CycloWizard
Lifer
- Sep 10, 2001
- 12,348
- 1
- 81
Back in the 80's, this is how it was. Now, oil recovery work is done by Schlumberger, Halliburton, and similar firms that most people don't recognize as "oil companies." The big oil companies realized that it was simply more profitable to farm this work out. I attended a seminar on this yesterday morning and sat next to a classmate of mine who worked for Schlumberger before quitting to come back to school in 2003. I can only assume that this information is a little more up to date than whatever happened back in the 80's.Originally posted by: BoomerD
So you mean all those Exxon owned drilling rigs, pumping stations, and refineries don't belong to Exxon? That's odd...
I worked the Wyoming oil fields in the 80's...on Exxon oil and sour gas projects. The drill rigs were owned by Exxon, the crews were Exxon employees, the entire infrastructure was built and paid for by Exxon (using sub-contractors for much of the actual construction) the pipelines, pumping facilities, the preliminary treatment plants...all Exxon, all Exxon employees.
Yes, SOME oil companies do sub out the drilling, some sub out exploratory drilling then use their own rigs to actually drill the well, some do it all the way through the refinery process. MANY of the big oil companies have their own exploration divisions, their own drilling and production divisions, transportation divisions, and, of course, refinery divisions. IF by chance, these oil companies have divested themselves of their assorted divisions to make their bottom line look better, odds are, they still own or own a large percentage of the companies they hire.
Which is why this comment wasn't directed towards you, but towards the one who said that the six cent per gallon profit was from the oil company.I'm well aware that most gas stations aren't the ones raping the American people...most of them barely scrape by on the thin margin they get on gas & oil sales, which is why the old-time "service stations" have become "mini-marts" to diversify their income streams. My reference is to the oil companies...BIG OIL...they are the ones doing the rapingof the citizenry and manipulating of governments.
[QAgain, I worked those oil fields and watched the Exxon drill rigs drill down to over 22000 feet deep. I never claimed it was an easy or cheap endeavor. My comments were that no matter how much it costs Exxon (or any other oil company) to find, extract, transport and refine that oil, we pay the same price that we are charged for this "High Price" Middle-Eastern oil...WHY?[/quote]
Because you're willing to pay it. That's how purchases work - you pay what you are willing to pay for what is being sold to you. It's also because you're not buying crude oil - you're buying the refined product, which has significant value added through processing. Middle East oil is expensive because it needs less refining to achieve the desired product, while other oils require more refining and are proportionally cheaper as crude.
I fill up my car once per month at a cost of about $35. I don't complain about the price because I'm choosing to drive 200-300 miles per month. I used to drive more, but I've been on a fixed income (grad student stipend) for years, so I couldn't keep up with the rising price of gas. I did something about it and started using public transportation rather than just whining. Your paragraph here is exactly the whining I'm talking about. You're addicted to the products of oil companies, yet you think they should lower their prices just to make it easier on your pocketbook. In reality, you should lower your consumption to make it easier on your pocketbook. Their job is to profit as much as they can, and you are the one enabling them. I recycle plastic, which does defray the cost, but I also recognize that only a certain fraction of polymers used in products can be comprised of recycled thermoplastics (about 30% for most applications) simply due to the physics of polymers. I use biopolymers - polymers excreted by bacteria - in my research. There are ways around paying oil companies through the nose, but you have to be a bit creative and actually seek a solution. Asking congress to lop their peepees off because you are unhappy that they're making money off of your reckless spending is completely irresponsible and indicative of the trend in this country against the idea of personal fiscal responsibility.Nope, no one is forcing me to buy. :roll: Try living without oil...whether it be gasoline for my vehicles, diesel fuel for the trucks and trains that deliver food and other goods to every part of the country, plastics which are made from oil, or the vast number of things that contain petrocarbons...It can't be done.