We are rapidly approaching the time when the availability of cheap, abundant fossil fuel energy from crude oil and natural gas will begin to decline and prices rise rapidly. We are already into the early stage of this process. Search the www using 'Peak Oil' as a Google.com search term and you will get a glimpse of the enormity of the problem (you will get about 35 million hits).

It is past time to begin to plan for the future that follows as a consequence of impending energy shortages and price increases. If you consider that light-sweet crude oil currently sells for about $65 a 42 gallon barrel, and it contains the energy equivalent of 8 people laboring for a year, then you might imagine the dire consequences of declining energy availability in an economy based upon growth and consumption.

We have the option of taking action to reduce the impact of declining energy supplies and rapidly rising costs on our families and our communities. It will require the involvement of many people and the reorientation of what we want in our community and in our county. The current leadership and the community land developers are focused on a future that assumes continued abundance of energy. It is there that changes must begin to occur first; in zoning and land use, in development plans and in the redevelopment of existing buildings.

Energy must rank #1 in our planning and development processes.

The only energy source that will not be subject to rapid price inflation will be solar energy. Solar energy does work here and it must be targeted as a reliable, long term energy source.

What do you think?

>>>For energy presentations to your group, send me a request