[lbo-talk] Output Falling in Oil-Rich Mexico, and Politics Get the Blame

Yoshie Furuhashi critical.montages at gmail.com
Mon Mar 12 23:50:25 PDT 2007


On 3/12/07, Jordan Hayes <jmhayes at j-o-r-d-a-n.com> wrote:
> > There is a lot of oil out there, unexplored and
> > untapped, if a political choice is made to make it available for
> > exploitation by those who have capital and technology.
>
> The same can be said about coal!

Yes. The USA is the Saudi Arabia of coal in reserves: "The United States has the world's largest known coal reserves, about 267.6 billion short tons. This is enough coal to last approximately 236 years at today's level of use" ("Coal -- A Fossil Fuel," <http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/coal.html#WhereWeGetCoal>).

The US ruling class, left to their own devices, would sooner re-invest in coal than in cleaner technology like solar and wind: "DOE's budget authority for energy R&D, when adjusted for inflation, fell 85 percent from its peak in fiscal year 1978 to fiscal year 2005. . . . [T]he nation's dependence on conventional fossil fuels remains virtually the same as 30 years ago" ("Advanced Energy Technologies: Key Challenges to Their Development and Deployment," GAO-07-550T, 28 February 2007, <http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/summary.php?rptno=GAO-07-550T&accno=A66355>). -- Yoshie <http://montages.blogspot.com/> <http://mrzine.org> <http://monthlyreview.org/>



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