News from November 2007

Peak Oil Passnotes: Work Those OPECs!

It is amazing how the march of time dulls the minds of people who are otherwise extremely smart, and OPEC ministers too. Each year over the past three years, 2004, 2005, 2006 and now 2007 we have seen prices top their current range in the third and fourth quarters of the year. This year has [...]

$100 oil fades fast

The prospect of $100 a barrel oil is evaporating as fast as it was conjured. The commodity, which nine days ago was less than a dollar away from $100, is on Friday at less than $90, tumbling on the reality that oil supplies are adequate and that Saudi Arabia will likely fight for an OPEC [...]

This stove cooks — but burns

A Salvadoran wanted to help the environment and his country’s poor. Instead, his acclaimed invention has cost him his family and savings. SAN SALVADOR — In a makeshift laboratory equipped with little more than a battered chair and a cheap kitchen scale, inventor Rene Nunez Suarez displays the contraption that has become his life’s obsession. [...]

OPEC Countries Will Rival China in 08 Oil Demand Growth

OPEC countries will rival China in global oil demand growth through 2008 and beyond, according to a report released Friday by investment firm Lehman Brothers Inc. (LEH). Consumption of oil in countries that are members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries should grow 4.4% to 370,000 barrels per day in 2008, putting the producer [...]

Dyer: The U.S. in Iraq: An ‘enduring’ relationship that isn’t

…There is no need to invade countries in order to get oil from them. There could, however, be a requirement for large, permanent American military bases somewhere in the Gulf if the goal was to be able to stop oil from the region from reaching some other country. Which country? The only challenger to America’s [...]

US Coup Planned for Venezuela?

The New York Times had a news article about Venezuela in Thursday’s edition, but it was about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez saying he would cut diplomatic ties with neighboring Colombia. There wasn’t a word about a memo from a CIA operative in Caracas to CIA Director General Michael Hayden, uncovered yesterday, outlining a plan for [...]

Helium isotopes point to the best sources of geothermal energy

With fossil fuel sources depleting and global warming on the rise, exploring alternative means of power for humans is a necessary reality. Now, looking to the sky, relying on the wind or harnessing water power are not the only remaining options. Deep within Earth is an untapped source of energy: geothermal energy. It has been [...]

New research discredits $100B global warming ‘fix’

Virginia Key, Fla. — Scientists have revealed an important discovery that raises doubts concerning the viability of plans to fertilize the ocean to solve global warming, a projected $100 billion venture. Research performed at Stanford and Oregon State Universities, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, suggests that ocean fertilization may not be an effective [...]

Nigerian forces torch illegal petroleum

Troops patrolling the militant-infested waterways of Nigeria’s oil producing region torched two barges Friday after the boats were found transporting stolen petroleum products, police said. It wasn’t known if there were any casualties in the incident, which was still under investigation, said Rivers State police commissioner, Felix Ogbaudu. The two boats were discovered carrying stolen [...]

Study Details How U.S. Could Cut 28% of Greenhouse Gases

The United States could shave as much as 28 percent off the amount of greenhouse gases it emits at fairly modest cost and with only small technology innovations, according to a new report. A large share of the reductions could come from steps that would more than pay for themselves in lower energy bills for [...]