Reflection

I am glad that I started this project. I have learned a lot about an industry that I truly knew very little about to begin with. Yet I feel that I am only scratching surface of the seemingly private world of Big Oil; one that affects each of us daily.

Not only do the industry giants affect us; we affect them. Our demand for this resource grows and our dependence is increased daily. I might not agree with the decisions of the Big Oil companies, but my choices each day strengthen their hold on my life and my pocket book.

It seems that the only way to better my situation and that of those I am around is to lessen my personal use. I have learned that there are more ways to lessen my personal impact on the impending oil crisis; more ways than I previously knew.

I vow to decrease my daily usage by:
1. Using less electricity in my home (by turning down the heat and air conditioning when I am not home and never leaving unnecessary lights on)
2. Buying more energy efficient appliances
3. Washing all my clothes in cold water
4. Carpooling at least once a week
5. Keeping my car tires pumped up (I was surprised to learn that this could increase my car's fuel efficiency drastically)

These are simple changes I can make in my own life and I will challenge those around me to make some personal changes as well.

For information about what you can do to decrease your personal energy usage, below are some excellent resources.

http://www.wecansolveit.org/content/pages/20/

http://www.greenteamutah.com/main.html

http://www.utahcleanenergy.org

Exxon Valdez

I am currently enrolled in a Crisis Communication class that covers widely accepted and successful Public relations practices when dealing with an organizational crisis.

Of course of the list of examples of what not to do, the Exxon Valdez oil spill is at the top. Since starting this Blog, I have wanted to post on this case. Can you believe that it is nearing 20 years since the disaster happened and ExxonMobil is still fighting when it comes to taking the blame?

In a February 2008 press release from the Exxon website, the representative stated that the ongoing "case before the Supreme Court is not about compensating people for actual damages. All such claims have been resolved. Rather, the case is about whether further punishment is warranted..."

http://www.exxonmobil.co.uk/Corporate/about_issues_valdez_sc_022708.aspx

According to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, work to restore the beautiful Prince William Sound is still an ongoing, daily struggle. Why would a company, who made a profit of $40bn in 2007 alone, feel that the $3.5bn they have thus far put into cleaning up the disaster (for which they are fully responsible) truly be enough?

http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/

It is my opinion, and I believe this to be true from a PR standpoint, the company should support the restoration of the sound until it is in as good of a condition than it was before the spill. If ExxonMobil would step up and take full responsibility for this crisis, it could help their image in the eyes of the American people. But if they haven't been willing to do that in the past, could it ever really happen?

Oil Crash

I just finished watching a documentary titled "A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash".

The film, documenting our society's addiction to oil because of it ease, availability, and inexpensive cost (all qualities of the oil industry that are quickly fading), is an extremely intelligent and moving work. I am again convinced that our inability to see the coming oil crisis could be our demise. Our society, built on cheap and readily available oil, must be completely re-imagined and re-engineered.

Since I can't include the whole film, I decided to post the first three minutes of the film found on YouTube. Let me know what you think.

The Price at Peak

Anyone who has filled up at the pumps the last couple days knows that the price of oil has again hit record highs. The cost per barrel is currently at an astonishing $110. Very few people would argue that we are nearing a very serious oil crisis but you would never be able to tell by the way we as Americans are reacting to it. You would never know there is any concern by the way that Americas highways are crowded with gas guzzling SUVs and flashy sports cars.

I believe that oil is still inexpensive enough for most Americans to even consider conserving at this time; a gallon of gasoline is still less than a bottle of water in most cases.

Imagine a time when availability is no more.

In an article for National Geographic, Tim Appenzeller, stated that the end of this cheap energy source is coming to an end. Oil is becoming harder and harder to drill and many companies see the exploration as a money and life risking gamble they are unwilling to make.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0406/feature5/

Oil field service companies are doing the majority of the new technology research as well as the new exploration, while Big Oil sits back and reinvests in their own companies to assure tighter hold on their current reserves. There's been speculation that the Big Oil companies have stopped spending money looking for new oil, since there's not much left, and they wouldn't be able to control it as in the good old days.

With current wells drying up and less money going back into the development of cheap energy, we are surely close to the end of this easily accessible energy. I fear that it will take much more than just these definite warning signs to get us to cut back on our consumption. The end of our dependence is no where in site.