OPEC Promises “Significant” Cuts - Again.
OPEC is to meet again on December 17th to mandate their members turn back their production output valves, in an effort to bring the price of oil up from it’s current lows.
OPEC President Chakib Khelil, who is also Algeria’s minister for energy and mines, told the Associated Press that a consensus has emerged among OPEC producers that a “significant reduction” is warranted by the current price slide.
Khelil would not discuss specifically how deep the cut might be. But he used the word “severe,” and noted that some analysts have predicted cuts of as much as two million barrels a day.
OPEC previously announced a 1.5-million-barrel-a-day reduction in October, but the decision failed to halt the fall in prices and markets have been expecting another cut at the Dec. 17 summit.
Why not keep OPEC on the run - regardless the price of oil - conserve as much fuel as possible w/o degrading your standard of living. Use resources like FuelClinic.com ( http://www.fuelclinic.com ) to learn to conserve and track your progress.
Continue to demand alternative sources of energy for your personal transportation. Demand “future-proof” FLEX-FUEL capable cars to take advantage of ethanol and methanol mix fuels w/o expensive new equipment, demand plug-in hybrids that charge overnight using clean electricity, demand small clean diesel engines that can run on bio-diesel that can be produced from algae.
Consumers cut consumption as a result of summers painful fuel costs - and pulled the rug from under OPEC, causing oil to “crash” back down to market value. Keep it going even lower by continuing to curb consumption, and keep pressuring government and industry to bring to market ways we can _replace_ most of oil from our transportation requirements.
Comment ·
A Real Plan for Automakers and America
Congress will likely consider a “bailout” for the auto-industry today, Monday, Dec. 8, 2008. It is an opportunity for Flex-Fuel legislation (Open Fuel Standard Act) to pass as well.
Congress should require that new cars run on any mix of gasoline and ethanol and methanol. As a reminder, in the war on oil-dependence, this would be a game-changer.
The facts:
1) Flex-fuel is an inexpensive, proven technology.
a. Cost is $100 per vehicle for new cars.
b. The original flex-fuel vehicle was the Model-T (for 17 years).
c. The US auto industry currently has over 4.4 million flex-fuel cars on US roads (but few would know it).
d. Brazil consumes ethanol (from sugar-cane) for over 50% of its fuel requirements.
2) The cost of oil will rise again
a. OPEC has already cut production by 1.5 million barrels per day.
b. And is considering an additional cut of more than 2.5 million additional barrels per day (later this week).
c. Demand for oil from China and India, with vastly growing middle-classes, inevitably will rise again.
d. The easiest to extract oil on earth has been tapped, and it gets more difficult as time goes on.
e. Oil is still $30/barrel higher than its 10 year historic low.
3) National-security demands that we reduce our dependence.
a. Russia, Venezuela, and OPEC are repressive, regressive, and often anti-American oil exporters.
b. We fund their misbehaviors and we end up supporting terrorism.
c. We cannot hope to modify the goals of a nuclear-intentioned Iran when we are so dependent and while they control the waterway through which 20% of world’s oil passes daily.
4) Economic strength demands that we reduce our dependence.
a. We are exporting millions of jobs that could otherwise be producing our fuel domestically.
b. We could be “recycling” these domestically spend dollars-at a time in which we need it so badly.
c. We could be developing the technologies that will fuel the future of the energy marketplace globally.
5) Many solutions.
a. We also need solar, nuclear, wind, and drilling.
b. But we need Flex-Fuel biofuels NOW as the surest short-term path to addressing our dependecies and to create security and economic strength.
c. The best time to get the auto-makers to cooperate is while they need a “bailout”.
6) Please, contact your Senator today–not tomorrow.
a. Call (202) 224-3121 and ask to be transferred to your Senator’s office.
b. You can make a difference with just a phone call.
c. Call both of your Senators.
Reprinted w/ Permission from MoveBeyondOil.org
E-mail: info@movebeyondoil.org
Phone: 516-717-0000
The Case for “Future-Proof” Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs)
Over the next few years you’ll see a change at your local gas stations as more alcohol-blended fuel pumps are installed across the nation. Alcohol-blended fuels like E85 are already available in some areas, and more are coming to market as more FFVs are sold in the United States.
US based manufacturers have committed to making 50% of their new autos FFVs by 2010 and and 85% by 2012. In addition, there is proposed legislation called the Open Fuel Standard Act which will mandate all cars sold in America meet the same goals, so this will mean that all imports sold in the US will meet the same FFV standard. (You can help support this legislation here.)
Since FFV is an widely available and mature technology (there are already millions of FFVs on the road in the US - you may be driving one), adding the capability to all new vehicles sold in the US doesn’t add notably to the cost of making new cars (usually about $100) - and provides a way for auto manufactures to “green-up” their product lines.
Drivers of FFVs will be able to choose what fuel to buy, based on price at the pump, performance needs, personal preference, etc. - just like shopping for any other commodity. You’ll be able to mix E85 with E10 (the current flavor of gasoline almost everywhere in the US) and newer alternative blends like E25 or M50. Using FFV technology, your car will automatically adjust your engines settings to run properly on any combination of gasoline and alcohol fuels.
Unlike more exotic alternative fuels like compressed hydrogen or natural gas, drivers of FFVs are not stuck on a virtual “energy island” of specialized refueling stations. You will be able to travel freely, just like today, as far and wide as you like - choosing your favorite blend of alcohol fuels as you go - or using straight gasoline where no other choice exists.
So if your next car has an engine that burns liquid fuel, makes sure it is “future proof” and check that it’s a Flex-Fuel Vehicle before you buy it, or else you’ll be left without options at the pump when the alcohol-blended fuels hit the wider market.
