Russia takes over as #1 oil producer, according to OPEC

[Tender Branson]

Yeah and the US production of crude oil in 2006 is at the same level as in 1946. In 1970 the US reached it´s highest production and 36 years later it´s only 50% anymore. While the US will have to import more and more oil and see a further increase in the current account deficit due to this, Russia will be swimming in a sea of Surpluses due to it´s vastness of resources.

[Tender Branson]

The problem is that Russia consumes most of this oil themselves, and they don't have as much to export.

Until the Alberta tar sands can be extracted, alternative energy is the only way to get away from Muslim oil.

Accoring to this page here: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0922041.html

Russia exported 6,7 mio. barrels a day out of it´s total production of 9,3 mio. barrels. This is slightly lower than the US produces daily. They just consume 2,6 Mio. barrels a day by themselves. While the US produces 8 mio. barrels a day, it consumes more than 20 mio. a day.

And i agree that alternative energy and maybe the research on fusion reactors are the future if we want to come away from the need to import oil from volatile regions.