quote:

Originally posted by sdy:
what BS

Secretary of State Antony Blinken

Host Norah O’Donnell asked, “Russia’s economy’s fueled by gas, and the U.S. is a consumer. So, would the U.S. consider cutting off oil and gas purchases from Russia?”

Blinken responded, “Well, what we’re doing, Norah, across the board, is making sure that we inflict maximum pain on Russia for what President Putin has done, while minimizing any of the pain to us.”

“We’re in full coordination with other countries, both consumers and producers alike, to minimize any impact that this may have on energy prices and on gasoline.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

after they jacked gas up 50%, they want to "minimize" impact

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States is currently a net exporter of petroleum.

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=49596

^^^^^

https://www.nationalreview.com...-petroleum-products/

Here’s a flashing neon sign that U.S. energy policy has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

Throughout 2021, the U.S. has imported 12 million to 26 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products per month from Russia — that same country we keep enacting new sanctions on, in an effort to deter Vladimir Putin’s territorial ambitions.

The most recent month from the Energy Information Agency’s figures is November 2021, at 17.8 million barrels. Last spring, imports of Russian oil hit the highest level in a decade; in August, Russia became the second-highest exporter of oil to the United States. Think that might be a reason Putin feels so confident?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

another night begins in Ukraine

Have seen reports that some Russian tanks have run out of fuel.

That could be Trump policies still winding down. We really need current numbers.

Is there any question that the "de-carbonization" propaganda infecting western countries has its root in Russia and China?

If you want to beat the west, convince them that petroleum and nuclear are evil, and then sell petroleum to them when all their "green" energy schemes don't work.

And yet the US is a country of fools that believes this nonsense.

I agree with Lefty on this. Although I place all the blame for this on Putin, who would have thought that on day one of his presidency Biden would give him the power to possibly start a war in Europe?

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
And yet the US is a country of fools that believes this nonsense.

Look at the corner Germany put itself into

For us, “The inmates are running the asylum!”

I never thought President Trump would lose/ cheated out of an election would ever happen. I believed we’d have the Donald two terms and be set for another 4 years. What a mess and not a leader in sight.

Our Energy policy in this country is dictated by a Swedish teenager, four congresswomen who if not being in the most liberal districts in America couldn’t be elected in a one person race elsewhere, and administered to by an aging mail order husband who flies everywhere to tell people how bad America and fossil fuels are, let alone the Potatus. Putin chuckles.

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
That could be Trump policies still winding down. We really need current numbers.

sdy is correct. The National Review article he cites links back to the same E.I.A. website that I cited.

I think you are correct in that Trump's policies led us to become a net exporter. I also think corsair is corsair and spumk639 are correct in that the left has painted United States, Germany and a host of other European countries into a corner by pushing "green" energy policies which resulted in western countries becoming dependent on cheap Russian oil and natural gas.

quote:

Blinken responded, “Well, what we’re doing, Norah, across the board, is making sure that we inflict maximum pain on Russia for what President Putin has done, while minimizing any of the pain to us.”

Gee. We have our own supply and yet won't shut off the Russian spigot. How are we supposed to talk Europe into making the leap away from dependence of Russia for fuel in order to defang Putin if we can't be bothered to refuse Russian oil and rely on our own?

quote:

Originally posted by spunk639:
Putin chuckles.

Putin chuckles? Putin is laughing his ass off!

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:

quote:

Blinken responded, “Well, what we’re doing, Norah, across the board, is making sure that we inflict maximum pain on Russia for what President Putin has done, while minimizing any of the pain to us.”

Gee. We have our own supply and yet won't shut off the Russian spigot. How are we supposed to talk Europe into making the leap away from dependence of Russia for fuel in order to defang Putin if we can't be bothered to refuse Russian oil and rely on our own?

I'm sure there's knowing members who are in and familiar with the US petroleum industries can comment and provide some clarity...

My understanding is, US refineries USED to import crude from Venezuela however, the quality of its oil requires more refining thus a greater infrastructure investment, not to mention a push to reduce capitol going to the Chavez/Maduro regime. A switch was made to import Russian oil (Venezuela vs Russia ), which has a higher quality and doesn't require as much processing. Please correct me if I'm wrong or, can provide a clearer picture.

To repeat my earlier post:

The basic paradox is that ever since the shale oil boom, the US is theoretically self-sufficient in oil, but exports a lot of its domestic production while at the same time importing a lot of crude for processing in domestic refineries. This is because refineries are set up for specific grades of "light" or "heavy", "sweet" or "sour" crude. Plants on the Gulf coast are frequently geared towards heavy grades imported from Venezuela's Orinocco Bassin across the water.

However, since 2019 oil trade with Venezuela has been sanctioned over the unpleasantries there, as it previously has with Iran, another producer of heavy crudes. Now if you keep sanctioning your suppliers, you need to import more from remaining sources, which include Russia. Specifically, US refiners have bought increasing volumes of Russian residuum (which basically is the goo that remains at the bottom of the stack after everything useful has been siphoned off) to blend it with lighter grades so it can be processed in their refineries.

As a result, the US has become probably the global top importer of Russian oil products. AIUI, Canadian shale oil is also a heavy grade, so Keystone could have presented an alternative down the line. But as noted, it was a long way from finished even before ultimate cancellation, so right now the situation would be the same unless sanctions on Iran and Venezuela were lifted, or the industry had set up new refineries which could run on different grades.

Fox News reporting a few minutes ago that China is now moving into military naval exercises into the South China sea as of tomorrow (Sunday).

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:
Fox News reporting a few minutes ago that China is now moving into military naval exercises into the South China sea as of tomorrow (Sunday).

Hopefully they will send their single Liaoning Aircraft Carrier so we can point fingers at it and laugh.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Wow. Turkey has blocked passage of any Russian ships into the Black Sea. That's a big deal.

This war ain't going quite the way Ivan expected it to go.

No or, not yet... Got a link to this? We need links for any sort of claims

So far, no closure:
Turkey says it cannot stop returning Russian warships from accessing Black Sea

Ukraine Calls on Turkey to Bar Russian Warships From Black Sea

Russia-Ukraine war: Turkey denies closing Black Sea to Russian warships

No link. Saw it on Newsmax this morning as "Breaking News".

https://www.foxnews.com/world/...ary-contracts-family

A senior U.S. defense official said Saturday that more than half of the Russian combat power that was massed along Ukraine’s borders had entered Ukraine, and that Russia has had to commit more fuel supply and other support units inside Ukraine than originally anticipated.

I believe Putin will do what he hast to do the fulfill his current mission.

Wars generally last years. These aren’t the Falklands and the Israeli six day war.

According to the media, somehow the Russians have lost 3000 troops while the Ukrainians of only lost 200. That makes zero sense and stinks of propaganda.

quote:

Originally posted by sdy:
https://www.foxnews.com/world/...ary-contracts-family

A senior U.S. defense official said Saturday that more than half of the Russian combat power that was massed along Ukraine’s borders had entered Ukraine, and that Russia has had to commit more fuel supply and other support units inside Ukraine than originally anticipated.

been following the various coverages the last couple of days

i would venture to say this is not going for Russia anywhere near as smoothly as planned. the idea of sending in tanks and the Ukrainian defense forces rolling over in submission is clearly not happening.

what an incredible display of resistance by Ukraine.

if ever there was an exemplar for the phrase 'it ain't the size of the dog in the fight -- its the size of the fight in the dog' -- this is it.

----------------------------------------------