... is Gravitating Toward Energy Independence Cyrus Chiasson English 2000 Section 12 Research Proposal February 24, 2015 Abstract America has strived for energy independence since the 1970s. Until recently, this was viewed as an unattainable dream. Energy independence is defined as producing and supplying all the energy consumed by the citizens of the country. Although, America has a long way to go in order to achieve full energy independence, recent innovations have allowed America to progress significantly towards a more independent energy system. The most imperative of these innovations include a decrease in the amount of oil imported from foreign oil exporters and an increase of domestic shale oil discoveries throughout America. As technology continuously modernizes, the efficiency of American shale oil extractions increase. America is hypothesized to have the ability to supply all its own energy by 2030. If America continues to reduce their petrochemical consumption and reliance on foreign oil, this energy independent milestone will be an approaching, feasible possibility. In this presentation, I will illustrate the constant momentum toward energy independence and how achieving autonomy introduces a surplus of economical possibility that has neglected to exist in previous American history. Rationale The Unites States, along with every other country, would benefit from being as energy independent as possible from foreign oil exporters. Currently, the United...
Words: 2254 - Pages: 10
...Essay 1 Energy Independence 9/28/2011 Persuasive Writing Charles Mountin Thesis Statement America needs to achieve energy independence and reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Abstract The United States need to lower its dependence on foreign oil. The U.S. dependence on foreign oil has created a huge trade deficit that puts billions of U.S. dollars into the hands of countries that are not U.S. allies. This dependence also could lead to an economic downturn if there is another spike in oil prices. The U.S. needs to find alternatives to foreign oil that are environmentally sound and U.S. made to achieve energy independence. America needs to find new energy sources and better energy conservation to meet its future energy needs. As of now America is far too dependent on foreign oil for its main energy source. Many experts say that the world is at peak output for oil right now and will be decreasing into the future. Right now the world has about 6.7 billion people, but by 2050 the estimate for world population is more than 9 billion people. That means we need a lot more oil than we now produce and our production capacity is already almost at its peak. If are still powering our cars, factories, and homes with oil when oil starts to run out we will be in a lot of trouble. In 2008 when oil supplies were near capacity the price of gas shot up to over $4.00 a gallon and I could barely keep up with my bills because of the extra money spent on gas. The price spike also...
Words: 1894 - Pages: 8
...Analyse debates about foreign aid to improve health outcomes in a particular country or region. In your opinion, what is needed to improve health outcomes in poor (aid recipient) countries and/or communities? South Sudan South Sudan separated from Sudan and gained its independence in 2011. This world's newest country has the third-largest oil reserves in Sub-Saharan Africa and yet it has one of the world's poorest population --- 50.6% of a population of, approximately 11 million people, is living below the national poverty line. From 2006 to 2010, South Sudan received approximately one billion US dollars from foreign aid and a total of $1.4 billion US dollars one year after its independence. Sharing an oil-rich border with North Sudan, 98% of the government's budget relies on its oil revenue, What is the role of foreign aid in South Sudan? Foreign aid agencies have contributed billions of dollars during the period when South Sudan is signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and after its independence in 2011 (Ajak, Larson, & Pritchett, 2013). This money didn’t go directly to South Sudan's government. But it funded almost everything including water, food, security training, drugs, textbooks and a range of other services. Also, 4/5 of health care in South Sudan is provided by outside groups. Services and funding are provided by a number of national and international NGOs and the United Nations (UN) agencies that operate in the region...
Words: 2074 - Pages: 9
...2014 OERB: A Goal Towards Energy Independence Fueled by Oil and Gas Alone The OERB or Oklahoma Energy Resource Board is a group that provides information about the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma, but that is also funded by the producers and stakeholders themselves. The discourse provided per their website implies that the oil and gas industry is safe, responsible, and necessary for economic progress in our state. The narrative of the OERB's discourse is a triumphant story of the oil and natural gas industry in Oklahoma. It also seems to be a slightly overdone or obvious PR program. First, the website tells the reader that "our future started in 1897," when our "first commercially profitable well christened our state for greatness." The idea of oil and gas as the future is important for them. Many argue that these practices may endanger our future (by polluting the environment, etc.), so it is critical for them to highlight what oil and gas can bring to the table of the future -- money and jobs. This also shows the building of a particular worldview in Oklahoma, where the states value or importance comes from what it can give us economically instead of perhaps the state's intrinsic value in the natural beauty of the environment or the services of healthy ecosystems. This page shows the view of nature as a commodity to be bought and sold as well. Also in this narrative we see the OERB saying that the reason for past "slumps" in the oil and gas industry were caused by excessive...
Words: 1316 - Pages: 6
...This is not difficult to find differing opinions on this subject. According to Paul Roberts, a conversion to renewable energy sources is not realistic. “In truth, much of the fault lies in the new energy technologies themselves, which simply cannot yet compete effectively with fossil fuels.” (Roberts, 2004, Para 19) However, the era of cheap oil is almost certainly at the end with the price of a barrel of oil going for 80.20 to 104.08 on the Stock Market. The price of oil continues to climb quickly and relentlessly. Global oil production will be soon hit a ceiling and drop, even as the demand continues to rise. The result will be an extremely large energy cost, political instability, and an uncertain energy future. The fact is many countries with the largest oil fields build in decade old and had in bad condition. Another fact is that fossil fuel use causes global warning. Scientists haves gathered an unassailable amount of evidence to conclude the warming of the planet had caused mainly by greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuel. When many people use gas in a car the result is major amount pollution. When use hydrogen, the only product is water vapor. “Hydrogen can produce from diverse domestic resources, with the potential for near-zero greenhouse gas emissions.” (U.S Department of Energy, 2011) “Natural gas had been produced both worldwide and domestically at relatively low cost and is cleaner burning than gasoline or diesel fuel. Natural gas vehicles show an average...
Words: 655 - Pages: 3
...instruments funded by foreign exchange assets. These assets can include: balance of payments surpluses, official foreign currency operations, the proceeds of privatizations, fiscal surpluses, and/or receipts resulting from commodity exports. Sovereign Wealth Funds can be structured as a fund, pool, or corporation. The definition of sovereign wealth fund exclude, among other things, foreign currency reserve assets held by monetary authorities for the traditional balance of payments or monetary policy purposes, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the traditional sense, government-employee pension funds, or assets managed for the benefit of individuals. Some funds also invest indirectly in domestic state-owned enterprises. In addition, they tend to prefer returns over liquidity, thus they have a higher risk tolerance than traditional foreign exchange reserves. History The term sovereign wealth fund was first used in 2005 by Andrew Rozanov in an article entitled, 'Who holds the wealth of nations?' in Central Banking journal[1]. The previous edition of the journal described the shift from traditional reserve management to sovereign wealth management; subsequently the term gained widespread use as the spending power of global officialdom has rocketed upwards. Funds may have their origin in: Commodities – Created through commodity exports, either taxed or owned by the government. Non Commodities – Usually created through transfers of assets from official foreign exchange reserves...
Words: 1136 - Pages: 5
...Talisman’s Decision to Enter Iraq Robert A. Neufeld Athabasca University Executive Summary The board of directors of Talisman Energy Inc., a Canadian publicly-traded oil and gas company, has been presented with a request from management that the company jointly purchase a 40 percent interest in Block 44 in the Kurdistan region of Iraq with another Canadian firm called WesternZagros, The investment is potentially very profitable and fits well into Talisman’s growth strategy however it is also very risky. Within its recent past Talisman suffered reputational damage and was forced to sell off its operational investment in Sudan after underestimating the risks involved in operating in a politically unstable region and specifically the efforts of non-governmental organizations and resulting pressures from stakeholders. The board needs to decide if it should enter Iraq and if Talisman can successfully operate there in a corporately responsible and profitable manner while managing many apparent risks. The main risk is the political and legal relationship between the Kurdistan and the Iraqi Central Government is transitory if not non-existent, and there is higher international support for Iraq unity than Kurdistan independence. The risks are great enough that Talisman should wait to enter Iraq. Problem Statement Can Talisman enter and operate as a joint venture in the Kurdistan region of Iraq in a profitable and corporately responsible manner that avoids the issues faced...
Words: 1572 - Pages: 7
...A Bad Idea Crude oil is one of the three kinds of fossil fuel (coal, crude oil, and natural gas) that are widely used by humanity. It plays a very important role in our world, as it is one of our primary energy sources. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the United States is the biggest oil consumption country in the world, which consumes 19.5 million barrels of oil per day (EIA, “Country Energy Profiles: Oil Consumption”). Crude oil can not only be found on the continent, but also in the ocean. The activity that people discover and extract oil from the ocean is called offshore drilling. Offshore drilling has a long history in the United States. The first offshore well was drilled in 1896, in California (“History of Offshore Oil” 163). Oil soon became the primary energy source of the United States by 1910, as the internal combustion engine, which requires gasoline to power, was invented (“History of Offshore Oil” 163). In the next few decades, offshore drilling industry in the U.S. was going up quickly (“History of Offshore Oil” 163-64). Along with the development of the industry, the government regulation came up. To pursue offshore drilling in the U.S. OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) lands, oil companies need to acquire the lease from the U.S. federal government (“History of Offshore Oil” 164). The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) passed in 1953 ensured federal government’s control of the OCS (“History of Offshore Oil” 164). However, the...
Words: 2690 - Pages: 11
...D. Harris I think that when it comes to drilling for oil in foreign countries or spending money to create new technology to make our own oil we should make the new technology and have our own oil. Three reasons why I am on this side is because you have to spend money to make money or save money, there will not be any more wars over oil and we will gain more independence. Those three reasons all tie into each other in some way because we will save money by not going to war with other countries over oil and we will gain independence from them because we will not be looking to them for oil. My first reason behind my position is because you have to spend money to make money and that is with anything because if we make our own oil with new technology then we will not have to pay as many people to work for the oil and gas prices will be cheaper. It is a win-win situation if we make the new technology. It may be a little costly at first but eventually everything will be cheaper because of the new technology. At the same time we will be making money because other countries may have to come to us for oil and we will be making more money that we used to give to other countries. Overall money will be made and saved after a little bit is spent in the beginning. My second reason behind my position is that there will not be anymore wars over oil and this is true because we fight a lot of wars over oil and if we have our own oil then we will not have to battle for it and we will save...
Words: 637 - Pages: 3
...Depreciating Rupee: Introduction: Depreciation refers to a fall in the value of the domestic currency which is caused by the demand for foreign currency exceeding its supply in the market. In such a situation one has to pay more than before to get units of foreign currency. This fall takes place in the market and on its own. Market determined exchange rate serves the purpose of aligning the domestic economy with the world economy was the price route. As consequences the domestic price gets linked up with those of the world price. With the liberalizations and globalization of the economy in recent years, imports are bound to increase. The lessening of restrictions on imports and lowering of tariff on imports which the economic reform implies, an increase in imports has in fact taken place. Again with trade having become an important element of the new strategy of growth. As per the basic laws of economics if the demand for USD in India exceeds its supply then it’s worth will go up and that of the INR will come down in that respect. It may be that importers are the major entities who are in need of the dollar for making their payments. Likelihood here could be that the Foreign Institutional Investors are retreating their investments in the country and taking them elsewhere. This can create a shortfall in supply of the dollar in India. This state of affairs can only be addressed by exporters who can bring in dollars in the system....
Words: 2290 - Pages: 10
...BUSI 604 Discussion Board 4: European Central Bank Michael Hipsman Liberty University EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK AND WHY I’M INTERESTED IN IT I picked this Key Term due to relevance of the Euro and the European Central Bank in my previous work and current work experiences. I was previously employed with the Federal Reserve Bank, which is the main decision maker for all U.S. currency, and monetary policies. In my current position, the company I work for is headquarter overseas, and has offices located in countries that are members of the European Central Bank. I think researching the European Central Bank, will be very useful to have a more thorough understanding of currency and business practices in within the European Union. In addition, gaining the knowledge of what requirements are needed to join the European Central Bank, and the monetary policies these countries must abide by in order to maintain membership will be insightful towards my GBCA paper, since my country is member of the European Central Bank and European Union. EXPLANATION OF EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK The European Central Bank is the central bank for nineteen European Union members. The central bank is responsible for all monetary policies within the European Union, and sets interest rates across the nineteen participating members. Any nation that chooses to join the European Union much adopt the Euro as their currency except for the member states which have been exempted under the Maastricht Treaty (Great Britain...
Words: 1404 - Pages: 6
...including uranium, zinc, and copper. Some like uranium are exported to almost all parts of the globe. The economy was ranked 11th out 42 countries in the Asia-pacific region. The overall score of the economy is also above world and regional averages. The GDP of the economy grew from 78,014,200 in 1995 to 147,453,000 in 2005 (Aitzhanova, et al. 2014). The dollar exchange rate has been well managed through a sound monetary policy that has been adopted. The country has been faced with inflation challenges. In 2001, the inflation rate was very high because of strong foreign-currency inflows (Ibrayev, Badjanov & Li, 2014). However, the economy survived the pressure, and surprisingly it is one of the first former soviet republic that has repaid all debts to the international monetary fund in 2000 (Datkhayev, 2013). The country paid $400 million ahead of the schedule. From then, the economy has been able to limit its foreign debt within manageable levels. [pic] Figure 1: Kazakhstan GDP in billion USD retrieved from < http://www.invest.gov.kz/?option=content§ion=4 > From the graph above, it is evident that in the recent years, the GDP of the economy has been growing significantly. The economy grew upwardly from 2002 up to 2008. However, the GDP experienced a slight drop in the year. Between January and November 2013 the GDP rose by 6% in real terms. The driving force has been the...
Words: 5534 - Pages: 23
...Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 99 (2013) 886 – 892 9th International Strategic Management Conference Using SWOT analysis and SEM to prioritize strategies in Foreign exchange market in Iran Mohammad Shariatmadaria, Amir Homayoun Sarfarazb , Pegah Hedayatc, Kiyan Vadoudid,b a,b,c Islamic Azad University - Tehran, Iran, d Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy Abstract Recently, due to international prohibition on Iran, foreign exchange market of Iran is facing with a severe crisis. In this situation adopting best strategy is vital for Iran. One of the best ways to select strategy is SWOT analysis. SWOT analysis is a powerful tool to identify strategies by strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Consequently, it is very important to prioritize strategies for organizations. Thus there are various methods presented for determining the priority of the strategies. This paper offers a new and statistical method that using the structural equations model, creates a second-order factor analysis model for each of the strategies SO, ST, WO and WT and the best model is chosen according to the AIC criterion. Comparing this approach to ANP reveals that ANP method is very complex and time wasting while the mentioned method is very easy and simple. Keywords:Foreign exchange market, SWOT analysis, second order factor analysis, criterion AIC, structural equations model, the ANPmethod ...
Words: 3394 - Pages: 14
...determinants of economic development (growth). Political and social factors that have been important for the economic development of a country should be included in the discussion (e.g., government policies). Finally, learner should critically analyse how global factors (e.g., trade agreements, etc.) affect economic development (growth) of a country or region. Brief History of Brazil Brazil was discovered in 1500 by Portuguese explorers and was subsequently run under Portuguese rule. For the purpose of this assignment Brazil’s economy development experience since the country gained independence from Portugal; which happened in 1822. Since then Brazil has overcome dictatorships, citizen unrest and political corruption to become the sixth largest economy in the world and one of the world’s four emerging country’s known as the BRIC’s (CNN Money, 2013). Independence 1822- 1870 Following Brazil’s independence there was difficult times as there are for most newly independent nations. These difficult times steamed from the fact that their domestic economy was depressed. The only sector of the country’s economy was the maintenance of the new country. All the resources that the country had including land, animals and of course, because it was taken place before the abolishment of slavery, slaves (Photius, 2004). Before the...
Words: 2826 - Pages: 12
...MODERN LATIN AMERICA ESSAY 1 Question: Despite most of the Latin American countries achieving political independence in the early 19th century, not one of them was able to achieve first world status over the next one hundred years. Why was this so? Concentrate on one country in your analysis. Latin America is the vast continent with three distinctive regions of Central America, South America and the Caribbean coast, and is composed of 33 republic countries varying in terms of population size from over 19 million Brazilians to 11 thousand citizens of Grenada. The ethnic make-up of modern Latin America comprises a variety of racial and ethnic groups such as Europe, Africa, Asia and American-Indians, all of whose root is based in 4 different continents. The notable physical geography is the range of Andes Mountains that are long narrow backbone of the continent from Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and on into Chile, and cut off the east coastline and the west inland areas. The other features are the Amazon and rivers, huge tropical rain forest, and lastly, an abundance of natural resources as well as vast hectares of farmland. These geography features are an important factor that hampered economic growth due to difficulties in public transit and transportation between regions, hindrance of social and political unity, and therefore, unable to achieve a formation of large unitary state, like North America, that led to separation into large and small 30 countries...
Words: 2403 - Pages: 10
