Category Archives: Oil & Gas

Oil choke points vulnerable to war, chaos, terrorism, accidents, & piracy

Posted on April 12, 2024 by

Source: Ballout, D. 2013. Choke Points: Our energy access points. Oil Change. Preface. Below are several articles I’ve collected since 2005 on oil chokepoints. If oil tanker traffic were stopped on one or more, much of the world would plunge … Continue reading →

Posted in Chokepoints, Oil & Gas, Oil Shocks, Threats to oil supply | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

The Impact of Climate Change on California: 8th Largest Economy, 40% of U.S. Shipping

Posted on August 6, 2023 by

Preface. California’s economy and population relies on one of the most extensive and costly infrastructure systems in the world. This includes thousands of miles of roads, highways and railroads, nearly 200 large water reservoirs of varying capacity, miles of canals, … Continue reading →

Posted in Electricity Infrastructure, Energy Infrastructure, Extreme Weather, Heat, Oil & Gas, Rail, Sea Level Rise, Transportation Infrastructure | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Impact of Climate Change on California: 8th Largest Economy, 40% of U.S. Shipping

Implications of Refinery closures for Homeland Security & critical infrastructure safety

Posted on March 24, 2022 by

Preface. The talk of electric vehicles saving the world from greenhouse gases is nonsense, a red herring to distract everyone from what’s really at stake, and from the material requirements to build them with rare earth and other scarce minerals, … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Infrastructure & Fast Crash, Oil & Gas, Peak Oil, U.S. Congress Infrastructure | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lifespan of infrastructure, transportation, and buildings

Posted on February 27, 2021 by

Preface. What follows is from the International Energy Agency 2020 report “Energy technology perspectives” on how to transition to net zero emissions by 2050. This might require the replacement of just about everything, since power plants, steel blast furnaces, cement … Continue reading →

Posted in Airplanes, Automobiles, Concrete, Dams, Electricity Infrastructure, Energy Infrastructure, Limits To Growth, Manufacturing & Industrial Heat, Oil & Gas, Transportation Infrastructure, Trucks | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Will covid-19 delay peak oil?

Posted on May 9, 2020 by

Preface. Here is my take on the effect this pandemic will have on oil production. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, 2015, Springer, Barriers to Making Algal Biofuels, and “Crunch! Whole … Continue reading →

Posted in How Much Left, Oil & Gas, Peak Oil | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Saudi oil infrastructure at risk from drone attacks

Posted on September 19, 2019 by

Preface. This NYT article was published 4 months ago, and its warning just came true. Quite prescient! Drones make it pretty easy to anonymously attack the thousands of miles of pipelines across the Arabian peninsula, oil tankers, pumping stations, and … Continue reading →

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Threats to America’s oil pipeline grid

Posted on May 30, 2019 by

Preface. At some point of energy decline there will be Americans who tap into pipelines to get scarce oil for themselves and to sell it on black markets. Just look at the massive amount of oil being stolen in Nigeria … Continue reading →

Posted in Fuel Distribution, Oil & Gas, Terrorism | Tagged | 1 Comment

Preventing economic shock wave: Securing the port of Houston from a terrorist attack

Posted on March 29, 2018 by

                    [ An attack on (LNG) ships, oil tankers, or the Houston port facilities Houston would cause an oil shock, since a third of oil refining takes place there, and it’s … Continue reading →

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It’s official – the U.S. is energy independent! House Hearing 2013

Posted on April 7, 2016 by

House 113-88. October 29, 2013. North American Energy Infrastructure act. House of Representatives. [Excerpts from the 195 page transcript of this hearing]  ED WHITFIELD, KENTUCKY. Over the last several months, this committee has received compelling testimony detailing how the United … Continue reading →

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Corrosion eats $552 billion of infrastructure a year (6% of GDP)

Posted on March 26, 2016 by

Preface. United States infrastructure was built when the EROI of oil was very high and minerals and metals were cheap due to high ore concentrations. This study was done in 2002, since then, things have gotten much worse (see ASCE … Continue reading →

Posted in Bridges, Oil & Gas, Rail, Transportation Infrastructure | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments