[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

The U.S. is sitting on the world's largest, untapped oil reserves -- reservoirs which energy experts know exist, but which have not yet been tapped and may not be attainable with current technology. In fact, such untapped reserves are estimated at about 2.3 trillion barrels, nearly three times more than the reserves held by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) nations and sufficient to meet 300 years of demand -- at today's levels -- for auto, truck, aircraft, heating and industrial fuel, without importing a single barrel of oil.

per Kiplinger 6/30/08

Estimates of what we can actually get to place the number more around 39 billion barrels. So basically if a world war broke and we were suddenly cut off from being able to import oil we would exhaust our oil supplies in five years. Perhaps in five years we could find ways to access some of the currently unattainable oil but that isn't something I want to count on. Let's hold off on "drill baby drill" until we are sure we can access even a quarter of the oil that we believe to be out there. And if in the meantime we can develop more renewable sources as well then we'll be able to stretch it for even longer and have alternatives when it finally does all run out.