The sad thing is, we do not need their oil anymore, .....
Originally Posted by DSK
For the time being, which in Earth years is a blip.
Hydrocarbon products, having been naturally created over millions of years, will eventually be depleted. The last quart will come out of the ground and that quart will be worth a lot of money......unless of course we have found other alternatives to replace oil....coal....gas.
I would prefer we preserve what we have within our borders for later on when the reserves "overseas" have dried up. Doesn't mean we can't explore for them domestically to identify the reserves at home. We have strategic reserves, but those are for "strategic purposes" and not used, as has been the case in recent history, to manipulate or maintain our gas guzzling habits. We don't have to build "tank farms," which can be unstable and targets. We can utilize injection systems into salt domes or other stables strata to store the oil for later extraction.
At the same time we should began developing alternatives and "things" that operate without hydrocarbons. Our living habits also have to change ... mass transportation is easier to accommodate with non-hydrocarbons. We also need to start thinking outside of "the box" regarding design and chemistry.
We've all experienced gasoline shortages and the long lines. That's a momentary preview.