worthy. Prove me wrong. I dare you to read my response, and educate yourself on the facts about our situation, and what we could have done differently.

Open your mind. Quit openning your wallet.

Sincerely,