US Energy Transportation Network Gets Multibillion-Dollar Revamp 124
Hugh Pickens writes writes "Simone Sebastian writes in the Houston Chronicle that the nation's energy transportation network is undergoing a multibillion-dollar overhaul, as oil and natural gas production surges in new regions of the country and energy producers charge into new areas with technology that can reach oil and natural gas trapped in shale and other tight rock formations leaving pools of crude and gas stranded far from the Gulf Coast refineries and petrochemical plants that need them. 'Where it used to be isn't where it is now. Where it needs to go isn't where it used to go,' says Terrance McGill, president of fuel carrier Enbridge Energy. 'You're seeing this fundamental shift of crude oil across the country.' For example Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland says his company is considering buying 2,000 more rail cars that could carry an additional 150,000 barrels a day from shale regions (PDF) to its refineries across the country because the glut of crude oil pouring out of the newly tapped shale oil plays like North Dakota's Bakken has kept the price of Mid-Continent crude at a record-wide discount of up to $27 per barrel relative to its rival European benchmark Brent crude because there is not enough pipeline capacity to get Bakken crude to Gulf coast refineries. 'That's a pipeline on wheels,' says Garland. 'You'll see us stepping out and doing some more things around infrastructure. Like everyone else, we're doing everything we can to get more barrels in front of those facilities.'"
Time to get off the oil addiction (Score:5, Insightful)
You may as well be discussing the pros and cons of the new heroin shipping routes.
The fossil fuel addiction is just as destructive and involves the same level of denial of reality.
Specially for tech people. Get off the obsession with oil based technology and make us some seriously steampunk alternatives that work.
Re:Great. Where are my cheap solar panels? (Score:5, Insightful)
How come all the oil and gas companies keep expanding like this and all the solar companies keep going bankrupt?
For one, Koch Bros., and others like them, pretty much own the Republican party in the USA. It comes in handy when you want to make sure emerging technology doesn't threaten your empire.
Secondly, too many people just don't care and more would rather eat up lies and witch-hunt drama because it's easier than figuring out the facts. This keeps seats in the senate full of corporate sponsored asshats who in turn pass votes to allow things like alternative energy solutions to be derailed before posing a threat to the oil empire.
Re:Great. Where are my cheap solar panels? (Score:2, Insightful)
Koch Bros.?
Those are the evil task-masters that are controlling the world energy markets?
Let's compare federal government subsidies for solar and wind power to the entire revenue stream of Koch Bros... Which is greater?
How can little-old Koch Bros. control the world oil/energy market? They have near zero influence over the President/Senate...
According to Rolling Stone magazine [rollingstone.com], the Koch Brothers have poured about $100 MIllion over the past 30 years into supporting organizations, politicians, and think tanks that they agree with - the US Gov't poured $528 Million [nytimes.com] down the drain at Solyndra in just under two years.
Put another way, over the last thirty years the Koch Brothers have (in your mind) controlled the Repubican Party and hence the controlled the country while Senator Obama spent nearly 8 times as much [opensecrets.org] on his campaign to become President in 2007-2008.
Re:Great. Where are my cheap solar panels? (Score:4, Insightful)
Ah yes, because political propaganda and industrial investment are the same thing, right?