What's the best way to counter OPEC?

[Anarchist420]

My ideal solution, as I've said before, is to have a free market in land, waters, etc., but that probably won't ever happen and it apparently isn't very popular.

I'd say the next best solution is to allow offshore drilling, but only by new entrepreneurs who agree not to be part of OPEC and who agree not to sell the oil they drill for to OPEC member gas stations. Also, Congress should pass a satisfactory law that deregulates (no federal inspections, no federal regulations), but at the same time, affirms the courts' (proper) roles/mandates that damages are to be paid out to the people who suffer, if there is a spill. However, I don't find the former part of that solution ideal, because it's a trade agreement, and that doesn't eradicate the problem of water socialism. The U.S. owns the water, so everyone should be allowed to use it, even if they're a member of opec.

So while that solution deals with OPEC (the companies who were part of OPEC would be forced to lower their prices), and prices to a degree, but it does not deal with water socialism. So basically, it's a utilitarian solution, but not an entirely ethical one, since it is a treaty for the highest bidder to use U.S. owned shores. In spite of all that, it's still the 2nd best solution.

We've seen that Federal price ceilings don't work, so that's out of the question.

We know that if we allow BP, exxon, etc., to drill, then they'll be selling at OPEC prices. That's not ideal.
EDIT: My post wasn't very accurate, sorry about that:
http://www.gongol.com/research/economics/gasboycott/

 

[child of wonder]

This

+
Electric cars with ultracapacitors.

 

[Abwx]

This topic is irrelevant since western economies are heavily
subsided by the OPEC that sell oil for the cost of coca cola,
and well below the cost of crappy wines...

 

[desy]

Opening up offshore isn't enough to offset demand coupled with declining existing field output.
The article states OPEC controls prices by controlling output, to an extent this is true however they have never managed to raise prices long term because once prices go high they cheat and start oversupplying driving down price again.

What is really important is to transition from oil as the primary transportation based fuel and come up with domestically sustainable options

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Laser-guided freedom.

 

[Doppel]

Also, Congress should pass a satisfactory law that deregulates (no federal inspections, no federal regulations), but at the same time, affirms the courts' (proper) roles/mandates that damages are to be paid out to the people who suffer, if there is a spill.

Bad idea. I wouldn't normally say stupid but your posts seem a celebration of stupidity. So if some pissant oil drilling outfit suddenly causes $5B in damage and cannot even cover $1B in damages and goes bankrupt do you volunteer to pay the difference because you had said there should be no federal regulation ensuring the event had less of a chance to begin with?

 

[soccerballtux]

My ideal solution, as I've said before, is to have a free market in land, waters, etc., but that probably won't ever happen and it apparently isn't very popular.

I'd say the next best solution is to allow offshore drilling, but only by new entrepreneurs who agree not to be part of OPEC and who agree not to sell the oil they drill for to OPEC member gas stations. Also, Congress should pass a satisfactory law that deregulates (no federal inspections, no federal regulations), but at the same time, affirms the courts' (proper) roles/mandates that damages are to be paid out to the people who suffer, if there is a spill. However, I don't find the former part of that solution ideal, because it's a trade agreement, and that doesn't eradicate the problem of water socialism. The U.S. owns the water, so everyone should be allowed to use it, even if they're a member of opec.

So while that solution deals with OPEC (the companies who were part of OPEC would be forced to lower their prices), and prices to a degree, but it does not deal with water socialism. So basically, it's a utilitarian solution, but not an entirely ethical one, since it is a treaty for the highest bidder to use U.S. owned shores. In spite of all that, it's still the 2nd best solution.

We've seen that Federal price ceilings don't work, so that's out of the question.

We know that if we allow BP, exxon, etc., to drill, then they'll be selling at OPEC prices. That's not ideal.
EDIT: My post wasn't very accurate, sorry about that:
http://www.gongol.com/research/economics/gasboycott/

disagree, increase in supply means price would fall some.

Obama not helping the case by denying BP's already existing right to get oil in Alaska or wherever it was. They already sunk $2.2B on that. Yeah that's going to make companies interested in drilling for new oil. LOL. Better to just suck the ME's.

 

[Abwx]

This

Electric cars with ultracapacitors.

Might work for US....
But for european and some asian countries, guess
where the solar power plant are projected....