Assemblymember Nava Speaks Out Against Offshore Oil Drilling

Posted by admin on March 12th, 2010 and filed under offshore oil production | No Comments »

(Sacramento) Assemblymember Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) joined many of his colleagues in the State Legislature to oppose a proposal to allow new oil drilling off the coast of California. During the floor debate on legislation (AB23xxxx) to allow the PXP/Tranquillion Ridge project to go forward Assemblymember Nava said, This bill is all about manipulating the budget crisis to create a windfall for one oil company and called it an historic reversal of decades of environmental policy. Heres more from Assemblymember Nava in this Assembly Access video.

Duration : 0:4:16

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Peak Oil in 5 Slides (plus Gas Prices) by Aaron Wissner

Posted by admin on March 6th, 2010 and filed under world oil production | No Comments »

Gas prices are rising, at this rate, the average price of gasoline in the USA will rise from $4 per gallon to $10 per gallon in less than seven years.

Oil prices are also rising, and if they continue going up at this rate, will be $1,000 per barrel within 10 years.

What is causing gasoline, diesel, propane, fuel oil, petroleum and oil prices to rise so quickly?

The answer is that demand is increasing all over the world, everywhere, but at the same time, world oil supply is NOT increasing. In fact, world oil supply was “stuck” at under 85 million barrels per day for over three years.

We may be at peak oil. The economic impacts we have seen may just be the beginning.

Using his renown “Peak Oil in Five Slides”, Aaron Wissner explains what is going on, and how rising prices are related to stagnant oil supply.

For more videos, visit:

http://localfuture.org

This video comes from “The International Conference on Peak Oil and Climate Change: Paths to Sustainability”.

http://sustainabilityconference.org

Feel free to copy and share with others.

Duration : 0:2:48

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A New Analogy for Peak Oil and Gas Prices

Posted by admin on January 31st, 2010 and filed under oil production peak | 4 Comments »

Peak Oil is the point of maximum production rates… it is not about “Running out of oil”

When peak oil production is reached, and demand for oil continues to soar. Then the price of oil will continue to go up.

Links in the Video:

Bakken Formation (wiki): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakken_Formation

Video on Energy-Return-Over-Invested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztgz-QOOrs8

Duration : 0:5:26

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Molchanov Says Chevrons Strategy Is on The Right Track: Video

Posted by admin on January 31st, 2010 and filed under crude oil production | No Comments »

Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) — Pavel Molchanov, an analyst at Raymond James & Associates, talks with Bloombergs Julie Hyman and Mark Crumpton about the outlook for Chevron Corp. after it said fourth-quarter net income dropped 37 percent as slumping demand for diesel and gasoline outweighed gains from oil production and prices.
Molchanov also discusses prospects for the company’s refineries and the outlook for Exxon Mobil Corp.’s earnings. (Source: Bloomberg)

Duration : 0:4:42

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Peak Oil: Gas Prices, Supply Depletion & Energy Crisis: 5of5

Posted by admin on December 22nd, 2009 and filed under peak oil production | No Comments »

We are entering the Peak Oil era. The growth of oil production is slowing, forcing up oil and gasoline prices, firing inflation, driving unemployment, straining our global economy, and threatening to collapse our entire system. Teacher Aaron Wissner, highlights the impacts, underlying problem, and solutions. This is part 5 of 5 in a one-hour presentation. See the full one-hour video at LocalFuture.org. Also, at YouTube, see the summary with great resources, web sites, video clips, and detailed background on Peak Oil and its impacts.

Duration : 0:10:0

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Peak Oil & Climate Change Conference: Path to Sustainability

Posted by admin on December 15th, 2009 and filed under global oil production | 8 Comments »

Gas prices are rising, demand for oil is rising, and yet oil production stopped rising over three years ago. Peak oil may be here, and it’s taking us unprepared.

How long can this oil production level be maintained? When will the decline in oil supply begin? How will that impact already rising gasoline prices, oil prices, food prices and the struggling state of the world economy?

The International Conference on Peak Oil and Climate Change: Paths to Sustainability explores the root cause of rising gas prices, global warming, biodiversity loss and other indicators of global unsustainability.

With high powered, international speakers and authors including Richard Heinberg, Dr. David Goodstein, Megan Quinn Bachman, Julian Darley, Stephanie Mills and Pat Murphy, the uncertainties of energy and climate will be illuminated in this first-of-its-kind international conference.

The event begins with an in-depth scientifically-rigorous overview of the global issues of peak oil, climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and population growth and how these are impacting individuals, businesses, nations, the environment and the world.

Participants then focus on the concepts of sustainability and the associated value systems and cultural visions. A spectrum of breakout seminar presentations led by professionals and experts help individuals, businesses, governments and communities move towards a vision of local cultures of sustainability.

Join with a broad array of professionals, politicians, business leaders, and concerned citizens for this unique high-level international conference that explores the causes of global problems and proposes solutions to move humanity toward lasting paths of sustainability.

Duration : 0:0:25

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Gas Prices, Gas Gouging, Peak Oil, Elasticity, Supply Demand

Posted by admin on November 13th, 2009 and filed under peak oil production | 25 Comments »

Gasoline gas prices are based on oil prices. Oil prices are determined by the oil supply and oil demand. Right now, both oil supply and oil demand are almost inelastic. As gasoline gas and oil prices go up, the demand stays almost the same. As the oil supply reaches peak oil or maximum production or extraction, the demand curve becomes vertical, or inelastic. The inelasticity of the oil supply and oil demand set things up for price volatility of both oil and gasoline. The seasonal changes in gas and oil prices we’ve seen in the last three years is probably due to reaching peak oil. This short screencast shows an inelastic oil supply curve, as well as an inelastic oil demand curve, and what happens to prices as the oil supply or oil demand change.

Duration : 0:1:16

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Economic Collapse: Our Unsustainable System vs. the Peak Oil & The Decline of the Master Resource

Posted by admin on November 13th, 2009 and filed under global oil production | 13 Comments »

Our global economic system is dependent on a growing energy, and most importantly, oil supply.

Without growth in energy, the money supply can not grow (for long), which leads to a situation where the money supply stops growing, leading to economic recession.

When the USA hit its peak oil production in 1970, there were a series of economic impacts, including recession, abandoning the gold standand, high unemployment, and high inflation.

Global peak oil extraction appears to have happened in the 2005-2008 time frame, and had a large contributing effect on stressing the global economic system to the verge of collapse. The run up in gas gasoline prices during that same era impacted the economic system severely.

The US Government and many others have examined the global peak oil issue and have come to the sobering conclusion that severe economic impacts are inevitable, and we are unprepared.

Future oil prices may be driven up by the stagnant or declining supply, and then collapsing down as economic dislocation occurs.

This is the second part of a 30 minute talk by Aaron Wissner about our Local Future.

Duration : 0:10:5

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Peak Oil Crisis Now, Painful Withdrawal Here

Posted by admin on October 25th, 2009 and filed under world oil production | 4 Comments »

Features Richard Heinberg, Matthew Simmons, Roscoe Bartlett & David Goodstein

Oil is the primary fuel of the global economy. 98% of cars and trucks, 100% of farm equipment, 99% of trains, and 100% of airplanes run on oil. Oil provides 50% of all energy in the USA. It is used for plastics, cosmetics, packaging, etc.

Shell oil geologist M. King Hubbert predicted that U.S. oil production would peak around 1970, which it did.

Now, the USA consumes more than twice as much as it produces.

The GAO states that world oil production is expected to peak any time now but the federal government doesn’t have a plan.

Oil will continue to become more and more expensive as peak oil is passed and prices rise.

Duration : 0:4:24

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Crude Oil Refinery Operations 1994

Posted by admin on October 25th, 2009 and filed under crude oil production | No Comments »

The approximately 145 operating petroleum refineries in the United States account for significant releases of pollution into the environment and many threats to worker health and safety. The petroleum industry began with the successful drilling of the first commercial oil well in 1859, and the opening of the first refinery two years later to process the crude into kerosene. The original requirement was to produce kerosene as a cheaper and better source of light than whale oil. The development of the internal combustion engine led to the production of gasoline and diesel fuels. The evolution of the airplane created a need first for high-octane aviation gasoline and then for jet fuel, a sophisticated form of the original product, kerosene. Present-day refineries produce a variety of products including many required as feedstock for the petrochemical industry. The evolution of petroleum refining from simple distillation to today’s sophisticated processes has created a need for health and safety management procedures and safe work practices. To those unfamiliar with the industry, petroleum refineries may appear to be complex and confusing places. Refining is the processing of one complex mixture of hydrocarbons into a number of other complex mixtures of hydrocarbons. The safe and orderly processing of crude oil into flammable gases and liquids at high temperatures and pressures using vessels, equipment, and piping subjected to stress and corrosion requires considerable knowledge, control, and expertise. For more on the workplace and environmental hazards at oil refineries, go to the OSHA website at http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iv/otm_iv_2.html#1 and the EPA at http://www.epa.gov/oig/reports/2004/20040622-2004-P-00021.pdf
This is clipped from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 1994 video Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Training Series, Highlights: Protecting the Environment from Oil Spills. The entire video is available at the Internet Archives.

Duration : 0:2:41

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