Oil

United Refining

Historic oil refinery in Warren, PA that continues to produce both high-quality lubricants and motor fuel with supplies both locally source and imported from the western states.

Oil Wells in New York State

New York is an oil producer. 20,901 barrels of oil (42-gallons) or 9,277,842 gallons of crude oil were produced in New York State during 2016.

Major Oil Storage Facilities

The MOSF program applies to facilities that store a total of 400,000 gallons or more of petroleum in aboveground and underground storage tanks. Facilities must be licensed by DEC and managed in compliance with applicable regulations for the storage and handling of petroleum.

I Love Oil

You know, I really love oil. Not in it’s crudest form, or even gasoline β€” that nasty stuff you put in your truck, or even in it’s form of energy β€” that powers my truck. I love it because oil is such a beautiful thing β€” it takes one to beautiful places, it gives one the most wonderful experiences.

It’s oil that takes me up to the woods. It’s oil that takes me down rough state truck trails and smooth superhighways, the fly high above beautiful valleys. It’s oil that take me to the mountains, it’s oil that takes me out on the town to meet interesting people. It’s oil that goes in the bus that takes me to work. It’s oil (and it’s cousin natural gas) that keeps lights on, the beer cold, and good times rolling on.

Oil Slick on the Hudson River

I love oil, despite my
sometimes troubled relationship with it.

Sticking Your Head Into the Sand Over Oil

There is a popular Internet meme that goes along these lines:

“I am poor. So when I hear my car making a noise,
rather then taking it to the repair shop, I just turn up the radio.”

This kind of reminds me of the hype over fracking for oil and gas. It was a good distraction for a while — and indeed the United States got a big boost in it’s oil production for a while — it seems like as fast as the oil glut came it is now going away. A booming global economy has expanded the world’s thirst for this economy, and with Middle East production on a decline, it seems like it’s only a matter of time that we remember the serious energy crisis our world faces in the future. β›½

There are politicians all over that like to believe we live in a sea of oil, and that suburbia will last forever. Indeed, a good portion of the green minded people think that once we switch over to electric plug-in cars powered by distant solar cells, motoring can go on care free, with no concerns about the resources being consumed or emissions being produced away from the tailpipe. But at some point, no matter how long you stick year head into the ground, our long term habit of expanding the population and feeling richer by burning more oil each year, will come to bite us. 🐲

Nobody knows when the global oil crisis will truly bite us. High oil prices once again may spur conservation and innovation like new fracking techniques πŸ›’ but the truth is the oil fueled party can’t go on forever. I like my big jacked up truck, but I’m not stupid — I know the world of ever growing demand for oil is going to be confronted by reality at some point. And the next result isn’t going to be pretty. Climate change, expensive energy, massive reductions in consumption are going to be the future. While there may be some benefit to some, the next effect will be serious impacts to millions who are forced to make dramatic changes in how they live and go through life.