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Beck inflated estimated ANWR oil production by nearly 7,000 percent

June 18, 2008 6:24 pm ET

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SUMMARY: Glenn Beck falsely claimed that "drilling in ANWR alone would yield 100 million barrels a day." In fact, according to Energy Department researchers, if the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is opened for drilling for oil in 2008, the estimated peak production would yield, at most, 1.45 million barrels a day in 2028.

37 Comments

On the June 17 edition of his CNN Headline News program, Glenn Beck falsely claimed that "drilling in ANWR alone would yield 100 million barrels a day." In fact, according to Energy Department researchers, if the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is opened for drilling for oil in 2008, the estimated peak production would yield, at most, 1.45 million barrels a day in 2028.

According to the Energy Information Administration's May 2008 Analysis of Crude Oil Production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:

In all three ANWR resource cases, ANWR crude oil production begins in 2018 and grows during most of the projection period before production begins to decline. In the mean oil resource case, ANWR oil production peaks at 780,000 barrels per day in 2027. The low- resource-case production peaks at 510,000 barrels per day in 2028, while the high- resource-case production peaks at 1,450,000 barrels per day in 2028. Cumulative oil production resulting from the opening of ANWR from 2018 through 2030 amounts to 2.6 billion barrels in the mean resource case, 1.9 billion barrels in the low resource case, and 4.3 billion barrels in the high resource case.

From the June 17 edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: Like I told you yesterday, gas is up 35 percent. Electricity is up 30 percent. Natural gas, which most Americans use to heat their home, will hit a record high next month, up 43 percent from last year. Oh, boy. What happens when we hit November and December?

Even with all of that, domestic drilling is still stalled by Congress. It's like these people don't even -- they don't even live on the same planet. And this is really too bad, since drilling in ANWR alone would yield 100 million barrels a day.

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    • Author by bkboase3653 (June 18, 2008 6:30 pm ET)
         
      I think Glenn was just repeating what "some people are saying".
      Report Abuse
      • Author by wzwriter (June 19, 2008 9:06 am ET)
           

        I think Glenn was just repeating what "some people are saying".

        Beck read that on the Internet, and figured it was true.  Unfortunately, he read it on his own web site....  :-)

        Report Abuse
      • Author by rrastro (June 20, 2008 3:00 pm ET)
           
        porbably is a case of "everyone knows..." on the other hand has anoyone seen an estimate that was inaccurately lowespecially from a government agency....
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Dem02020 (June 18, 2008 6:32 pm ET)
         

       

      Don't make fun of this guy because of this idiotic thing he said... in truth, he's actually a very intelligent guy... I know, because he told me so: I bumped into him, and curious as to his intelligence, I asked him "what's your I.Q. beck, have you ever taken an I.Q. test?"

      And he said "yes, I have taken an I.Q. test, and if you must know, I did excellent on it: I aced it, I got an "A"... a 95!"

       

      Report Abuse
      • Author by mr. l (June 18, 2008 6:35 pm ET)
           
        Heh.. I want to get a Gleen Beck bobble head where his eyes bulge out when he thinks he's making a good point.
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      • Author by Col. Harlan Sanders (June 18, 2008 7:01 pm ET)
           

        I got an "A"... a 95!"

        He may have inflated that by 7000%

        Report Abuse
        • Author by wzwriter (June 19, 2008 9:08 am ET)
             

          He may have inflated that by 7000%

          Actually, Glenn Beck got the same thing on his IQ test that George W. Bush got on his - drool.  :-)

          Report Abuse
    • Author by mr. l (June 18, 2008 6:39 pm ET)
         
      I lived in AK for seven years and there is A LOT of wildlife in ANWR during the summer months.  And, if Big Oil keeps up with their shoddy work accidents like oil spills and leaks that  constantly occur in Prudoe Bay, there will be even less oil to ship to China and India.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by night-n-day (June 19, 2008 11:30 am ET)
           

        You have to understand, these are people that go to church every Sunday and talk about flag pins, they don't have time for something as "gay" as ethics or love for this country.

        The Republican Party: People who have done nothing to make America great but who are forever trying to usurp what those who have made America great have given us.

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    • Author by mefirst (June 18, 2008 6:42 pm ET)
         
      damn, homeboy.  total worldwide production is about 85 million barrels a day.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Limit Corp. Ownership (June 18, 2008 6:52 pm ET)
         

      Now, wait a minute.  He only inflated it by 7,000 percent,

      That's pretty good for Glenn Beck. 

      Report Abuse
    • Author by plhamel4926 (June 18, 2008 6:54 pm ET)
         

      Will they do anything to keep big oil alive? Say anything?

      Report Abuse
    • Author by steeve (June 18, 2008 6:57 pm ET)
         

      Beck is not alone.  Almost all pundits are experts in absolutely nothing.  They talk all day without deserving anyone's attention.

      Report Abuse
    • Author by snoopy (June 18, 2008 6:59 pm ET)
         
      Beck will just blame the actual estimates on BP "There is 100 million barrels of oil per day, it's just that 98.4 million barrels a day leak out of the alaska pipeline!".
      Report Abuse
    • Author by HappyTreeHugger (June 18, 2008 8:40 pm ET)
         
      Glenn Beck is a completely out of touch with reality.  CNN-the most trusted name in news???  I don't know about that.  I don't trust a darn thing that Beck has to say.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by my4cents (June 18, 2008 9:46 pm ET)
         

      whenever there is high price of gasoline, the Republicans and their oil buddies will try to grab more of American natural resources and get paid for it.

      Let's assume most, including the 25% Republican base perennially afraid of everything, are alarmed and say OK go ahead and drill in ANWR. What can possibly happen?

      In about 10 years of time, assuming the best of everything, we get 2M barrels per day. Current global demand is 85-90M barrels and US demand is about 20M barrels. In 10 years, let's again assume hell froze and the demand is the same. 

      So, opening up ANWR will get the price of gas from $4.00 to $3.92 per gallon if the production goes into global supply or to $3.50 if somehow it is only consumed in US, in at least 10 years.

       And this is all the current oil-company-owned Republican administration has to offer? If so, ANY alternative administration is better.

      Please correct me with facts if I am wrong. 

       

        

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      • Author by pbg (June 19, 2008 11:04 am ET)
           
        Well, you ain't necessarily right.

        Even if 2M bbl a day comes on line, the only way it would reduce the price to $3.92 is if it were free.

        If the oil company extracting the oil decides to sell it at market price, the effect will be exactly zero.

        'We' won't be drilling in ANWR. 'We' will be letting the oil companies charge whatever they want for that oil.

        By switching the argument to ANWR, they win. In arguing with them about ANWR we accept the argument that this run-up in price is due to lack of supply.

        Is it? Are there long lines at the pumps? Has Gas dubled in price because the supply has been cut in half?

        By starting to talk about supply, we're buying into that baby arithmettic. And of course nome of it is the fault of big oil producers gouging the public!

        The thing about Glenn Beck's assertion is that, even if there's 100M barrels a day, we would be handing it over to the exact same people who quadrupled gas prices since 2001. That make sense to you?
        Report Abuse
      • Author by pbg (June 19, 2008 11:18 am ET)
           
        Well, you ain't necessarily right.

        Even if 2M bbl a day comes on line, the only way it would reduce the price to $3.92 is if it were free.

        If the oil company extracting the oil decides to sell it at market price, the effect will be exactly zero.

        'We' won't be drilling in ANWR. 'We' will be letting the oil companies charge whatever they want for that oil.

        By switching the argument to ANWR, they win. In arguing with them about ANWR we accept the argument that this run-up in price is due to lack of supply.

        Is it? Are there long lines at the pumps? Has Gas dubled in price because the supply has been cut in half?

        By starting to talk about supply, we're buying into that baby arithmettic. And of course nome of it is the fault of big oil producers gouging the public!

        The thing about Glenn Beck's assertion is that, even if there's 100M barrels a day, we would be handing it over to the exact same people who quadrupled gas prices since 2001. That make sense to you?
        Report Abuse
    • Author by wolf kotenberg (June 19, 2008 12:16 am ET)
         
      Glenn Beck is also an expert on global warming. Must be an honor to be quizzed by such intellect. there aren't pipes made big enough to carry such amount.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by fawltylogic (June 19, 2008 12:50 am ET)
         
      That would be awesome, since world consumption is around 85 million barrels a day. We'd all be rich!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by ex-punk (June 19, 2008 2:54 am ET)
         
      Since ANWR is federal property, we the people own it and will get the oil for free.   Stands to logic, right? 
      Report Abuse
      • Author by roundhouse (June 19, 2008 3:58 am ET)
           
        Absolutely right. Great grandma and great grandpa paid for it, it's in the family. The government and the oil companies should pay us for use of our property.

        It's just like our air. The air belongs to all of us. Any company that comes along and pollutes our air should pay us for their mess.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by magnolialover (June 19, 2008 8:41 am ET)
         

      I love these arguments. Instead of talking about ways of reducing use of oil in our country, and reducing our dependence on it, we always talk about drilling more, and getting more. How about electric cars? How about solar? How about taking those billions of dollars that would be spent developing ANWR and sinking them into alternative energy sources? How about mass transit? How about maybe starting to make a shift in where we live from the far reaches of cities, back towards the middle?

      There are possibly lots of answers to our rising gas prices, and the most basic answers are use less...

      Report Abuse
      • Author by roundhouse (June 19, 2008 9:39 am ET)
           
        And your common sense thinking on the matter is exactly why the left is winning the energy debate.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by Col. Harlan Sanders (June 19, 2008 11:43 am ET)
             

          Hey Roundhouse, speaking of common sense, I turned on Fox this morning for a laugh with my first cuppa coffee. There were Bernie Sanders and James Inhofe on either side of the Fox Himbo, talking about oil prices.

          Sanders covered a bunch of that "common sense" stuff;the weak dollar, the strategic reserves we're sitting on, the GOP/energy connection.

          Inhofe countered with the "drill here, drill now..." talking points.

          Sanders brought some more common sense that pointed out the flaws in Inhofe's BS.

          Then, Sen. Inhofe delivered the death blow. paraphrasing;

          "Here's where you lose the argument, Bernie. XX% of people polled think we should be drilling in ANWR"

          I know some of you can't bear to watch Fox, but for those of you who can stomach this, have you seen this trend? Fox hammers their talking points into the viewers heads, then they poll their viewers, using the poll results as support. I know it's nothing new, basically the same as Cheney giving a story to the NY Times, then quoting the paper. But this (at least to anybody with any critical thinking skills left*) is right out in the open.

          * (I know, I'm talking about the Fox target audience)

          Report Abuse
          • Author by roundhouse (June 19, 2008 10:21 pm ET)
               
            -Fox hammers their talking points into the viewers heads, then they poll their viewers, using the poll results as support.- CHS

            It's a vicious feedback loop of weirdness. It's like playing that old grade school game, phone call, with a circle of porn addicts.
            Report Abuse
      • Author by captfoster2 (June 19, 2008 10:06 am ET)
           

        "I love these arguments. Instead of talking about ways of reducing use of oil in our country, and reducing our dependence on it...."

        Because that makes to much sense! It would also take away the power that the oil/energy/coal have worked so hard in buying off our politicians, with the money they steal from us, that give them this power in the first place.....

        It's going to take a grassroots effort not seen since the 1770's to rid us of these new forms of East India Companies!

        Report Abuse
    • Author by eniobob2631 (June 19, 2008 9:34 am ET)
         
      Who is listening to this guy?They have really big arsses for they keep pulling these kind of statemants out of it.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by oc2001 (June 19, 2008 12:03 pm ET)
         

      Beck is a clown and an idiot, but then,  corporations have to get whatever they can to spew the lies and misinformation that they can find. Beck thinks he knows what he is talking about, much the same as the racists and Nazi thought they where right about blacks and jews.

      Disgust and contempt for such garbage can only be pointed to and exposed.

      Report Abuse
    • Author by shaggles (June 19, 2008 12:38 pm ET)
         
      Beck is the dumbest of all the dumb pundits.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by shaggles (June 19, 2008 12:51 pm ET)
         

      It's not like the oil companies don't have anywhere to drill now.  They choose not to drill because too ready a supply means low prices at the pump.

      Report Abuse
    • Author by darkmass (June 19, 2008 5:06 pm ET)
         

      Buried in the text of the MMFA PDF link, but more visible in the upper right of page 4, here: http://www.sibelle.info/orig/usgs.pdf we have the USGS range of estimates for *total* ANWR volume.  The maximum shown is the 5% probablility estimate...which covers an area including Native lands and state water areas within a 3-mile boundary.  That low probablility total volume is 15,995 million barrels.

      Making use of Mr. Calculator, that means that "Beck's Pumping Rate" (tm) would totally deplete that stock in 160 days.

      But here's something else...  According to the 2004 CIA estimate, the U.S. uses 20.72 million barrels a day.  That means that with the low probability volume, ANWR (assuming it could actually be pumped at the rate of 20.72 million barrels a day), could keep the U.S. totally oil independent for less than two years and two months.   ...Then that sucker is drained to the bone.

      And then what?

      Report Abuse
    • Author by foghornleghorn (June 19, 2008 6:51 pm ET)
         

      You'd think that one oil company would break ranks (seeing as they are all making obscene profits), and sell gas for, say, $3.09 a gallon and make just extremely large profits instead.

      They would quickly get 100% of the business.  I know people who will drive for miles in order to in order to save a couple cents a gallon. 

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