Ron Drake - Underground Energy
Posted by Anita Shower
Ron Drake is President and Chief Operating Officer of Underground Energy, based in Arroyo Grande, CA. He holds a BS degree in Mining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and has 35 years experience in heavy underground construction and oil exploration and development. He is a registered professional engineer in California, Colorado, and Texas. His company's work involves the exploitation of stranded oil and gas resources in the United States, using a combination of underground construction and enhanced oil recovery technologies.
Ron's presentation was about the Artificial Energy Crisis created by government policies. Ron stated that energy is importance to all and especially now when it is a political tool of the government. It really becomes everyone's concern when gas hits $4/galloon which Ron projects will happen once again. Oil and gas comes from fossil fuel. The United States ranks first with the amount of coal deposits. We currently have the resources of gas and nuclear power, and in fact, we have 21% of our energy needs provided right here in the United States. Nuclear Power remains a problem in that we haven't a place to put spent fuel rods. Ron talked about the overwhelming task of replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy noting the destruction of existing dams in the Pacific Northwest and impacts to the environment. At the current rate of consumption Californians will purchase 10 billion dollars of oil for this country. According to Ron governmental policies are the hindrance. Naturally California uses more electricity than any other state; and very little of it is renewable. Incentives are being taken away from fossil fuel production by the government and reallocated to renewable energy. Ron and his company are proponents to having a tunnel beneath the sea to access offshore oil and gas wells, eliminating the need for visible oil platforms.