I think this is a regional issue. In Northern Europe everybody is acutely aware that North Sea oil and gas are running out. The reality of more expensive and less secure imported supplies was driven home by Russia's spat with the Ukraine last month. So for this region, the concept of Peak Oil is a given and it is viewed in terms of price and supply instability.

In Canada, while there is a surge of supply out of Alberta there is a growing alarm at the cost since they are bound by Kyoto - fuels processed from the Athabasca Tar Sands result in more CO2 and more energy per barrel produced than any other. At the same time Canadian natural gas production has peaked already.

One of the side issues is the constant but almost silent fear that oil and gas reserves are over stated. Some of these fears are starting to play out with quite public down-grading of stock prices and bond ratings over the last 18 months.

As with the H2 debate, the US is a different case. Our policy has been to seek and secure long term offshore supplies for decades now and we have been effectively sheltered from supply disruption ever since the 70's. Whether this can remain the case (and at what cost in terms of foreign policy and intervention) in the face of surging demand from China, India etc., remains to be seen.

Dr. Stephen R Clarke
CEO
Electrochemical Design Associates, Inc.

Just like Bush's State of the Union message, your article contained not one mention of the need for conservation to partially mitigate this inevitability. Increasing CAFE standards now is an obvious and necessary step in the right direction.

A Federal gas tax increasing by one cent every month would be $0.12 per gallon after one year, $1.20 per gallon after ten years. This would encourage consumers to demand more efficient vehicles. Someone once said, if you don't want people to consume something (e.g. alcohol, tobacco), tax it.

A minor correction: Rep. Roscoe Bartlett is a Republican representing southeast Maryland, their 6th District.

Gary Parker

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