[Peakoil] News items from Canberra Times Wed, 9 Aug 2006

[Antony Barry]

Peakers

Plenty more on petrol prices today.

I started putting out these summaries with the aim of highlighting  
items in the Canberra Times which were relevant to peak oil with the  
hope that members of the list might be prompted to write letters to  
the editor about them. In this way we could increase awareness of the  
difficulties ahead as supplies of oil start to run down.

The summaries are very brief and are just meant to highlight those  
aspects which strike me as important. Deliberately I did not want to  
create text which might be used in a letter as I suspect if letters  
are too similar it might not help any of them be published.

Letters to the editor should be addressed  to  
letters.editor at canberratimes.com.au and should not exceed 250 words.
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"Prepare for $1.80 a litre: NRMA" by Andrew Fraser. P1. Headline

NRMA says Australia faces a fuels crisis and needs to wean itself off  
international oil. Alternative fuels supported. Comment by a number  
of politicians follow.

http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp? 
class=news&subclass=general&story_id=500591&category=general&m=8&y=2006

Comment: Peak oil not mentioned. The concern seemed to be more with  
profits oil companies might be making. This misses the long term  
problem.
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"Environment would benefit from busway, report says" by Graham Downie  
p7.

A preliminary assessment says busway's wider environmental objectives  
would outweigh its local impact. Stanhope says busway not funded yet  
and might not be needed for 30 years.

Comment: By the time it is built peak oil will have cut in, traffic  
volumes will be down and it won't be needed.
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Look at the cartoon p.10 :-)
http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/opinion.asp?class=your% 
20say&subclass=general&story_id=500598&category=Opinion% 
20Cartoon&m=12&y=1899
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"Petrol delusions" Letters p.10

http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=your% 
20say&subclass=general&story_id=500585&category=Letters%20to% 
20Editor&m=8&y=2006

Don Sephton writes that petrol prices will continue to go up long  
term, cutting excise will only provide short term reprieve and cause  
a revenue shortfall.

Comment: He does not mention the phrase "peak oil", nor that the  
revenue shortfall could be covered by an increase in other general  
taxes.

Tom Waring writes that Howard tries to avoid responsibility and  
blames Middle East troubles and lack of an alternative fuels policy.
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"Construction of dragway right off taxpayers' track" by Christine  
Downie p.11

Expenditure on the dargway is a subsidy which should be spent on  
other things.

Comment: Does not mention peak oil.
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"Bumpy road tipped on longh, tough fuel-price cycle: by Simon Grose p.11

Discusses ABARE and Bakhtiari's evidence to the Senate Committee  
inquiry on peak oil which say radically different things about  
prices. ABARE for instance expects lower prices in the next five  
years because of increase in production.

Comment: Decline in existing fields will take place faster than new  
production is brought online. The second biggest field has peaked  
(Cantrell) and the biggest, Ghawar, as Bakhtiari's says is in trouble.
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Tony


Feral Librarian | http://tony-barry.emu.id.au
P: 02 6241 7659 | tony at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au
M: 04 1242 0397 | tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au