US: State makes progress in kicking oil habit
While politicians in Washington appear to be making little headway in breaking the nation’s addiction to imported oil, California has made some real progress with innovative policies.
Energy Policy
Energy fight? Not This Year
The guys on the campaign trail keep trying to ig nore the trillion-pound rhinoceros in the room. But soaring oil prices thunder the obvious: America had better prepare for a possible fall in world oil output if it doesn’t want to be left without affordable energy options.
The signposts point to more nuclear power
OIL at more than $50 a barrel concentrates the mind. What looked like a spike in prices is now taking on an air of permanence. Even when the price subsides, as it will, it will remain higher than seemed likely even a few months ago.
Crude Awakening (essay/book review)
….If not already aware of all this, readers of The Nation should be on notice that both the imminence and the timing of peak oil matters–big time….
If this scenario [of an early peak] is even somewhat credible, American and international leaders should drop whatever else they are doing and devote their full attention to preparing the world for post-peak petroleum.
Breaking free from energy dependence
Short of radically altering America’s driving habits, the United States cannot achieve energy independence without spending billions of dollars on new initiatives. And no political consensus exists to spend those sums despite decades of promises to cut oil imports. But new plans are emerging that might sway lawmakers.
NZ Greens query oil price forecasts
The Green Party’s two co-leaders grilled [New Zealand] Government officials yesterday about grossly inaccurate forecasts made last October about future oil prices.
UK government warned of energy crisis
The government is warned today that Britain’s manufacturing recovery could be derailed by rising energy prices and consumers could face winter blackouts because of a short-fall in generating capacity.
Malaysia to reduce dependence on crude oil: PM
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Monday his government will look into ways to lessen the country’s dependence on crude oil.
Transcript of Greenspan’s Speech on Oil
Elevated long-term oil futures prices, if sustained at current levels or higher, would no doubt alter the extent of, and manner in which, the world consumes oil. Much of the capital infrastructure of the United States and elsewhere was built in anticipation of lower real oil prices than currently prevail or are anticipated for the future. Unless oil prices fall back, some of the more oil-intensive parts of our capital stock would lose part of their competitive edge and presumably be displaced…
Bush talks about Peak Oil at luncheon
Someone asked Bush what he’s going to do about energy policy with worldwide oil reserves predicted to peak. Bush said: “I’m going to push nuclear energy, drilling in Alaska and clean coal. Some nuclear-fusion technologies are interesting.” He mentions energy from “processing corn.”
Post Carbon Dispatch #3: Tar sands and the price of oil
As oil settles at over $50 a barrel for the second day in a row (four if you include the weekend) I am visiting one of the only places on Earth which really does have an expanding hydrocarbon supply.
Global Scale Politics
While peak oil enjoyed a break out in 04, and even though most Americans know in their heart of hearts that Iraq was about oil, Americans, this election, have yet to really make the connection.
