Massive Oil Deposit Could Increase US reserves by 10x

I think not

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America is sitting on top of a super massive 200 billion barrel Oil Field that could potentially make America Energy Independent and until now has largely gone unnoticed. Thanks to new technology the Bakken Formation in North Dakota could boost America’s Oil reserves by an incredible 10 times, giving western economies the trump card against OPEC’s short squeeze on oil supply and making Iranian and Venezuelan threats of disrupted supply irrelevant.

In the next 30 days the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) will release a new report giving an accurate resource assessment of the Bakken Oil Formation that covers North Dakota and portions of South Dakota and Montana. With new horizontal drilling technology it is believed that from 175 to 500 billion barrels of recoverable oil are held in this 200,000 square mile reserve that was initially discovered in 1951. The USGS did an initial study back in 1999 that estimated 400 billion recoverable barrels were present but with prices bottoming out at $10 a barrel back then the report was dismissed because of the higher cost of horizontal drilling techniques that would be needed, estimated at $20-$40 a barrel.

It was not until 2007, when EOG Resources of Texas started a frenzy when they drilled a single well in Parshal N.D. that is expected to yield 700,000 barrels of oil that real excitement and money started to flow in North Dakota. Marathon Oil is investing $1.5 billion and drilling 300 new wells in what is expected to be one of the greatest booms in Oil discovery since Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938.

The US imported about 14 million barrels of Oil per day in 2007 , which means US consumers sent about $340 Billion Dollars over seas building palaces in Dubai and propping up unfriendly regimes around the World, if 200 billion barrels of oil at $90 a barrel are recovered in the high plains the added wealth to the US economy would be $18 Trillion Dollars which would go a long way in stabilizing the US trade deficit and could cut the cost of oil in half in the long run.

Link
 

EagleSmack

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I am still all for an alternative source of energy. I do not think we should be dependant on US Oil companies either. I think that no matter how much we pump out of the ground here in the US that US Oil will still allow OPEC to dictate oil prices because it is still lucrative for them to have high oil prices. By relying on OPEC to do the dirty work in raising prices US oil will still charge what the world market value is.
 

MikeyDB

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Jun 9, 2006
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I'm with you on that one Walter! :)

As a fossil I resemble that remark every time I hear it!
 

EagleSmack

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I'm with you on that one Walter! :)

As a fossil I resemble that remark every time I hear it!

You are a future fossil... and in about 100 Million years you just may be pumped into a future car and burned up in 20 miles and that will be that.
 

MikeyDB

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Nah ...not buying it Eagle...;)

Every atom that has ever existed in the universe that hasn't been reduced to energy is still here. My old bones wouldn't last twenty miles...I'm still using them and I'm lucky if I can get across the livingroom....:)

I sure hope we're doing something different when my bones are ready for harvest!
 

I think not

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Despite MikeyDB's endless rants, I have always liked him.

The fact he is willing to contribute his bones towards American aspirations of imperialism makes me like him even more! ;-):lol:
 

EagleSmack

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But back to the topic...this is in the long run great news if by some miracle there is enough oil for the US to become independant of foreign oil. Somehow I just think it is wishful thinking. It has always been cheaper to purchase foreign oil as it is cheaper for them to pump and process it.
 

I think not

Hall of Fame Member
Apr 12, 2005
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But back to the topic...this is in the long run great news if by some miracle there is enough oil for the US to become independant of foreign oil. Somehow I just think it is wishful thinking. It has always been cheaper to purchase foreign oil as it is cheaper for them to pump and process it.

I'll gladly pay $5 a gallon at the pump so I won't have to hear anymore "whining".
 

lone wolf

Grossly Underrated
Nov 25, 2006
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It never fails for someone to take the bait. :lol:

Nice back-peddle!



Woof!
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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I just bought shares in a small oil company in the Bakken formation ITN. It's been a screaming busy area for my hubby's company. We're used to workers pouring into Alberta for work, and now his company is having to truck guys off to Saskatchewan to cover the rush.
 

I think not

Hall of Fame Member
Apr 12, 2005
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Nice back-peddle!



Woof!

I like busting your chops wolf, don't ask me why. :lol:

I just bought shares in a small oil company in the Bakken formation ITN. It's been a screaming busy area for my hubby's company. We're used to workers pouring into Alberta for work, and now his company is having to truck guys off to Saskatchewan to cover the rush.

It should because there is alot of potential. I'm waiting to hear the USGS's report next month, if reserves prove to be true, this is going to go a long way.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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I like busting your chops wolf, don't ask me why. :lol:



It should because there is alot of potential. I'm waiting to hear the USGS's report next month, if reserves prove to be true, this is going to go a long way.

The reserves in the Bakken formation are proven on the Sask side... if you wanted to buy into this reserve now, just do it on the proven side of the fence.... you know, where all the good people live.

*ducks and runs*

;-)
 

MHz

Time Out
Mar 16, 2007
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I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble, but why do you think the ones who have the power to determine how things will be wouldn't be more inclined to burn up as much oil from outside the States as they possibly can (just to keep it from other countries so they can't become too strong) before tapping reserves that are easily defended?
If there was a strong desire to be independent from 'having' to import crude there would have been some small-scale attempts to develop ways to extract usable products from the Colorado shale deposits. True it is more expensive but some costs, like the amount spent on security of foreign owned oil, would be cut.

Why do you think alternative energy is not pursued today, profit is one reason, the one publicly given and the not-so public need to deplete foreign oil to a level that keeps the potential for other nations in check. Manipulation of the price/barrel is the basic method until lack of oil determines the price. Some increases come only due to speculation of unemployment figures (or some such trivial crap), or regional instability (which can be just a paragraph in a news article from an 'unnamed source').