Saudi royal: U.S. can't be energy-independent!

[n2doc]

By Nicholas Kralev (Contact) | Monday, April 27, 2009

A key member of the Saudi royal family who headed the country's intelligence service for 25 years accused both the Obama and Bush administrations Monday of "deceiving" the American people that the U.S. can ever end its dependence on foreign oil.

"You can't get rid of oil. You can't get rid of fossil fuels — gas and coal — unless you want to price yourself out of existence," Prince Turki al-Faisal, former ambassador to Washington, told editors and reporters at The Washington Times.

"I'd hope that the general public in the United States would be wiser than to be deceived into thinking that the U.S. can ever be energy independent," he said.

more:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/27/saudi-ex-envoy-us-cant-be-energy-independent/

I guess now that * is gone it is ok to criticize the Saudi's in the Moonie Times....

[Dogmudgeon]

1. You know, that big Turki may just be right

--d!

[closeupready]

2. Is that a "I double dare you!"?

Because he ought to be careful daring us to do ANYTHING. Without us, he and the Saudis are nothing.

[groovedaddy]

3. Remains to be seen... I don't trust Prince Turki...n.t

[riverdeep]

4. And who would have betted on us getting to the moon in 1960?

We're not going to be energy independent anytime soon, he's correct about that. Alternative energy is way too small a percentage of our energy profile right now, and it can't be ramped up anytime soon. But, if we made a massive effort, the same as we do in wartime, we could have a vastly different energy profile in twenty years.

As for the Saudi Prince, peak oil will take care of him. The days of Saudi influence are going to come to an end.

[taught_me_patience]

6. America has the inventiveness to do it

but not the will. It will be more expensive and consumers are completely and totally unwilling to pay the price.

[w4rma]

21. You know, I can't figure out why salaries/wages have stagnated yet everything has gone up in price.

Where is all of that extra money that not many people are making going? Is it being pocketed by the mega-wealthy? Maybe if prices were normal then we could be able to afford anything. Perhaps the financial industry needs to be drained like the swamp it is.

[ixion]

5. sounds like a challenge to me...

I know damn well that we CAN BE independent if that is our will.

[tabasco]

7. Fuck you Sheik Asshole.

You are the enemy of my country.

[NNN0LHI]

8. Have to admit it would be pretty difficult flying commercial airplanes on battery power

[n2doc]

12. Wouldn't need to

We do have some oil, and gas and coal that could be converted to aviation fuel also. Save that for energy intensive jobs, use solar, wind and other local sources for the rest.

[NNN0LHI]

15. Any idea what percent of imported oil goes for aviation fuel?

I don't have a clue. I tried using Google and couldn't find the numbers. I may have been using the wrong "key" words?

If you have any idea I will take your word as I am ignorant on this subject.

Thanks in advance if you have any idea.

Don

[n2doc]

16. Well, we import 50% of our oil

So I would say it is safe to assume 1/2 aviation fuel is imported. So all we really have to do (for now) is to reduce our oil consumption by 50-60%. It is nowhere near as big a deal as our middle eastern friends think it is... Substantial but not impossible.

[pscot]

20. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics

keeps track. In January, world wide passenger and cargo jets used 1.397 billion gallons of jet fuel. That's down 12.8% year to year. Most people really don't grasp the scale of our dependence on fossil fuels.

http://www.airlines.org/economics/energy/MonthlyJetFuel.htm

[NNN0LHI]

24. Thanks for taking the time to prove the link

[JDPriestly]

26. If we put in high-speed trains for the frequently used treks,

we could do away with a lot of the cross-country and cross-state flights and reduce the amount of fuel we need. We will figure out other ways to fuel planes.

[Ikonoklast]

9. I hope he saves his money for a rainy day.

At one time, there was no viable replacement for whale oil, either.

The people that rule Saudi Arabia are not our friends, and the quicker we realize that the better off our nation will be.

[Javaman]

10. The reality is that the saudi's are basically freaking out and they

are doing all they can to contain themselves from totally melting down.

for the first time in decades the saudi's are facing a enormous budget deficit.

And now they are trying their best lame hand at counter propaganda. But sadly for them, it's falling upon deaf ears. They are missing the very crucial element in the larger picture: people hate the wealthy right now and aside from the corporate fat pigs that glutinously ate from the troff way too long, the royal saudi family by extension.

Aside from us wanting to be energy independent, like it or not, people (not just the Democrats) really didn't care for moron* giving big wet ones to the prince.

So in the current "eat the rich" climate, nothing makes that point more so than wealthy royal families who crow over how stupid the American people are for thinking we can get off their heroine.

The saudi's maybe kings of oil market manipulation, but they are really awful at playing poker.

[Uncle Joe]

17. If they were smart, the Saudis would build solar power electric installations

oil and sand aren't the only resources in abundance there.

[Javaman]

19. Exactly.

I do find it very interesting that Qatar and Dubai are both investing heavily into solar power.

[bdamomma]

11. don't want to loose that blood money huh?

you have made your money off the US.

[Renew Deal]

13. The case for energy independence by Prince Turki al-Faisal

:shrug:

[Ediacara]

14. So does he have a crude oil factory in Saudi Arabia?

Or is the crude oil there the remains of organisms that took millions of years to create, and will run out, like all other crude oil everywhere?

[Ganja Ninja]

18. If we ever do become energy independent it will be back to ...

selling dates and pearls (the main exports before oil) for the Saudi's

[hyphenate]

22. Arrogant, pompous jerk

This is one country that I wouldn't mind the target of a pre-emptive strike. How sad I feel that way, but it certainly seems to me to be warranted. When I think of all the civil rights violations in the world, Saudi Arabia in in the top 10 of culprits in my mind.

I do hope the present administration isn't afraid of them, or we will never be able to get free. And bailing out the auto industry should have come with a major proviso to get away from fossil fuels. It's only when you have a need that must be met coming from such a repulsive nation (or state, as with the stupid ass in Alaska) that ends up with more and more problems and blackmail.

[Fleshdancer]

23. The US economy can't survive without slavery!

Women's rights will destroy the social fabric!

Flying machines will never work!

A black man will NEVER be President!

Gay marriage will destroy traditional marriage!

:rofl:


Whatever makes you sleep better at night Turki.

[JDPriestly]

25. Whether we can afford alternative energy depends to some

extent on the prices of gas and oil. So, it seems to me that the buck is back in the Saudis' hands. If they want to continue to sell us gas and oil, they have to make sure that the price of their product competes in the market. I don't think they can do that, not with the dwindling supply of oil.

Besides, oil is a very precious commodity.

It is irresponsible for mankind to be burning oil because it is the basis for so many other things we need.

Totally being energy independent is not necessarily the goal. But we cannot afford to continue to be energy dependent, especially not on religious fanatics like some of the Saudi Arabian princes. If there ever was an issue on which our freedom -- freedom of religion, of speech, etc. -- depends, it is energy independence. It is not just an economic issue. Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich countries pose a threat to our independence and our right to be free as a people. Whatever the cost, we must become energy independent. Whatever the cost.

[closeupready]

27. Completely agree.

n/t

[JDPriestly]

28. He "misunderestimates" the American psychology, our extreme

defiance. We are still a nation of 100% rebels. We don't get out in the streets and scream and make noise. We do something. We are obsessed with improvement, self-improvement, international improvement, improving education, the streets. We are also obsessed with discovering new things. Even the fundamentalists are obsessed with "learning" and "doing research" about the Bible, etc. This is the prevailing personality trait of Americans -- the obsession with better and more.

Trust me, we will become better and more at organic gardening, solar, wind and bio-energy sources. We will patch it all up together and become independent. That's just who we are.

[Spazito]

29. Well, I am damn sure the US CAN become Middle East oil independent...

at the very least which would certainly be what the Saudi Prince is most afraid of, imo.

US

Crude Oil Imports (Top 15 Countries)
(Thousand Barrels per Day)


Country Feb-09 Jan-09 YTD 2009 Feb-08 YTD 2008

CANADA 1,913 1,946 1,930 1,920 1,933
MEXICO 1,219 1,299 1,261 1,231 1,214
SAUDI ARABIA 1,135 1,337 1,241 1,614 1,544
VENEZUELA 962 1,172 1,072 945 1,043
ANGOLA 671 527 595 341 458
IRAQ 519 568 545 780 658
NIGERIA 457 488 473 982 1,075
BRAZIL 365 397 382 169 169
KUWAIT 251 225 237 261 249
ECUADOR 243 272 258 169 209
COLOMBIA 225 225 225 220 194
EQUATORIAL GUINEA 167 118 141 69 53
ALGERIA 142 359 256 191 281
RUSSIA 139 157 149 80 47
CHAD 101 79 90 89 103

Total Imports of Petroleum (Top 15 Countries)
(Thousand Barrels per Day)


Country Feb-09 Jan-09 YTD 2009 Feb-08 YTD 2008

CANADA 2,512 2,544 2,529 2,464 2,527
MEXICO 1,364 1,430 1,399 1,327 1,317
SAUDI ARABIA 1,147 1,362 1,260 1,627 1,563
VENEZUELA 1,139 1,353 1,252 1,131 1,214
ANGOLA 671 543 604 350 468
IRAQ 519 568 545 780 658
NIGERIA 496 509 503 1,025 1,110
RUSSIA 478 516 498 451 421
BRAZIL 381 450 417 172 200
ALGERIA 369 720 553 384 514
VIRGIN ISLANDS 333 367 350 351 366
UNITED KINGDOM 260 147 201 155 185
KUWAIT 251 242 246 266 252
ECUADOR 243 278 261 186 224
COLOMBIA 241 269 256 240 218

Note: The data in the tables above exclude oil imports into the U.S. territories.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html