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Robinson's letter to EnergyReview.net follows:
There were articles in Wednesday's Energy Review, Environment Management News and Mining News about the US Department of Energy report “Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, & Risk Management” by Robert L Hirsch.
It is very good it is being covered in your publications, congratulations.
It can be said that there is a serious "Intelligence Failure" in the Federal Government, if one compares the Hirsch report with the Federal Govt White Paper on Energy, of June last year. Instead of sexing up the information, this time it is very seriously sexed down.
The APPEA [Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association] Conference in Perth had a straw poll conducted by Eric Streitberg of Arc Energy, which showed that about half those oil professionals with an opinion thought Peak Oil was here or was imminent, and half did not.
The Sustainable Transport Coalition is the only NGO in Australia taking a serious professional interest in oil depletion. Our paper "The Impact of Oil Depletion on Australia" is also available on the website of the Fourth International Workshop on Oil Depletion, held in Lisbon in May. This site also has the Hirsch abstract.
www.cge.uevora.pt/aspo2005/abstracts.php
Matt Simmons' book "Twilight in the Desert" is being released in Australia this month. It was reviewed by the West Australian (June 30, editorial page), but not by any other Australian papers. It suggests that the Saudis may be doing an "Enron" and overstating their reserves substantially. This has some serious implications for the timing of "Peak Oil".
Bruce Robinson
Sustainable Transport Coalition
www.STCwa.org.au
www.STCwa.org.au/beyondoil
