What Countries......

BPB, Sorry, but I don't understand your question. Also, the link is too slow loading. c.i.

Looks like the old act first, think later routine.

The article loaded very slowly for me as well, and since it's not very long I've copied the whole thing here.

BPB -- I can't tell, do you think it's artificial (politics) or a prelude to something?


----------
US faces critical gas shortage over summer
By Sheila McNulty in Houston
Published: June 8 2003 20:13 | Last Updated: June 8 2003 20:13

Natural gas supplies in the US have reached critically low levels in recent months and may be inadequate to meet demand during a hot summer this year.

Spencer Abraham, the US energy secretary, has called an emergency meeting of the National Petroleum Council this month amid calls for the administration to deal urgently with the shortage.

Mr Abraham said the US had 696bn cubic feet of gas in storage at the end of March, the lowest since 1976 when record-keeping began. By the week of April 11, levels had dropped to 623bn cubic feet.

"Storage has increased since that time, but it is still only half the level of a year ago, and 42 per cent below the previous five-year average," Mr Abraham said.

On Tuesday Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan is to testify before the House energy and commerce committee on threats to the economy from the shortage.

Prices are reported to have increased as much as 700 per cent over the past three years, provoking industries from steel to petrochemicals to call on the government to address what they call "the other energy crisis" because it is less well known than the domestic oil shortage.

"No company, no industry, no consumer can absorb a threefold increase in major raw material prices and continue to compete in the global marketplace," said Greg Lebedev, president of the American Chemistry Council, the largest industrial users of natural gas.

The problem arose after the US government encouraged natural gas as an environmentally friendly fuel but refused to open what Mr Abraham said were about 40 per cent of the potential gas resources on federal lands.

I don't take one article too seriously on any issue. Since 'our' energy prices in California has gone up to the stratosphere with our favorite son, Gov Davis, making long term contracts, we're screwed anywy. c.i.

That article doesn't seem to match the projections and forecasts given by the federal Energy Information Administration:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/gas.html

Those forecasts show a lowered storage amount expected for the 2nd quarter of 2003, but it seems to be cyclical.

Jeez, who knows.

Piffka, Maybe the truth lies somwhere in between the two. c.i.

Hell, the Mexicans began burning off the natural gas at Tampico back in the early 70's when our "Energy Tsar" tried to tell them they couldn't charge as much as the Canadians do (i am thankful to say i've forgotten the gobshites name). We could develop quite a few natural gas resources closer to home, Mexico and Venezuela spring to mind most immediately. Of course, the problem with those sources would be a lack of control by an administration with it's collective head deeply imbedded in the backside of the energy industry.

Setanta, would that be Bill Simon?

c.i. the point of my question was just my gentle way of pointing out that when there's a petroleum or energy need the Bush White House problem solving method of choice seems to be go devastate someones (small) country and appropriate their natural resources for us, us being Bush and a few other petrochemical big boys.

BPB, "Our government" is chosen by the people. If we elect those in power, there's not much the minority of us can do to change what our government does. Look at all the problems this government created for Americans in just three years, but the majority of us still consider our government to be doing a good job. Can't fight that kind of ignorance no matter how mcuh we shout. c.i.

c.i. that is the truth...and the very saddest thing, even sadder than the fact GWB is there, is that evidently he represents the attitudes, heartlessness and callous feelings towards anyone but self of most of the people I live and work with, which is exactly why I try to stay on the fringes of the system and interact personally with as few as possible outside of my work which ironically keeps me in front of people all the time.

It really is a shame that more people can't see through the haze.