Posted by JRM on May 07, 2001 at 13:06:24:
In Reply to: Re: Strategic Reserve. He is used for other (+) posted by Steve on May 07, 2001 at 12:27:10:
Yes, that's what he's suggesting (I hope). And *he is right*
There isn't an infinite supply of fossil fuels. That's why their called "non-renewable resources". Granted, there's a lot more than doomsday folks think, and it's really a matter of economics. There's a bunch of petroleum locked up in various grades and concentrations of oil-shales (for one example). If we really need it bad enough (i.e. it's worth extracting) then we'll take the time and expense to get it.
Helium is something that may someday be manufactured (a la the radiation bombardment), but that's pie in the sky currently. If it isn't grown, it has to be mined. Of course, oil companies are sitting on huge reserves, and our ability to find new ones increases each year. But at some point there's going to come a point in time where *it* hits the fan.
JRM
--Earth First!!! We'll mine the rest of the planets later (I used to have this bumper sticker on my field mapping board in college).