BIKE: Matters arising; Peak oil discussion meeting tonight

[Roger Baker]

You won't find this posted on the Railroad Commission web site yet (for 
some reason), but the heavy hitters in the Texas energy industry are 
going to meet as follows, and they even let the public speak at the end 
of the meeting.

Nov. 29, 10am, ERS building, 18th and Brazos, big room on first floor

They are supposed to issue a final report to the Governor Dec. 31, 
assuming they don't get an extension.

These guys together represent many billions in energy investments. They 
are facing insoluble problems of rapidly approaching peak oil plus the 
difficulty of obtaining enough natural gas to feed their Gulf coast 
petrochemical industry investments.  They are pragmatic energy 
investment managers, far less in denial of the reality of the energy 
crisis than TxDOT, which is totally dominated by special interests tied 
to road contracting, etc.

  -- Roger

                              
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[I'm leading a monthly non-affiliated discussion group on peak oil that 
meets every month.  Here's the standard monthly pitch and the material 
to be covered this Wed. -- Roger]

Please join us in a six part discussion of Richard Heinberg’s book, The 
Party’s Over:  Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies.

“The world is about  to change dramatically and forever as the result 
of oil depletion.  Within the next few years, the global production of 
oil will peak.  Thereafter, even with a switch to alternative energy 
sources, industrial societies will have less energy available to do all 
the things essential to their survival.  We are entering a new era as 
different from the industrial era as the latter was from medieval 
times.”

Published by New Society Publishers, the book is available at major 
retailers or online from:
www.museletter.com

When:  Second Wednesday evening of the month to begin August 11th;  
7:00 - 8:45
Where:  Daniel E. Ruiz Branch Library   1600 Grove Boulevard  (north of 
Riverside;  west of Montopolis)
Contact:   Roger Baker;  454-9060   e-mail:  rcbaker 
(Roger Baker)

November 10th	Chapter 4:  Non-Petroleum Energy Sources:  Can the Party 
Continue?
December 8th		Chapter 5:  A Banquet of Consequences
January 12th		Chapter 6:  Managing the Collapse: Strategies & 
Recommendations

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The Party’s Over:  Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies
		Chapter 4;  Non-Petroleum Energy Sources:  Can the Party Continue?

1.  Consider Heinberg’s framing of the focus of this chapter to the 
single question:  “To what degree can any given non-petroleum energy 
source, or combination of sources, enable industrial civilization to 
survive the end of oil?”  Is  this merely polemic ?  If so, what would 
the alternative question be ?

2.  Why is the topic of natural gas depletion characterized as:  “the 
crazy aunt in the attic,” “the emperor with no clothes,”  “the wolf at 
the door.” ?

3.  Leaving aside issues with pollutants and global warming, why 
doesn’t coal offer us a way to continue to fuel public and private 
enterprise as we have with oil ?

4.  With respect to their mining processes, what do coal and uranium 
have in common ?

5.  Respond to the following argument:  It is poor financial planning 
to invest significant capital in renewable energy systems given the 
fact that you are presently subsidizing the oil and gas industries 
through compelled taxation;  governing agencies will similarly 
subsidize renewable energy systems when the EROEI for oil and gas 
becomes economically prohibitive at which point it will be profitable 
for everyone to invest in renewable technologies.

6.  Or alternatively, why not just wait for the price points for 
renewable energy systems to match or fall below fossil fuels before 
investing capital ?  At the regional level, why should municipalities 
expend capital on renewable technologies prior to their reaching price 
points competitive with fossil fuels?

7.  Cite the three reasons that hydrogen based technologies will not, 
in Heinberg’s opinion, mitigate the impact of peak oil and gas reserve 
depletion on industrial societies.

8.  With respect to conservation, what is the distinction between 
“curtailment” and “efficiency” ?  Cite an example which illustrates 
each.   Why make the distinction ?

9.  If you not read through Chapter 6:  In light of the following two 
assertions, what do you anticipate Heinberg’s counsel to readers might 
be?
    “...given the political influence of the car and oil companies and 
the general corruption and inertia of the political process, the 
likelihood of such a subsidy transfer [to support a hydrogen based 
economy] is slim for the moment”   and   “If indeed none of the energy 
alternatives now available has the potential (quoting Odum & Odum) to ‘ 
support the high levels of structure and process of our current 
civilization,’ profound changes are virtually inevitable in every 
sphere of human concern as oil begins to run out.” 
  
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