The End of Cheap Oil

I read an artical in Rolling Stone about this a couple weeks ago. Ive searched the internet about it also, pretty scary stuff to think about. Im sure the guys at GE know about the up coming energy crisis we are about to face, wonder if the railroads are doing any planning also.

Has anyone else studied this topic? are you doing any planning yourself?


In the magazine the guy thought maybe we could still move freight with the use of steam engines after the crash. My thoughts are maybe.... if they started to build them now and held them in storage after the SHTF... maybe.

First off, take ANYTHING Rolling Stone says with two grains of salt (and a little pepper for good measure). They slant so far to the left it's amazing that the magazine doesn't fall out of the rack. If Kerry had won the election, guaranteed that the outlook for the future would be bright and rosy, energy included.

The hybrid locomotives that they're testing are a good start, as is the directive about shutting the motors down when not being used. I'm sure that more could be done, but it takes big business a while to face facts that we may be in the "golden years" of relying on fossil fuels.

Personally, I am already planning on incorporating solar and/or some kind of wind power for the dream house my wife is designing. More immediately, my 79 Wagoneer has stopped leaking oil, so that's a good thing too.

Ive read more stuff than what was in rollling stone, it just the first time i really saw an artical come out and be so blunt. You here about high gas prices on the news and in the paper but they dont go into such detail to tell you why its soo high or what is going to happen in the near future. We are heading for an oil crisis, theres no doubt about it.

Solar and wind power is a good idea.

I don't know the article you're referring to, but I learned a lesson about the accuracy of all the Chicken Little prognosticators during the Y2K panic.

Good website jg greenwood, searching global oil production brings up alot of good stuff also. Look at www.hubbertpeak.com

A quote from that web site: Oil depletion is a secret. The press typically ignores a problem until it causes a crisis. By then it will be too late. Politicians are reactive animals. They shun the topic of oil depletion because it is political suicide to discuss unpleasant issues. If they acknowledge a pending oil crisis, then we voters will ask embarrassing questions: Why did you let this happen? What do you intend to do about it?

The rolling stone April 7 2005, THE END OF OIL. What's going to happen as we start running out of cheap gas to guzzle? within the next few years, we'll find out. And nothing will ever be the same.

This isnt a Y2K scare. Like i said it talks about buring wood to still move freight by rail.

UPRR engineer wrote:Good website jg greenwood, searching global oil production brings up alot of good stuff also.

A quote from that web site: Oil depletion is a secret. The press typically ignores a problem until it causes a crisis. By then it will be too late. Politicians are reactive animals. They shun the topic of oil depletion because it is political suicide to discuss unpleasant issues. If they acknowledge a pending oil crisis, then we voters will ask embarrassing questions: Why did you let this happen? What do you intend to do about it?

The rolling stone April 7 2005, THE END OF OIL. What's going to happen as we start running out of cheap gas to guzzle? within the next few years, we'll find out. And nothing will ever be the same.

This isnt a Y2K scare. Like i said it talks about buring wood to still move freight by rail.

It's a grim scenario indeed. Sadly, our useless do-nothing politicians will ignore the inevitable until it's too late. What goes around comes around, coal-fired engines again?

All I had to read in that blog was the name Sierra Club and I knew right away that we were dealing with alarmist propaganda.

Relatively speaking, gas is not high priced. A gallon of milk costs more than gas. People buy a 20 ounce bottle of Aquafina water, whose water source is the Latham, NY municipal water system, for a buck at the convenient mart or two bucks at a fireman's carnival.

Granted, there is a finite amount of oil in the ground, and humanity must alter its dependence on petrol energy. Not surprisingly, the Bush presidency is doing nothing to promote either conservation or alternatives. But the country is not about to come to a grinding halt due to lack of oil. Down the road, there will be some painful times ahead, perhaps rationing, but agriculture and transportation will be first on the list for supplies. Mean while, park the motor home, trade in the SUV, and start the change in your own back yard.

Brad Smith wrote:All I had to read in that blog was the name Sierra Club and I knew right away that we were dealing with alarmist propaganda.

Relatively speaking, gas is not high priced. A gallon of milk costs more than gas. People buy a 20 ounce bottle of Aquafina water, whose water source is the Latham, NY municipal water system, for a buck at the convenient mart or two bucks at a fireman's carnival.

Granted, there is a finite amount of oil in the ground, and humanity must alter its dependence on petrol energy. Not surprisingly, the Bush presidency is doing nothing to promote either conservation or alternatives. But the country is not about to come to a grinding halt due to lack of oil. Down the road, there will be some painful times ahead, perhaps rationing, but agriculture and transportation will be first on the list for supplies. Mean while, park the motor home, trade in the SUV, and start the change in your own back yard.

No fan of the Sierra Club either. Alarmist propaganda? IMHO, the times will be more painful than we realize. And, not that far down the road.

Two words for y'all: nuclear energy.

Why waste oil to generate electricity when a perfectly viable substitute already exists??

thebigc wrote:Two words for y'all: nuclear energy.

Why waste oil to generate electricity when a perfectly viable substitute already exists??

Sounds plausible. Now, if we can only convince the environmentalists?

www.railpower.com

It's a start! Glad to hear your wagoneer is no longer leaking, what was your secreat, so i can fix my 86 Nissan Pulsar, the "Exxon Valdez"?

thebigc wrote:Two words for y'all: nuclear energy.

Why waste oil to generate electricity when a perfectly viable substitute already exists??

Did you look at the websites? If not at least read the one below. Its too late in the game for another energy source. I was worried i was gonna be the only one who knew of what we will see in the near future, im glad to see im not alone. Its hard for people not to think your crazy when you bring up stuff like this. Most people say that the goverment will think of something by then, and when you tell them its getting close if it hasnt already peaked by now, theres not enough time, they just dont get get it. If you plan on the worst possible and it turns out to be medium or even bad, you didnt lose any, you still came out ahead. I tell eveyone that doesnt believe its gonna come, consider yourself warned. Living in or near a large city would be horrible. Brad Smith you said start the change in your own back yard. The problem with that is trying to keep people out of your garden. Its a bad deal all around, when they start rationing gas is when you will know that its gonna get real ugly quick.

The question that i wonder about the most is how long is it gonna take tell things calm down, the united states turns into a third world country, and things go back to the ways of the 1800's... steam engines, panning for gold, mining coal the hard way, hunting and growing your own food, trading. Maybe it wont get that bad, maybe.
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http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/

Ok, I went to the website, and I think that maybe paranoia has set in. yes they are right in alot of aspects, we do need new forms of energy. Methanol, ethanol is a good idea, and I wonder about the websites idea's on hydrogen. A couple of weeks ago there was a show on Discovery channel, concerning the aspect of alternate forms of energy in Iceland. Hydrogen was one of them.
http://www.newstarget.com/006732.html
http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCellTo ... 70,00.html

Seems worthwhile, and is in operation now. Maybe its the answer. Any idea's?