By far, the best of the four programs under review was the first one: "The End of Cheap Oil." This program was fact filled, interesting, and with statistically supported facts. Not only did the program express concerns about the growing demand for and shrinking supply of low cost crude oil, it also discussed the things the average American can do reduce their dependency on foreign oil. Two examples were avoiding buying gas guzzlers like the Hummer and trying to purchase gas/electricity hybrids such as the Toyota Prius.
There were some interesting points in the discussion. One that probably struck a nerve is the fact that the price Americans pay for gas at the pump probably is only a fraction of the total cost per gallon per mile traveled. One example of the detrimental effects of American dependency on oil was gridlock, and the other involved traffic congestion caused by car accidents. One point that came through clearly is that Americans are used to cheap oil, and the potential exists for serious economic consequences if foreign suppliers cut America off especially since we are unable to produce more than 40 percent of our production requirements for crude oil. One final point is that there remain plenty of oil reserves, but as the easy pickings sights are eliminated we must seek out other and more expensive alternatives to create oil for a demanding American public. I believe the reporting in this piece was clear, fair and informative. The point I will remember is that we have access to significant oil reserves. However, because of the complexity and resources needed to access oil in the less easily accessed reserves, the cost per barrel to extract crude oil from these more difficult oil reservoirs could increase prices for crude from the present price per barrel of around $50 to more than $70.
"Regional Quacks": Regional Quacks was a lighthearted look at the differences in calls between ducks tha
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