Total U.S. petroleum demand rounds to 21 million barrels per day. Our domestic production rounds to 11.5 million barrels per day, so we import about 45% of our total demand. About 65% of our total demand is used to make motor fuels for transportation needs.

If every internal combustion engine in the U.S. ran on rain water, we would still need to import foreign oil.  The magnitude of petroleum demand in the United States must be fully understood before considering a national energy policy.  The U.S. Senators I have met with have little concept of the scope of demand in particular.

Oil is used to make everything from aspirins to plastics. So, if we used -0- oil for transportation, we would still need to import oil in order to continue to enjoy everyday products and conveniences that are the basis of our standard of living.

Consider that for every one calorie of food produced in the U.S., ten calories of energy are required.  If fossil fuels were no longer available to produce and transport food, half the people on earth would die of starvation in 3 years.  When you hear your politicians say, the way to energy independence is to excessively tax us for the hydrocarbons we consume, and run everything on solar and wind, envision turning the clock back 150 years.

Let’s hope government does not continue to stand in the way of real solutions. The solutions can only come from the collective intelligence of the planet’s great engineering minds, allowed the freedom of a free market system. That’s how we got this far.

Jim (Blacky) Pryor, Wildcatter