i think news like this is very important.

you?

http://energybulletin.net/node/51379

• * So why is senior GM executive Bob Lutz such a strong proponent of the Volt and the electrification of the automobile? And why is Toyota Motor USA’s COO James Lentz so supportive of efficient vehicle technologies? Peak oil is the answer. (1/27, #19)
• * Oil use in rich industrialized countries will never return to 2006 and 2007 levels because of more fuel efficiency and the use of alternatives, Fatih Birol, the chief economist of the International Energy Agency, said last week. (1/29, #2)
• * Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest crude producer, is exporting about 1 million barrels a day to China, more than to the U.S., Chief Executive Officer Khalid al-Falih said. (1/29, #4)
• * Iran’s oil ministry said that legislation, passed by the US Senate, to impose gasoline sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program won’t succeed in halting fuel supplies. Some say that the only way for sanctions to have success is for them to be backed by the United Nations. (1/30, #5)
• * A consortium made up of Exxon Mobil and Shell finalized a deal in Baghdad Monday to develop the West Qurna phase 1 oil field in southern Iraq. (1/25, #9)…In an analysis of Iraq’s West Qurna 1 license awarded to ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell, Peter Wells puts the government’s take at $444 billion, or 99% of total revenue. Wells was hired by Toyota to build a world oil supply model, so he knows the business. The promise of getting better terms on future deals has got to be the prime motivator here. (1/27, #8)
• * BP’s CEO Tony Hayward told an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos that within a decade Iraqi oil production could quadruple to 10 million barrels a day from 2.5 million barrels at present. (1/29, #7)
• * TengizChevroil, the Kazakh oil venture led by Chevron Corp., plans to invest $15.2 billion to boost oil output at the country’s largest producing field by 2016. (1/26, #5).
• * Angola’s pace of development since peace returned eight years ago has been staggering. The country feels like a gigantic building site, as roads, ports, railways, hotels, shopping centers, hospitals, universities—even whole new towns—rise up out of the bush. None of this would be possible without Angola’s 13 billion barrels of oil reserves. (1/29, #10)
• * India plans to expand its investment in Nigeria by $350 million. India is presently Nigeria’s second-largest crude oil buyer. (1/29, #9)
• * Nigeria’s main militant group has ended a cease-fire with the government and pledged to renew attacks on the nation’s oil industry according to the Associated Press. After years of attacks by militants, Nigeria’s output has risen in the past five months during the cease-fire, putting it back ahead of rival Angola and prompting analysts to forecast further production gains. The end of the cease-fire could swing the pendulum back again. (1/30, #7)
• * Around the Faukland Islands, analysts say that as much as 60 billion barrels of high-grade oil could be found in the 200-square-mile economic zone. If those estimates prove correct, this could make the Falklands one of the world's largest oil reserves, comparable with the North Sea, which so far has produced about 40 billion barrels. Desire Petroleum and Rockhopper Exploration will begin exploring later this month. But an ongoing political dispute with Argentina could slow development if commercial oil is ever found. (1/25, #18)
• * Hundreds of millions of pounds in tax breaks for companies opening up the West of Shetlands area, Britain’s last offshore oil and gas frontier, are being offered by the UK government. The move is evidence of the government’s concern about dwindling supplies of fossil fuels, and especially gas. Reserves west of Shetland remain largely undeveloped because conditions are so challenging. (1/28, #15)
• * Chevron said fourth-quarter net income dropped 37 percent as slumping demand for diesel and gasoline outweighed gains from higher oil production and prices. CEO John Watson is slashing refinery payrolls, selling unprofitable plants and gasoline stations to focus on oil and natural-gas wells that deliver higher returns. (1/30, #14)
• * Struggling to survive the worst fuel market since the 1980s, Valero Energy is reversing an acquisition binge that had made it North America's largest oil refiner. (1/27, #15)
• * Shell’s expansion in Canada’s controversial tar sands will be “very much slower” than in recent years, the company’s new chief executive has said, as the group makes a strategic shift away from high-cost “unconventional” oil production. Shell now plans to rely more on conventional oil and gas reserves for its future growth. (1/25, #26)
• * Within Russia, the political climate seems to be warming to private and foreign oil industry investors after years of Kremlin preference for big state companies had squeezed rivals' access to major new projects. BP says their relations have thawed dramatically. (1.25, #28)
• * Crude oil rigs operating in the U.S. increased by seven this week to 444, the highest level in 16 years, as drilling rose in Texas and the Dakotas. The count has more than doubled since June, when it bottomed out at 179. North Dakota [the Bakken], which ranks fourth in rigs behind Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, added three this week to 75. Its rigs have more than doubled from 33 last May. The total rig count for gas and oil rose by 35, or 2.7 percent, to 1,317, an 11-month high. (1/30, #18)
• * Exxon Mobil and TransCanada said a proposed Alaskan natural gas pipeline to carry gas to US markets will cost, $32 to $41 billion—a substantial increase from the $26 billion cost projected as recently as June 2009. (1/30, #19)
• * Two million vehicles with engines running on gasoline in Nigeria have been slated for conversion into the ones powered by compressed natural gas. (1/26, #7)
• * The capital cost of Shell's Pearl gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar is $18 billion or more -- 10% of its market capitalization. (1/26, #3)
• * For US natural gas, the average daily spot price for 2009 was $3.95/MMbtu. The average wellhead price for 2009 was $3.61/MMBtu. Average wellhead gas prices increased in December 2009 to $4.31/MMbtu from a September low of $2.84. Natural gas futures contracts suggest that gas prices will remain in the $5.50-6.00/MMBtu range through Q3 2010, and then increase toward $7.00 in Q4 2010. (1/28, #16)
• * New York City's water supply should be protected from natural gas drilling in the upstate Marcellus Shale formation, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Monday, making his toughest comments on the proposal so far. (1/26, #14)
• * Saudi Arabia uses 1.5 million b/d of oil at its water desalination plants, according to Arab News. Roughly 60% of their fresh water consumption is from expensive desalinated water. But planned solar-powered plants will help keep costs down. (1/28, #20)
• * In Yemen, Al-Qaeda militants could strengthen their foothold and form part of a belt of Islamist instability linking Asia to Africa if the government in Sanaa fails to crack down decisively against them, analysts say. The most direct threat from a stronger Al-Qaeda foothold in Yemen is to Saudi Arabia, which shares a 1,500 km porous land border with its southern neighbor. (1/28, #6)
• * The International Air Transport Association said 2009 saw the worst demand decline in history, despite December traffic improving 4.5% from a year earlier. Passenger demand for the full year was down 3.5% compared with 2008, with the load factor hitting 75.6% on average. Freight showed a full year decline of 10.1% and a load factor of 49.1%. (1/27, #4)
• * The US auto and truck fleet has apparently peaked and started to decline. Cars scrapped exceeded new car sales in 2009 for the first time since World War II, shrinking the US fleet from the all-time high of 250 million to 246 million…Parents can no longer afford to buy cars for their kids. And with teenage unemployment at the highest rate in history, kids cannot afford to buy their own cars. (1/26, #16)
• * Saudi Arabia does not expect any global climate change pact soon because current proposals lack fair burden-sharing and would hit oil exporters unfairly, the country’s top climate negotiator said on Sunday. (1/25, #7)
• * Climate change may be an “accelerant of instability” in future conflicts, and the U.S. military needs to plan for possible environmental catastrophes and resource wars, according to the Pentagon’s soon-to-be-released master strategy document. (1/28, #19)
• * President Obama, acting on a pledge to support nuclear power, will propose tripling U.S. loan guarantees for new reactors to more than $54 billion. Industry groups have said the loan guarantees are critical to reviving the industry because most companies can’t afford the $9 billion capital investment in a facility that can take a decade to build.(1/30, #15)
• * Secretary of State Clinton said the Chinese government is coming under pressure to recognize how Iran, on which it relies for oil, may destabilize the region with its nuclear program. (1/30, #6)
• * In Vermont, levels of radioactive tritium have risen rapidly in recent weeks in the groundwater surrounding its sole nuclear power plant, leading both longtime supporters and foes of the reactor to question whether it will be allowed to keep operating. (1/29, #21)
• * International mergers and acquisitions to gain access to uranium mines are set to rise as countries seek to strengthen fuel security to power new nuclear reactors, Nomura International said in a report. (1/26, #17)
• * General Motors said on Tuesday that its Chevrolet Volt, an electric car with extended range via an onboard gas generator, would be launched later this year in three markets, including Washington. Nissan, meanwhile, is highlighting its Leaf, an electric car that the company says is expected to go on sale in December. Ford’s first fully electric vehicle, a work van known as the Transit Connect, will be available later this year. (1/27, #21)
• * Nissan, Japan’s third-largest carmaker, closed on a $1.4 billion loan from the U.S. Energy Department that will be used to retrofit facilities in Smyrna, Tennessee, for making electric cars. (1/29, #23)
• * Think, the Norwegian electric automaker, announced a deal this week with a California company, AeroVironment, a maker of electric vehicle charging stations, to introduce fast-charging stations that can charge its battery-powered City car to 80 percent capacity in as little as 15 minutes. But utilities — concerned that fast-chargers (at 440 volts vs. 110 volts for household current) could overload the electricity grid — are cautious. (1/30, #25)
• * Maine has been heavily involved in generating power from wind, and now Gov. John Baldacci is drawing attention to a plan to create ammonia as a green energy source from wind power. (1/25, #33)

you do yourself no favours my friend

He said "briefs."

what does this mean, exactly?

that it belongs in the science forum? business? ... I think all apply, sure.

That posts like the OP only really serve to confirm the rambling peak oil dude image that some have tarred you with despite the fact that to me at least you seem like quite a smart insightful guy.

People would play social dynamics rather than debate this issue.

I find your posts interesting, but get tilted by the epic strawmans they seem to envoke. The deletion of your threads being the ultimate expression of this.

That said, who do you expect to read this post.

Edit it into something more reader friendly.

oh, i don't really care about that. ... they can tar away. ...

that will only carry weight when anyone proves that demand hasn't outstripped supply. I know I don't ramble.

Look, that's a bit disingenuous. The OP is pretty obviously substandard by the forum rules. It's essentially a cut and paste of a bunch of headlines with a link.

I know that Jiggs is between a rock and a hard place, because if he starts a Peak Oil thread ElliotR will put the smackdown on him for that, too. Which is why I think we need a Peak Oil thread. Just because some posters and the mod don't want to talk about it doesn't mean it should be cast into the outer darkness.

On the other hand, I personally recall flipping out when they tried to contain AC related posts in a single "AC ghetto" thread.

Personally, I think Jiggs should be allowed to post about whatever he wants to post about, and if his threads fall off the front page due to lack of interest, then no harm done. If they don't, then it's obviously something people want to talk about. But the OP is still poor.

i think it's extremely reader friendly, actually... quick hits.

every one of those snippets are fascinating, and further confirm the overall road map.

whatever they wanna do... consolidate it, move it to another forum, or leave it... as long as it's allowed to be talked about, imo.

I am intrested in this topic and managed the first 3.

It is a very bad op imo.

ok, well, seriously, tell me what I should have done? parceled it down to 4 or 5? added commentary under each one?

it's the sheer volume of news on the topic that is really the point. this stuff just is not covered much in the U.S. media. It just isn't. Maybe 2 or 3 on CNBC, but that's about it.

i've seen threads closed because they don't say enough, i've seen them closed because they say too much, i've seen them closed because they don't tell "why I should click that link."

what makes an acceptable OP here?

I'm not allowed to say.

iirc, Ryan said if a Peak Oil thread was started by anyone other that jiggs, he would not be in a hurry to lock it if there were contributions from others.

Jiggs,

I don't see how all the electric car stuff proves your point of a peak oil crisis that disrupts supply chains and kills a bunch of people. It seems to support my claim that people will adapt to rising oil prices if the supply of oil drops by driving more fuel-efficient cars, or even electric cars, which are now becoming available.

Jiggs, what is your best guess for when society enters into an absolute catastrophe unless we change our ways?

solid OP actually...read them all. It would take an enormous amount of reading elsewhere to obtain the same volume of info. As someone very interested in this stuff I do have a lot of the background info and I can see if you didn't have that then it would be hard to put the comments in context. Anyways linked for the future, hopefully the site does this periodically.

Isn't it a bit disingenuous to imply jiggs thinks every single thing on that list is proof positive of his theories no?

I think it is clear that the automakers are anticipating a rise in consumer demand for electric vehicles. This isn't proof of peak oil in the sense that their are definately large elements of this catering just to the populism of environmentalism or even if they DID think there was peak oil they could be wrong. But I do think it counts as evidence that there is a growing realization about the infeasibility of an automarket based entirely on oil in the medium and long terms.

As for averting the peak oil issue by switching to electric carsr I am sure this will happen but is only a band aid solution...the electricity isn't a source of energy it is a transporter....so you are relying on nuclear and coal and perhaps some mixture of "green" techs. This is fine but would be a monumental increase to provide the electricity to power just half the worlds cars.

I don't remember saying any of that. All I've conceded is that life will (and is) getting much harder due to the draw down of cheap energy. I say next to nothing about any die off predictions. That is for the Howard Kunstlers and Matt Savinars of the world.

That being said, the electric car initiative is treading water, and has a long way to go before being truly commercially viable on any mass scale. Meanwhile, collapse has already started.

Additionally, you still need to make electricity for those cars... You still need tires, road pavement, plastics, medicines, pesticides and everything else that light crude provides.

< 10 years, considering the new (optimistic) accepted date for peak is estimated at 2020.

personally, based on the models that I've seen, I believe the world has already peaked and is in full demand-destruction mode.

do you not see a rapid shift to alternative forms of energy as an alternative to resource wars? I understand that light crude is used to make pretty much everything, but using it for manufacturing as opposed to energy production would pretty much negate a large part of the effects of peak oil.

fyp

If you can show me how a monetary system based on gluttonous consumption and debt can pull itself together in short order and transfer to such an (as yet undecided) alternate form in time to mitigate serious societal shock, then I would love to absorb it.

This is about time more than anything. Kunstler aptly calls it "the long emergency." ... We don't seem to get off our asses until it gets really uncomfortable. Unfortunately, we're 30 years behind doing much of anything for a process that will likely take a generation, using investment capital we no longer have.

You don't need light crude to make any of those things. Heavier oils are just as good.

It wouldn't have nearly as far to go if gas was 5 dollars a gallon.

From your (again terrible) OP about some book that will be our "red pill." You might not remember saying such things but I sure do.

edit: those aren't Jiggs' words, they are from a long passage clipped from Ruppert's book. But it seems like Jiggs is saying the author is correct. He wrote the "red pill" after all.

What type of Supply Contraction do you foresee happening?