The peak oil crisis: a memorandum for the board (Tom Whipple)

Created by : Francis Goodwin View profile

Tom Whipple -- Falls Church News-Press

Memorandum for: The Chairman, Arlington County Board

Subject: Energy Task Force

Jan. 10, 2007 -- First, let me congratulate you on your proposal to make a major effort during the coming year to slow the county's contribution to the world's emissions. Front-page coverage in the Washington Post insured the story was repeated around the country and indeed around the world.

I was particularly pleased to note that part of your proposal was to establish a citizen Energy Transition Task Force to advise the county regarding policies and actions that might aid the transition to a world in which substantially less fossil fuel will be used. The term "energy transition" is a good one for it encompasses those policies and actions that are desirable to slow global warming as well as to prepare for the inevitable arrival of oil depletion.

In researching what other cities have been doing about planning for oil depletion, I came across a preliminary report from the City of Portland (OR) peak oil task force that is worth looking at. Portland established its task force last May and so under the doctrine of "not reinventing the wheel," it is well worth noting some of the insights they have developed during seven months of deliberations.

Every locality in the world will face a different set of problems as it confronts oil depletion. Each will have particular assets that can be mobilized to mitigate the impact of peak oil and each will have liabilities that will make things more difficult. Obviously small rural towns surrounded by oceans of food production are going to be a different position than the residents of Manhattan. Arlington, which sits smack in the middle of a metropolis of 5 million inhabitants divided into 20 or 30 jurisdictions, must think through its own problems and solutions. Nevertheless, it seems that the Portland approach contains some good ideas.

Rather than launching into lists of recommendations, the Portland task force looked at the problem -- and it is indeed a large one -- and decided to break their efforts into four pieces with a sub-group concentrating on each one.