So just last night I heard yet another debate about how all the US oil importers are radical Muslim countries, and how in the near future we might be held hostage to their price demands as oil gets more scare and our global political position weakens. I’m sure you’ve heard all the arguments before, and the range of possible solutions. But, have you ever heard that, in fact, the vast majority of our oil does not in fact come from Muslim countries at all? I’ve done my research, and it turns out that most of our oil comes from our direct neighbors! Here are the top 5 US oil imports by county.

1 – Canada
Our friendly neighbors to the north, are also number one in the list of US oil importers! Would you have guessed it? Canada imports 1.9 million barrels of oil a day, most of which come from its tar sands. The obvious advantages of Canada as an importing country are the low transport costs, zero cross-border tax and the strong relations between the two countries.

2 – Saudi Arabia
OK, so contrary to my original statement no surprise here whatsoever! What is a surprise though, is that whist Saudi Arabia is the biggest producer of oil in the word, only a small percentage (1.5 million barrels out of 9 million) are delivered to the US. The majority of is consumed domestically and in the populous Asian countries.

3 – Mexico
So, it turns out, we are sandwiched between two of the three biggest US oil importers! Not known as a big oil producing country, Mexico, is in fact not a big oil producing country, but practically everything it does produce (1.2 million barrels a day) gets delivered to the US.

4 – Nigeria
Another surprise comes in at number one. Known as the most populous nation in Africa, as well as one of the most unstable and violent, the US has huge corporate interest in the country, and has thousands of expat workers earnings big money in its oil fields and associated offices. 1.1 million barrels get but on a ship to the US ever day.

5 – Venezuela
Another unknown entity, most people are aware that Venezula produces oil, but not so many are aware that it sends a lot of it to the US – 1 million barrels per day. number 5 is our friendly South American neighbor Venezuela at 1.0 mbd.

These come a surprise – well check out these less-than-expected countries which are all in the list of the top 15 countries which import oil to the US: Colombia, Norway, Angola, Brazil, and, wait for it.. the Virgin Islands!

As we all know, the US is a huge importer of oil, and many of the oil producing countries that it imports from are not the most savory. Some of them have terrible human rights records, some have extremist governments, and some are just downright dangerous and unstable – and that is what this article is about. I have taken a look at all the major oil exporting countries to the US, and come up with the top 3 that are as far away from Norway as you can get, if you know what I mean…

1 – Venezuela
This comes as a surprise to some, considering the relations between the two countries, but Venezuela is number four in the list of oil exporting countries to the US, after Canada, Saudi Arabia and Mexico, at more than 900,000 barrels a day. So is Venezuela stable? Absolutely not! I travelled there myself one year ago and I can tell you that I have never been to a country that is in such a mess. None of the governmental institutions are functioning properly. The economy as a whole is in shatters and very little, other than oil, is produced in the country. Crime is off the scale. In fact, Venezuela is one of the most crime ridden countries in the world, and is way more dangerous than, for instance, it’s more notorious neighbor, Colombia. Anyone who lives in Venezuela will tell you that this corruption ridden country with deep political divisions is extremely unstable.

2 – Nigeria
Just below Venezuela in the rank of oil exporting countries to the US, Nigerian oil is known for its excellent quality, which is perfect for producing high grade gasoline. But the good news ends there. Behind Somalia, it is officially the most corrupt country in Africa (and that takes some doing!), and the oil industry there has been fraught with tension for decades. Aggrieved that only a small proportion of the revenues from oil actually remain in the country, and wanted some of pie for themselves, militants have been attacking the oil refineries and kidnapped foreign oil workers since day one. These local militias have been increasing in strength for a long time, and are heavily armed. Better so, in fact, then the local police. Most people in the business consider this source of oil to be particularly unstable.

3 – Iraq
The sixth biggest oil exporter to the US, with about half a million barrels a day. There’s not much I can say about the instability of this country that you don’t already know! Many pundits believe that Iraq will break up some time in the next few years, as violence between different ethnic groups continues. The combination of external interference and internal fragmentation is unfortunately leading this country to the scrap heap. Yet another huge importer of oil to the US which is incredibly unstable!

2) Reserves’ home countries try to get a bigger cut.
Back in the day, when prices were low, countries with plentiful oil reserves like Venezuela and Russia offered the big oil companies some pretty good deals. Now they’ve gotten quite stiff and want a bigger cut of the profits. Contracts and tax regimes are being adjusted so that the more profits oil companies make, the higher percentage the reserve country gets. Saudi Arabia and Russia are wary of letting any of the big oil companies on their soil at all now. The CEOs of these companies are tearing their hair out trying to find easier ways to foreign reserves. They complain that it is constantly getting more and more difficult to reinvest the profits they make into worthwhile ventures.

3) Too many restricted areas.

Back in the 1960s, international oil companies had access to about 85 percent of all of the world’s reserves. This has been dramatically reduced to just 16 percent today. The rest of the oil and gas in the world is either cordoned off or completely restricted. The current prospects are no longer infinite, as they once used to be. In 1979, 27.8 percent of the global gas and oil production could be claimed by British and American oil companies. In 2004 this figure dropped to just 14 percent. National companies are now given privilege in the same countries where international had equal access in the past. These include Kuwait Petroleum, Saudi Aramco, and Mexico’s Pemex. In the end, the locals are getting better treatment.

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Big oil companies are certainly not winners of popularity contests among the general public, but many are still worried about their success. In the end, their success equals gas for your car, which you really do need. However, it is getting more and more difficult for them to be successful in the current global circumstances because of tougher competition, big technical challenges, and hostile foreign governments. Here are 3 reasons why big oil companies may be in trouble, even though now they are rolling in the cash:

1) Hard to keep up with demand.

The ratio at which the supplies of big oil companies are being renewed is slipping rapidly. The standard for this ratio is 100 percent or more, but most of the big six oil companies in the United States are projected to plunder well below that over the next 5 years. This is not even close to being enough to satisfy the demand the world will have (which is constantly increasing, by the way). If this projection is correct and if demand does, in fact, substantially outgrow the supply, by the end of this decade oil prices could increase to nearly $200 a barrel, which would translate to $6 a gallon for gasoline!

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With ever-growing environmental problems and the soaring prices of oil, it is clear that alternatives to our current fuel are desperately needed. Some alternative fuel vehicles have already been invented, and others are well underway. Here are 5 possible alternate fuel vehicles of the future:

1) Solar power
This is one of the simplest alternative fuel vehicles. The way a solar-powered car would work is via solar panels installed on top of it. The only problem is that the amount of energy current solar panels can generate would not be enough to run a car. At the moment they can only be used as a supplementary power source, but engineers are constantly striving for improvement.

2) Liquid nitrogen
This is one of the least expected options for alternate fuel vehicles. When liquid nitrogen (LN2) is subjected to the car’s heat, it turns to gas, which can be used to power turbine engines or pistons. This kind of vehicle can potentially have the same power as a 90 gallon tank of gasoline. There are also no harmful emissions, which is a great bonus for the environment.

3) Hydrogen
There are two ways to use this alternative fuel vehicle: fuel-cell conversion and combustion. In the first method, the fuel cells turn hydrogen into electricity, which is then used to power electric motors. In the combustion method the engine ‘burns’ hydrogen just like it does with traditional gasoline. In both methods the only thing emitted from hydrogen is water or steam.

4) Steam
This type of vehicle would run on steam generated by coal, wood or ethanol. These can be burned in a boiler, and the resulting heat would generate steam from water. The steam then expands and creates pressure, which will be used to power the pistons to push the wheels of the car forward. The design would have to look like that of a steam train. Although it would take a long time to start a steam car, it could go as fast as 100 miles an hour when running.

5) Compressed Natural Gas
This alternative fuel vehicle runs on natural gas, which consists mainly of methane. Methane is already used instead of gasoline to power regular combustion engines. Using methane in this way is much better for the environment, because out of all fossil fuels it creates the least carbon dioxide emissions. The best thing about switching to this alternative fuel is that the gasoline tank in the car can stay exactly the same. These vehicles are already being used in countries and regions that have an abundance of natural gas, such as New Zealand and Po River Valley in Italy.

For more information, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_fuel_vehicle

2) Helioculture
This is another one of the extreme new alternative energy sources, which will involve sunlight and greenhouse gases. Microorganisms are at the center of the process, which will secrete a chemical similar to ethanol when exposed to the sun and CO2. The resulting fuel would be perfect for running a vehicle, for example. SolarConverters, which are flat large panels, will be used to cultivate this reaction. There is already a commercial-scale operation underway that will be producing 20,000 gallons of oil on every acre annually.

A major breakthrough

On the market of alternative fuels helioculture is a major breakthrough. It is scalable and inexpensive, and it could help reduce a large amount of water wastage in certain areas. It is even possible to grow the microorganisms in waste water and salt water. The fuel that will come from this process is cheaper than gasoline, and will cost around $50 per barrel. This is a good bargain, since oil prices are currently nearing $70 per barrel. By 2022, it is aimed to have 36 billion gallons of this alternative fuel to be blended with the gasoline supply.

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3) Untapped resources are constantly discovered.
It is a complete myth that there are only a few sources of oil that are available for the West. Oil is being discovered constantly in many countries, with Russia being the leader of new discoveries. The reason that oil giants don’t want you to know this is that they obviously make more money from the oil myth. If something is available in abundance, it is harder to make a profit from it. Also, it is easier to propagate this myth and say that we are dependent on foreign oil rather than admit that we have enough of our own, in which case, the prices would have to be much lower.

4) Oversupply in South Korea and Japan.

It has been reported that fuel oil (Diesel) is in such abundance in these countries, that they have actually had to quit refining crude oil. The prices there have decreased to $20 a barrel or less (wholesale it works out to 36 cents a gallon). Compare this to the $60 a barrel selling in America and this should immediately answer your question “Is peak oil a myth?”

5) Scientific evidence against peak oil.
Scientific research done around the peak oil theory also seems to disprove it as well. It suggests that oil is not in fact a non-renewable resource, as we are constantly being told. Oil is abiotic, which is like natural gas and coal. It actually replenishes itself from the mantle of the earth.

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Peak oil refers to the end of petroleum extraction, and simply – running out of oil on the planet. This is talked about more than any other environmental issue in the world. But more and more people are starting to wonder: “Is peak oil a myth?” We think it is, so we’ve come up with 5 reasons why the peak oil myth is not a myth at all.

1) Memos of artificial scarcity.
The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights was able to obtain confidential internal memos sent between oil giants Chevron, Mobile and Texaco. These memos talk about creating artificial scarcity of oil by closing oil refineries or limiting their capacities. All this was done with the intention of creating an excuse to raise gas prices.

2) Reserves are constantly increased.

The next peak oil myth question that begs to be asked is why so many new reserves are discovered and there is skyrocketing production when we are supposedly running out of oil? Saudi Arabia, for example, continues to increase its reserves of crude oil and earlier this year their reserves hit 200 billion barrels. These reserves are enough not only to keep Saudi Arabia with plenty of oil, but to allow it to be the main producer of oil for at least the next 100 years.

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3. Plastic Cups.
It’s amazing that they’ve finally found something good about these horribly polluting, wasteful things. It turns out that the polystyrene in plastic cups (and plastic dishes in general) could make a good addition to fuel in diesel engines (of course, some minor modifications will be required). The good news is that it is a quick process to melt polystyrene into biodiesel, but it needs to be in just the right quantities. Otherwise, with concentration too high, the emissions could be toxic.

4. Poultry Waste.

This is another one of the most unexpected alternative car fuels. A process referred to as thermo-depolymerisation is applied to process turkey or chicken waste and covert it into fuel. This process entails high pressure and heat in order to break down poultry waste. The only problem with this process is the resulting smell that ends up all around the facility – the local residents would not be too happy about smelling it all day long.

5. Used Diapers.

Yes, you really can use dirty diapers to run your car in the future via something called the ‘pyrolosis process’. What happens is that the fibers, resins, and plastics contained in diapers are converted into a mixture of oil, gas, and char. The annual wasted diapers amount to some 180 million and from this, 11 million liters of diesel can be made! This is a great way to turn something extremely polluting into something extremely useful.

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Since potential oil shortages are spelling pending doom for the average driver, the need for alternative car fuels is ever-growing. Here are some possible kinds of alternative fuel for cars that may be used in a nearer future than you think.

1. Coffee.

Yes, the fuel that is already used by millions of humans in the world to run themselves may also be used to run your car! The waste from coffee grinds is extremely polluting, since it takes years to biodegrade in landfills. However, coffee is also a very rich source of oil. It contains as much as 15 percent of oil for biofuel. So, from the annual 25 million dollars that goes into coffee production we could get as much as 340 million gallons of biofuel and use it as an alternative fuel for cars. In some countries like Switzerland and Germany coffee is already collected to produce compost and natural gas.

2. Wind Power

Besides generating wind energy on land, turbines can also be used to power your car. Some Denmark university students have already designed a car, which had a wind turbine was placed on the back of it. Other wind powered options include a kite car, where is kite is used in a way that is similar to a windsurfing board. This car also has electric motors as backup for when wind speeds are not high enough.

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