Still working on the transcription of a synopsis of Shell oil's dilemma in regard to replacing reserves et al, but here's a glimpse of what the natural environment of the U.S. will look like not too long from now unless we keep killing Iraqis, Somalians, Nigerians, Venezuelans... in genocidal quantities.
Fort McMurray Alberta Canada. When I passed that way in my hitchhiking travels in the mid 1970s, this was 'god's country'. I'd seen something like this on a smaller scale then when I'd gotten a ride to Chetwynd British Columbia by a fellow who made his living driving truck up the Alaska highway delivering oil pipe. A dirt-streeted town overwhelmed by traffic, people and absolute lack of any infrastructural development to support the hordes who had descended upon it. The tar sands development has turned the Fort McMurray region into an environmental/sociological hell. Courtesy of The Dominion, and MacDonald Stainsby @ [a-list] Index Page: http://www.dominionpaper.ca/place/fort_mcmurray Fort McMurray: The Tar Sands Speaking to tar sands workers is a strange exercise in processing contradictions. These folks are making $30, $40 and $50 per hour, often bringing home upwards of $100,000 a year. But if you ask them what they think, the responses are surprising. In the same breath that they talk about the money they're making, workers (men and women) will say things like "it's a mess, it's a huge mess" and even "it's a crime against humanity". So it's sort of hard to prepare yourself to see what's actually out there. It's also hard to see what's actually out there. The land that's being mined is publicly owned, but leased by Syncrude, Suncor and others, and we've been told by a number of sources that folks who venture in will end up with trespassing charges, a seized camera and even a police escort off of the premises. In this case, the premises are--potentially--the size of the state of Florida. http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/dru/1246
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Campers in the Abasands Heights neighbourhood. A small bungalow here can sell for $400,000, it's said, and thousands of workers are living in trucks, vans, tents and corporate-run camps. Quad tracks on a local trail. Trucks bring in new equipment daily. Traffic in Fort Mc is known for being dangerous, congested and reckless. Almost everyone we've spoken to here says complains about the traffic, and how everyone is in a big hurry. This usually is noted in the context of broader complaints about how everyone is out to get what they want, now, and has little regard for others. One resident of eight years went as far as to say that Albertans have, on the whole, been ruined by their wealth, taught to expect that they can have whatever they want, whenever they want. The other thing that people talk about is the crime rate. Local businesses are struggling to find ways for single, unattached workers making $100,000 annually to spend their money. A float plane behind a fence, near the downtown area. An abandoned campsite near the river. Trucks are parked in front of a local casino. http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/dru/1235 Fort McMurray: Homeless, Working Poor, and Welfare Recipients We had a brief conversation with Flex Turner, a twenty-five year resident of Fort McMurray, Syncrude employee, and soup kitchen volunteer. Turner said that since the kitchen where he volunteers started 13 years ago, he has "seen the numbers explode" every year. In addition to the city's homeless population, which he estimates at around 500, the church-based kitchen serves the working poor--mainly those "at McDonald's," cleaning jobs and the hotel industry--and welfare recipients. Once people pay their rent, he said, "there's not a lot left over for food." Turner explained that city was not building low-income housing, and the province is not providing funding to do so, exacerbating the existing housing crisis in Fort McMurray. The oil companies, he said, are not responsible for building roads or housing, so "they need to pay more" so the government can provide those things (oil companies currently pay 1% in royalties on oil revenues, and subsidies are provided for tar sands exploration). He added that companies like Syncrude sponsor colleges, recreational facilities and United Way. When asked about the environmental impact, Turner seemed to be share the prevailing attitude that recent developments are good for jobs, and didn't have a fundamental problem with the overall developments. He did have some sharper comments, however. "I'm not a scientist," he said, but noted that "it's a huge amount of lands" that are going to be mined for oil sands, and a "huge amount of waste" that will be generated. Turner referred to projects like Syncrude's raising of Bison as "a big show piece... good PR work for them." "It's never going to be what it was," said Turner. "Tailing ponds will be there for another hundred years... the wildlife are coming closer to [Fort McMurray]; we're taking up their space." http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/dru/1236 On 6/15/07, Leigh Meyers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Scarcity economics wouldn't be worth the nomenclature unless the scarcity had some probability of of becoming 'scarcity reality'. The probability for oil, in a rather short amount of time on the human scale, is quite high. I found a good reference point using Shell as an example this afternoon, but It's not on the internet. I'll transcribe this evening. Leigh On 6/15/07, sartesian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Replacement rates and reserves are economic categories. Peak oil is > scarcity economics all dressed up with nowhere to go. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Leigh Meyers" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, June 15, 2007 12:27 PM > Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Peak oil warning > > > > Replacement rates are a physical reality dependent on a number of > > factors NONE OF WHICH are currently (or in the foreseeable future) in > > favor of the petrochemical industry or it's exploration minions.. > > physically, as in Shell being chased out of the Niger Delta by force, > > or economically, as in cruder oil costing more to process, coming from > > places where we have to supply costly security, or costlier wars, to > > acquire the raw product AND pass that cost on to the consumers > > personal or industrial. > > > > "Reserves" are a hypothetical, gerrymandered, joke of minimal global > > proportion. I don't bother discussing them at all in relation to 'peak > > oil'. > > > > Leigh > > > > > > On 6/14/07, sartesian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Replacement rates and reserves are economic categories, dependent > upon > > > exploration and development, and of course exploration and > development > > > costs. > > > > > > After the overproduction and overaccumulation of the 90s, in both > the > > > commodity itself, in the fixed assets, and the leases for > exploration, > > > the oil majors reduced spending and centered their efforts on > > > development rather than exploration. > > > > > > Anyway, while I do not think the oil is running out, that is no > reason > > > not to deal with the issues of waste, pollution, and destructive > > > expropriation of resources. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Leigh Meyers" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: <[email protected]> > > > Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2007 1:03 PM > > > Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Peak oil warning > > > > > > > > > > It's been a number of years since the oil companies have been able > to > > > > produce enough at the wellhead to prevent depletion. > > > > > > > > On 6/14/07, s.artesian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Have supplies, reserves, "peaked," > > > > > and no future discoveries, extensions of reserves, or > > > > > new technologies to access remaining reserves (usually > > > > > half the amounts actually extracted) will ever reverse > > > > > the depletion? Or have supplies of the "cheap stuff" > > > > > peaked? And if the latter, isn't cheap a social, > > > > > not a geological, category? > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > > >From: Louis Proyect <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > >Sent: Jun 14, 2007 9:59 AM > > > > > >To: [email protected] > > > > > >Subject: [PEN-L] Peak oil warning > > > > > > > > > > > >http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article2656034.ece > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
