The oil from Alaska now, where does it go? Where is it refined?

[Vickers]

:shrug:

They keep talking about the oil from the ANWR, but oil is still coming out of Prudhoe Bay, right? What's the deal with it?

How much can the current pipeline carry daily?

[400Years]

1. I heard that oil was slated for asian markets

anybody know anything about that?

[acmavm]

2. That's what I read. But I also read that it was the 'wrong kind'

of oil for our use. Since I thought that was batshit crazy, I quit reading the article.

Who the hell knows.

[400Years]

3. do you remember what article that was?

[acmavm]

6. No, sorry. But I do know that it was within the last year. That will

narrow it down a bit (but not enough to be useful). If I can find it I'll let you know.

[demosincebirth]

5. I heard that its the heavy crude thats coming from Alaska,

and many of our W.Coast refineries can't handle the heavy crude as oppose to the "sweet crude" from other places.


"sweet crude..." never understood that.

[central scrutinizer]

4. bait and switch

that was how they sold the original development of the North Slope - the oil would reduce our dependence, then once it started flowing, that was conveniently forgotten and most of it goes to Asia.

[brentspeak]

10. Yup

The whole thing was a con game. Now the Cons want to con the nation again and drill ANWR.

[Blue_In_AK]

7. I posted a link a few days ago about this

but I can't find it now. It seems like I read that around 7 percent of the present North Slope oil is exported.

ed. Here it is, I found it. From Congressional Resource Reports...

As a reaction to oil price and supply concerns, questions about the export of crude oil produced on Alaska's North Slope are often directed at Members of Congress. The export of this oil had been prohibited by the 1973 law allowing the construction of the pipeline system now transporting oil to the ice-free, southern Alaska port of Valdez. But following a period of depressed oil prices, legislation was enacted in 1995 permitting export. Relatively small amounts -- never more than 7% --of Alaskan crude were sold to Korea, Japan, China, and some other countries. These exports stopped by 2000. Currently, no crude is exported from the West Coast. Ownership of Alaskan oil fields has changed. BP Amoco and Arco merged in May 2000, and as part of this transaction, Arco's one-third stake was sold to Phillips. BP Amoco is using the formerly exported crude in California refineries acquired in the Arco deal. And Phillips (now part of ConocoPhillips) exports no Alaskan oil and has said it has no plans to do so. The crude oil export issue keeps recurring, especially in West Coast states, where gasoline prices have been higher than in the rest of the nation. Concerns about exports contributing to regional fuel price differentials have been voiced, and opponents of oil leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) fear oil production from this environmentally sensitive area could be exported. This report will not be updated.


This doesn't really address what would happen to any potential ANWR oil, but it seems that most of what's being produced up on the Slope now goes to the West Coast.

[Mountainman]

8. I thought that all oil was sold on the open market to the highest bidder.

That's what drives up prices. Buyers bid for the oil that will be sold in the future. It doesn't matter where it is drilled, the buyers could be anywhere.

I may be all wrong about this.

[Auntie Bush]

9. That's what I heard too...so it won't matter either way.

(doesn't help...doesn't hurt) Only makes a difference to the animals and inhabitants and viewers in ANWAR.

[brentspeak]

11. So much for "reducing America's reliance on foreign oil"

Get the taxpayer to subsidize the drilling and refinement, and then sell it overseas for the greatest profit -- while destroying the nation's habitat to boot.

The Con game.