Category Archives: GOVERNMENT

government, politicians, military, political issues, U.S. congressional record and so on

Pentagon video warns of unavoidable dystopian future for world’s biggest cities

Posted on September 14, 2017 by

Preface.  A few excerpts: Megacities are, by definition, urban areas with a population of 10 million or more, and they have been a recent source of worry and research for the U.S. military. A 2014 Army report, titled “Megacities and … Continue reading →

Posted in Military | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Summary of German Armed Forces Peak Oil Study

Posted on August 14, 2017 by

[This is a summary I first published in 2011.  It’s important, so I’ve re-posted it today.  According to Der Spiegel this study was leaked and not meant for publication.  The document concludes that the public must be made aware of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, GOVERNMENT, Government study predictions, Military, Over Oil, Peak Oil, Peak Resources, War, War Books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The effects of Middle East events on U.S. Energy markets

Posted on July 2, 2017 by

[ Of note from this U.S. House 2011 hearing: John Hofmeister, former President of Shell Oil.  Matt Simmons, who passed away this past summer, used to speak of the Straits of Hormuz as, we live one day away from an … Continue reading →

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America’s energy future. U.S. House hearing 2011

Posted on June 2, 2017 by

[  It’s always good to look back in time to when our representatives were worried about our dependency on oil.  Apparently they were desperate, since the proposed H.R. 909 bill included Coal-To-Liquids (CTL), much of it for the military.  I … Continue reading →

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Energy, Water, & Climate Change are interdependent

Posted on May 28, 2017 by

Preface. This is a very long post with summaries of two GAO reports on interdependencies of energy, water, and climate change from 2014 and 2012. While cheap and plentiful oil remains, these problems can be fixed, hiding the true depth … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Energy Infrastructure, Energy Production, GAO Government Accountability Office, Interdependencies | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Energy, Water, & Climate Change are interdependent

Why can’t we have a global government?

Posted on May 17, 2017 by

MacKenzie, D. September 6, 2014. Imagine there’s no countries…it isn’t hard to do, sang John Lennon. Actually it is. Is there an alternative?  NewScientist. Nation states cause some of our biggest problems, from civil war to climate inaction. Try, for … Continue reading →

Posted in GOVERNMENT | 2 Comments

Should America Export Oil? Senate hearings 2014-2015

Posted on April 14, 2017 by

[ There are excerpts from two senate hearings on exporting crude oil below. Much of the testimony is either from industries that will make money off of exports, or industries that will lose money because they use (cheap) oil as … Continue reading →

Posted in U.S. Congress Energy Independence | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

How are energy storage batteries coming along? U.S. House hearing 2015

Posted on April 5, 2017 by

[ My favorite quotes from this U.S. House of Representatives session: THOMAS MASSIE, KENTUCKY. I want to say this has been a very enlightening hearing, and it confirms my personal experience, which is batteries are not sexy. Buckets of acid … Continue reading →

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Energy as a weapon: Implications for U.S. policy U.S. House hearing 2006

Posted on April 2, 2017 by

[ My favorite quotes from this session: Mr. Lynch: E.F. Schumacher said in 1964: “There is no substitute for energy: the whole edifice of modern life is built upon it. Although energy can be bought and sold like any other … Continue reading →

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Tax reform & federal energy policy: incentives to promote energy efficiency. U.S. Senate hearing.

Posted on March 30, 2017 by

[ By far the best strategy to cope with energy decline is to prepare by making homes, businesses, appliances, vehicles, and so on more energy efficient.  If it turns out that renewable energy has too low an EROI to sustain … Continue reading →

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