If oil reaches $175 to $190 a barrel (in today's dollars) then it might be feasible to begin extraction. At that price there is no way to determine exactly what demand will be but it is unlikely to be high enough to make such extraction probable. Only a little bit of a stretch to suggest this is analogous to finding huge pools of oil on the moon."
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which brings to mind:-
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2004/0304gagnon.html
Space Wars
Interview with Bruce Gagnon
The administration’s proposal for human space exploration is designed to project U.S. military power into the skies.
"Mankind is drawn to the heavens for the same reason we were once drawn into unknown lands and across the open sea. We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives, and lifts our national spirit. So let us continue the journey." With these words, President Bush unveiled a plan in January to establish a permanent base on the moon for use as a launching pad for missions to Mars. Dollars & Sense asked Bruce Gagnon, the coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, to explain the earthly motives behind the administration’s celestial designs. —Adria Scharf