[Graeme]

Well, now that everybody knows that you really did sent a letter to HP, it's possible that Learsy (and HP staff) read your letter and decided to write his own (their) response. Was the content of his anyway similar to yours? (got interrupted before completing this) I presume it was exactly the same as the one you posted. I think that it is too much of a coincidence that Learsy's letter was published shortly after yours. In which case, your letter did have some influence on the staff at HP.

[pup55]

I sent basically the same thing as above, except directed toward the editor rather than Sam.

But you can't rule out the possibility that got them off dead center.

[aahala2]

"We absolutely must lessen our dependence on fossil fuels, harness the power of clean energy, and increase our energy efficiency."

If only the Bush administration had regularly acted that way
over the years.

There are those who talk the talk and those who walk the walk,
and the administration has been superior in talking only.

[Twilight]

This is a very important acknowledgement.

Bodman, the solution is for Americans to use less. High overall proportion of consumption, high per capita consumption, put the two together and you see one very juicy "low hanging fruit" right in your back yard. The US could save more oil by doubling its mileage than from any conceivable world production increase. Efficiency or bankruptcy, Bodman. This is one of those moments you get in business. Getting lower overheads by pleading with suppliers only gets you so far.

[dub_scratch]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Twilight', 'T')he US could save more oil by doubling its mileage than from any conceivable world production increase.

[Frank]

'Bodman said economic troubles because of high prices would only hurt oil producers.

"It's not good for producing nations to see the U.S. struggling economically. They depend on us to be a significant engine in world economic activity," Bodman said. '

Is he implying that our economic woes are their fault?

and

"...largely a problem of supply and demand." ???

Sounds like an economist to me...

[drgoodword]

I think "flat production" is going to become the officially approved political/corporate/msm euphemism for Peak Oil.

But I agree with Twilight...an important admission at a very high level. Peak Oil is here.

[Peleg]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Drifter', '[')b]US Energy Secretary: Flat production behind oil prices

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'N')ations should fight rising oil prices by cutting subsidies and vastly increasing investment in energy, while oil-producing countries need to ramp up output and divulge more information about how much they produce, the U.S. energy secretary said Saturday.

Samuel Bodman, attending two days of meetings in northern Japan among energy chiefs from Group of Eight industrialized countries and other top economies, said the surge in world oil prices was largely a simple problem of supply and demand.

Production has stalled since 2005 at 85 million barrels a day, while economic growth — particularly in China and India — has pushed demand ever higher, Bodman said before a meeting of ministers from the U.S., Japan, South Korea, India and China.

"We're in a difficult position where we have a lid on production and we have increasing demand in the world," he told a small group of reporters, dismissing the effects of speculation and unclear inventory levels and other factors on oil prices.

"I would devoutly hope we ... see a reduction of the use of oil in the world on the one hand, and an increase in the supply so we can see some mitigation in the pressure on price," Bodman said.

[catbox]

There you have it. Flat production since 2005. Just the news article I have been waiting for to direct family and friends to because they don't quite get what I have been saying for the past 5 years. Maybe if some "important" folk are saying it....it must be true! Ha ha!

But still......I figure the blame game will continue just so people can feel better about the whole thing or justify their bad behavior once things really get going.


Catbox

*I may take a mental break from the news, market, and PO.com for a while......I've hit that point again.

[Blacksmith]

Same song, different tune.

Long link shortened!

[skiptamali]

So even if you plug your EV into a grid that burns coal or nuclear, I guess the DOE still thinks that's better than burning oil. Given that some Canadian oil production is labor-intensive, environmentally destructive, and harmful to all living things, it's another good reason to get off the teat. (Check out the Candian tar pits.) We already highlight the need to buy less oil from the Middle East.

This is a nice little article about what Ford, GM, GE plan to do with the cash advance. In addition, there's some news from Nissan, Tesla, and Diamler.

Personally, I think it would be nice to be able to plug your car into a grid that made better use of renewable energy. Guess I can dream, but we're getting there slowly, right?

[3aidlillahi]

Aww geez. A whole $30 million USD for "non-oil" based cars? That's a large amount - if this were 1908. We spend $1.5 billion on gasoline every single day. And $30 million is supposed to cure us? Or even help? It's like putting a penny away a day for major surgery that's due today.

[sicophiliac]

Haha whats 30 million cover? 2 hours in Iraq ? What if some celebrity or activist started a nationwide fund raiser to generate money for EV research.. I bet they could easily double 30 million if they wanted to.. what a joke.

[diemos]

And exactly what research is needed? We could start building EVs today using existing technology.

The real issue is that there's no market demand for these vehicles outside of hobbyists.

[SILENTTODD]

Who knows? Maybe we'll have the U.S. Calvary back in business before too long!

[Cashmere]

The problem REALLY is that a plug in electric vehicle -

Will cost 30-50k, and,
will only have 100miles or less per charge, IF you want to go 55mph.

Thus, nobody is going to be interested in this vehicle until gasoline gets high enough to make the EV competitive, WITH sticker price included in the equation.

Further, I'm not going to believe that there is enough Li for millions of these EVs until I see a comprehensive study by competent, disinterested geologists and materials scientists.

Until then, to me, the EV is just the fire we are looking to jump into.

[kpeavey]

So the govt is handing out $30 million over 3 years =$10 million/year, split between 3 companies =$3.3 million/year/company (average). The companies are Ford, GM, and GE (in partnership with Chrysler).

GM: General Motors, 5th largest company on the planet, $186 Billion in assets, $207 Billion in revenue in 2005

GE: General Electric, 11th largest company in the world, $697 Billion in assets, $168 Billion revenue

Ford: Ford Motor Company, 12th in the world, $278 Billion in assets, $160 Billion in revenue

Chrysler: DaimlerChrysler, #8 worldwide, $250 Billion in assets, $190 Billion in revenue

fact source: Fortune

Somehow an extra $3 Million/year is going to offer some sort of motivation for these companies? They lose more than that rounding off pennies on their payrolls in a week. The entire amount cost every man woman and child in the US 10 cents each over the 3 years of the program. This is the government announcing its efforts to solve the problem. I would not consider it to be worth of being called a drop in the bucket. It is propaganda.

[ozkrenske]

Kpeavey,
Just to jump in there. Chrysler is no longer part of Daimler. The Germans sold it off as a job lot to some private equity group at the end of last year. I suspect they were very smart in doing so.

[kpeavey]

Did they? Just too darn much going on to keep track of.

[Graeme]

Breaking Oil Addiction: The Energy Secretary’s View

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') agree with Mr. Friedman’s assertion that we must break “our addiction to oil.” But it is ridiculous and unfounded to claim that the president’s response to this challenge consists only of an effort to expand offshore drilling.

The president has put forward a series of policies to expand access to our domestic resources, improve energy efficiency and harness the power of alternative energy.

On the demand side, the president signed into law increases in fuel efficiency standards and financed critical research into gas-saving technologies like advanced batteries and hydrogen fuel cells.

On the supply side, we’ve spent more than $12 billion to advance alternative energy sources including solar, wind, biofuels and nuclear power. To more rapidly deploy these technologies, we recently announced the availability of more than $30 billion in clean-energy project loan guarantees.

What have these efforts produced so far?

The United States has the fastest growing wind power capacity in the world, and installed photovoltaic capacity has grown 30 percent a year, and we lead the world in overall biofuels production. And the list goes on.

Americans recognize that our energy challenges are complex and serious. We must continue to pursue real solutions, not demagogy and clever rhetoric.

Samuel W. Bodman
Secretary of Energy
Washington, July 24, 2008