Request Study of Global Oil Supply Decline & Impacts

(Contact petition authors at http://www.oildepletion.wordpress.com)

A Petition for the NAS to Study the Decline of Worldwide Oil Production

A Call to President Barack Obama and to the Congress of the United States of America to Commission a Comprehensive Study of Oil Production Decline (termed "Peak Oil"): Facts, Impacts and Mitigation and Preparedness Options to be undertaken by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council (NRC).

Whereas, noted governmental, industrial and scientific authorities indicate the Nation and the World face unprecedented challenge and hardships due to the decline of worldwide oil production;[1]
Whereas, many of these authorities indicate that time is of the utmost importance; [2]
Whereas, many studies also conclude that leaving the problem unaddressed will result in major economic dislocations and the possibility of global economic collapse; [3]

Therefore, we, the undersigned, petition the Congress and the President to commission the NAS, NAE, IOM and NRC to undertake a comprehensive, nonpartisan analysis of the facts, impacts and implications of "Peak Oil" in order to advise the Nation on appropriate responses[4].
Further, we request that this comprehensive study be undertaken with speed and with a formal mechanism whereby independent analyses regarding causes, impacts, and mitigation, risk management, and contingency options be considered by members of the study committees.

For further information, see http://www.oildepletion.wordpress.com/
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1 US Army Corps of Engineers, Energy Trends and Their Implications for the US. Army Installations.  Construction Engineering.  Sep 05. ERDC/CERL TR-05-21.  analysis of "primary issues affecting energy options" and the Executive Summary, p IV,  states "Domestic production of both oil and natural gas are past their peak and world petroleum production is nearing its peak."    http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=A440265
International Energy Agency (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2008.  English Executive Summary, p. 3 "Current global trends in energy supply are patently unsustainable", and on page 7 "Some 64 mb/d of additional gross capacity - the equivalent of almost six times that of Saudi Arabia today - needs to be brought on stream between 2007 and 2030."  http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/docs/weo2008/WEO2008_es_english.pdf
2 US Department of Energy: Peaking of World Oil Production: Feb 5, 07. DOE/NETL-2007/1263.   p6 "The mitigation of the post peaking oil shortage will require extremely large-scale action, starting roughly 20 years before the onset of peaking"  http://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analyses/pubs/Peaking%20of%20World%20Oil%20Production%20-%20Recent%20Forecasts%20-%20NETL%20Re.pdf
3 DOE NETL. Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, & Risk Management. February 2005 Hirsch, R.L., Bezdek, R., Wendling, R "... the failure to act on a timely basis could have debilitating impacts on the world economy." p.60 http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/others/pdf/Oil_Peaking_NETL.pdf ; also see (1) above.
4 US Government Accountability Office, Report to Congressional Requesters.  Crude Oil. Uncertainty about Future Oil Supplies Makes It Important to Develop a Strategy Addressing a Peak and Decline in Oil Production. February 7, 2007.  GAO-07-283.  In the Highlights section , "no coordinated federal strategy for reducing uncertainty about the peak's timing or mitigating its consequences." http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07283.pdf