Get your Obamanometer!

"Obama said a couple of days ago says we all should inflate our tires. I don't disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it," McCain said

ORLANDO, Florida (CNN) - Barack Obama said Friday that he would be willing to compromise on his position against offshore oil drilling if it were part of a more overarching strategy to lower energy costs.

"My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama told The Palm Beach Post early into a two-day swing through Florida.

"If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage - I don't want to be so rigid that we can't get something done," Obama said.

2. What expert came up with the conclusion regarding tire inflation?

Well, waterguy, maybe you could explain, in a few words, which measure would help safe more money at the pump, and why:

- domestic drilling, or
- keeping your tires inflated.

We're awaiting your well reasoned response.

PolitiFact.com -- by the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly



"We could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling, if everybody was just inflating their tires and getting regular tune-ups."

Barack Obama on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 in Springfield, Mo.



Not overinflated (though it sounds like it)

Sen. Barack Obama injected a startling claim into the debate on energy, asserting in a Missouri town hall meeting that the country could save more gas from inflating its tires and tuning up its cars than would be gained from drilling more off its coasts.

"There are things that you can do individually, though, to save energy," Obama said in the July 30, 2008, appearance. "Making sure your tires are properly inflated ?- simple thing. But we could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling, if everybody was just inflating their tires, and getting regular tune-ups. You could actually save just as much."

Sen. John McCain and his allies ?- who advocate lifting the federal moratorium that bans drilling in some areas of the Outer Continental Shelf off the U.S. coasts ?- immediately mocked Obama for the claim. The McCain campaign even offered to send "Obama Energy Plan" tire gauges to anyone who sent in a donation of $25 or more.

The McCain campaign's assumption seemed to be that Obama's claim was utterly implausible. And, we admit, it kind of sounds that way. But is it?

Under-inflated tires ?- to say nothing of poorly tuned cars ?- are actually a serious problem, as government agencies, industry groups, conservationists and outside experts have been saying for years. (The Obama campaign even cited a number of instances when prominent McCain supporters echoed the call for more public awareness about tire inflation.)

"A lot of people are driving around on severely under-inflated tires," said Robert Sinclair, Jr., a spokesman for the American Automobile Association. "Try riding a bicycle with under-inflated tires. It's hard for the human engine to push it ahead. Pump it up, it seems like you're gliding on air."

The same thing happens with a car. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by .4 percent for every 1 pounds-per-square-inch drop in tire pressure, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The best estimate available, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is that at least a quarter of drivers are cruising around on under-inflated tires. In April, the Rubber Manufacturers Association, the Auto Club, the California Highway Patrol and Yokohama Tire Company used those statistics, along with Department of Transportation and Automobile Association of America data, to extrapolate that 2.8-billion gallons of gas are lost every year due to under-inflation of tires.

That's an estimate, to be sure, and not one from a published, peer-reviewed study. But remember, Obama said we "could" save all the oil available from offshore drilling in the protected areas ?- not we "would" ?- so if the claim is merely plausible he's on solid ground.

So how much oil is available offshore? According to the latest assessment from the Minerals Management Service, the mean estimate of undiscovered technically recoverable crude oil in the Outer Continental Shelf areas that are currently under moratorium is about 18-billion barrels (see here.)

But it couldn't all be extracted immediately. The agency estimates that if the moratorium were lifted production could start by 2017, and by 2030, oil companies could be producing 2.4-million barrels of oil instead of 2.2-million. That's 200,000 more barrels per day.

After refining, a barrel of oil can produce up to 19.5 gallons of gasoline, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. So that's 3.9-million more gallons of gasoline per day, or 1.4-billion gallons of gasoline per year.

And remember, an estimated 2.8-billion gallons of gas are lost annually due to under-inflated tires.

And we didn't even talk about tune-ups. (Repairing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test improves gas mileage by 4 percent on average, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Fixing a more serious problem, such as a bad oxygen sensor, can improve mileage by up to 40 percent, the agency says.)

All of the numbers in this analysis are estimates, we should emphasize. Oil industry experts told us estimates of the amount of oil offshore and how fast it could be extracted vary widely, and the Energy Information Administration's number is fairly optimistic. Likewise, it's highly unlikely any public awareness effort could change behavior enough to save 2.8-billion gallons of gasoline per day.

But it's clearly within the realm of possibility that tire inflation and tune-ups could save more than offshore drilling could produce. So we find Obama's claim to be True.

Quote:

The Bush Administration estimates that expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 bbl. per day by 2030. We use about 20 million bbl. per day, so that would meet about 1% of our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone did, we could immediately reduce demand several percentage points. In other words: Obama is right.

I would say the obvious answer here is domestic drilling. This would involve forcing the government to get out of the way of natural economic activity and permit the creation of more supply as a means of meeting demand. Fairly simple, in my view.

"We could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling, if everybody was just inflating their tires and getting regular tune-ups."

It has a lot to do with the inevitable spillage that ends up killing wildlife and ruining beaches.

Cycloptichorn wrote:

It has a lot to do with the inevitable spillage that ends up killing wildlife and ruining beaches.

Technology has caught up since the last big spill on US shores.
Look to the gulf and how hurricanes over the last few years have
ravaged the offshore platform, but not a drop was spilled.

The new safety measures have proven to be effective - let the drilling begin.

H2O_MAN wrote:

Cycloptichorn wrote:

It has a lot to do with the inevitable spillage that ends up killing wildlife and ruining beaches.

Technology has caught up since the last big spill on US shores.
Look to the gulf and how hurricanes over the last few years have
ravaged the offshore platform, but not a drop was spilled.

The new safety measures have proven to be effective - let the drilling begin.

This is 100% untrue. The bad hurricanes from a few years ago caused over 100 oil spills, totaling more then 700,000 gallons of oil.

Cycloptichorn wrote:

H2O_MAN wrote:

Cycloptichorn wrote:

It has a lot to do with the inevitable spillage that ends up killing wildlife and ruining beaches.

Technology has caught up since the last big spill on US shores.
Look to the gulf and how hurricanes over the last few years have
ravaged the offshore platform, but not a drop was spilled.

The new safety measures have proven to be effective - let the drilling begin.

This is 100% untrue. The bad hurricanes from a few years ago caused over 100 oil spills, totaling more then 700,000 gallons of oil.

No, no, no. You have been duped.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Caused 124 Offshore Spills For A Total Of 743,700 Gallons. 554,400 gallons were crude oil and condensate from platforms, rigs and pipelines, and 189,000 gallons were refined products from platforms and rigs.

Quote:

"We could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling, if everybody was just inflating their tires and getting regular tune-ups."

What a putz !!

George, do you know why we don't allow drilling offshore in many places?

It has a lot to do with the inevitable spillage that ends up killing wildlife and ruining beaches. Doesn't that matter to you?

Cycloptichorn

Cycloptichorn wrote:

George, do you know why we don't allow drilling offshore in many places?

It has a lot to do with the inevitable spillage that ends up killing wildlife and ruining beaches. Doesn't that matter to you?

Cycloptichorn

Not as much as it evidently means to you.

In the first place the amount spilled is by no means "inevitable". Most of the offshore drilling in the world has occured during the past ten years, and the reliability of the technology is much improved -- as has been amply demonstrated by European drillers in the North Sea and American ones along the Gulf Coast.

In the second place we have learned that beaches and estuaries recover far more quickly than previously estimated from the effects of spills.

Finally, the benefits to humanity of the economic activity that results from the availability of petroleum should not be ignored. This is an aspect of the problem that environmentalists usually do ignore. (It is merely an interesting fact that our "Endangered Species Laws offer potential protections to all species of amimal life save one -- human beings.)

The bottom line here is that if we have cheap, abundant energy, we have the ability to solve all the attendant problems; social, environmental and other. If we don't have cheap, abundant energy, we won't be able to do anything. It is a pity that the esteemed Obama doesn't appear to understand that very basic principle.

Both you and I know that oil drilling is not the best way to get 'cheap, abundant energy.' Nuclear, wind, and solar are the way to do that. These facilities do not require constant influx of new materials to be pumped out of the ground in order to continue operation; Nuke plants do require material input, but a tiny amount. Solar and wind, the energy literally comes to them

Oil is a stop-gap technology, to hold us over until better battery storage becomes available. Our grandkids (well, MY grandkids, your descendants) will have a hard time believing some of the attitudes displayed by those who think that drilling oil is the only solution to our energy problems.

Cycloptichorn

Your favored Obama opposes nuclear power.

Safe and Secure Nuclear Energy. Nuclear power represents more than 70 percent of our non-carbon generated electricity. It is unlikely that we can meet our aggressive climate goals if we eliminate nuclear power as an option. However, before an expansion of nuclear power is considered, key issues must be addressed including: security of nuclear fuel and waste, waste storage, and proliferation. Barack Obama introduced legislation in the U.S. senate to establish guidelines for tracking, controlling and accounting for spent fuel at nuclear power plants. To prevent international nuclear material from falling into terrorist hands abroad, Obama worked closely with Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) to strengthen international efforts to identify and stop the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction. As president, Obama will make safeguarding nuclear material both abroad and in the U.S. a top anti-terrorism priority. In terms of waste storage, Obama does not believe that Yucca Mountain is a suitable site. He will lead federal efforts to look for safe, long-term disposal solutions based on objective, scientific analysis. In the meantime, Obama will develop requirements to ensure that the waste stored at current reactor sites is contained using the most advanced dry-cask storage technology available.