• New Bio-Oil Joint Venture - Khosla Ventures and BIOeCON have formed a joint venture, KiOR, to develop and commercialize BIOeCON’s Biomass Catalytic Cracking (BCC) process. BCC technology is a simple non-energy intensive method that converts lignocellulosic biomass into a bio-oil product that can be further upgraded to transportation fuels and chemicals. (Green Car Congress; Nov. 1, 2007)

• Giant microwave turns plastic back to oil - Global Resource Corporation can turn plastics back into the oil they were made from, and gas (and a few leftovers), using a finely tuned microwave that uses 1200 different frequencies within the microwave range, which act on specific hydrocarbon materials. (New Scientist; June 26, 2007) (See Slashdot discussion)

• Shell Oil Film: Eureka - "Where ideas come from the most unlikely places."  Surprisingly candid movie short on Shell website addresses dwindling oil supply and need for renewables, while noting the existing need to continue the oil supply whilst alternatives are developed, such as the ability to reach more pockets with the same wells through horizontal drilling. (Shell; ~July 2007)

• US Survey: 70+% of Americans Don't Know Plastic is Made from Oil - 40% believe plastic will biodegrade at some point.  In truth, nearly 10 percent of U.S. oil consumption – approximately 2 million barrels a day – is used to make non-biodegradable plastic.  Survey was cosponsored by Metabolix, Inc., a company using bioscience to provide clean solutions for plastics, fuels and chemicals. (BusinessWire; Apr. 20)
• See listing: Plastic and Energy - Non-oil-derived plastics, recycling plastic, solar applications of plastic; and other alternative, clean-energy related applications or contexts of plastic. (FreeEnergyNews.com)

• Pumpago.com - America dependent on domestic fuel - New activist site considers how America can reduce gasoline prices, gain independence from OPEC, create a new energy industry based on the gassification of coal. Considers the costs and benefits of biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, and hybrid cars.

• Zeolite used to convert crude oil to gasoline - Porous crystalline solids used as a catalyst for efficient fuel processing, environmentally friendly air conditioning, green energy storage, waste filtering and emissions reduction. A team of Korean scientists uses it to convert inexpensive intermediate crude oil to valuable gasoline. (PESWiki)

• More Oil in Rocky Mountains Than All Other Proven Resources Combined - Two trillion gallons of oil tucked away in the oil shale of the Green River Formation, which spans parts of  Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Under thumb of fed. govt. (California Chronicle; Apr. 21, 2006)

• Experts doubt oil shale answer to energy crisis - Extracting commercial amounts is like a mirage: every time it is approached, it just keeps retreating into the distance. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the source exceeds 6 trillion barrels of heavy oil and bitumen, a third of which may be recoverable. (Scripps Howard News Service; May 2, 2006)

• Atomic Power Creates More CO2 Emissions than Natural Gas Plants? - Atomic power stations do not emit CO₂ themselves, but the processes involved in creating atomic energy do: including mining, milling, uranium enrichment, atomic fuel production, power station construction and operation, storage and reprocessing of spent fuel, long-term management of radioactive waste and closing down old power stations. (Alt-Energy-Blog; July 5, 2005)

• Huff Oil Centrifuge cleans and saves oil while prolonging engine life - Centrifuge system available industrially, soon available for vehicles, makes oil cleaner than when it comes new, increasing engine life by two to three times, and saving oil consumption since the same oil can be used continually.  Prevents blow-by of oil. (PESWiki)

• Shell Oil May Have Spurred Gulf Quake - Extraction of oil, gas, and brines can trigger earth movements. The epicenter of the 5.2 earthquake on Feb. 10 coincides with Shell Oil's Brutus field. Could the Gulf Coast be priming for an Aceh-like tsunami? (PESN; Feb. 15, 2006)

• On Oil Extraction and Earth Wobble - Inventor Robert L. Cook compares the earth's recent seismic flurry to an out-of-balance washing machine, due to the un-equal vast volume of oil extracted. (Cook Inertial Propulsion; March 16, 2005)

• $200 Oil If War With Iran - Richard Haass the President of the Council on Foreign Relations and Bilderberg luminary has predicted that the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program could come to a head within the next few months and that war with Iran would result in oil prices rising to $200 a barrel. (RogueGovernment; Oct. 28, 2007)

• Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) - A must-watch movie for our generation. Especially interesting to those of us in the energy field inasmuch as part of the fraud included playing with California's energy supply for nearly a year. (PESWiki)

• Gas is Going Up . . . and Up - Collection of political cartoons by Daryl Cagle, the king of professional cartoonists.

• Bush Says US Addicted to Oil, Must Make Changes - "The best way to break this addiction is through technology."  Sets target of reducing US oil imports from the Middle East 75% by 2025.  Plan focuses on cellulosic ethanol as fuel alternative. (FinFacts; Feb. 1, 2006) (Also Reuters)

• Bush would Break U.S. Oil Addiction with Renewables, Nuclear, Coal - Details of the energy policy laid out in the State of the Union address, and comments on ramifications for the various alt. energy sectors. (Environmental News Service; Feb. 1, 2006)

• Wilma Probably a Sleeper Where Oil is Concerned - While it will stir other problems, there are no significant oil platforms at risk -- unless it veers left into the Yucatan. Alt energy would free us from fretting so much. (PESN; Oct. 18, 2005)

• Gulf Oil Disruption Likely to Cripple U.S. and World Economy - The damage done to the Gulf oil and gas infrastructure is tremendous.  Gas is in short supply in the region, further hampering restorative efforts.  Snowball effect of this aorta of U.S. commerce is likely to be felt worldwide.  Long overdue time to look at alternatives to oil. (PESN; Sept. 2, 2005)

• Update on Hurricane Katrina's Damage to the Gulf Oil Patch - Repercussions of ominous hurricane impact on the Gulf oil infrastructure.  Remedies discussed, including emergency spending on alternative energy technologies. (PESN; Sept. 11, 2005)

• Rita Headed for Houston -- Could Take Out Key Remaining Refineries - The biggest remaining part of our oil refineries and offshore and near shore recovery of oil and gas is now in the bull’s eye. This could take the USA well below the capacity of the EU and others to even ship us supplies. (PESN; Sept. 20, 2005)

• Unfeasibility of Rebuilding New Orleans - The river is moving away from the city. The city is sinking because of its weight, because no upbuilding by new muck for many decades, because of being cut off from the fresh water, because it is sliding off a cliff (the Continental Shelf), and because the Oil and Gas Industry is extracting oil out from under it. It is a city that for all intents and purposes is now Sea domain.  Spend the money on developing alternative energy solutions instead. (PESN; Sept. 23, 2005)

• Exxon Mobil Makes Monster Profit - The oil giant posted the largest annual profit ever by a U.S. company: $40.6 billion. Exxon Mobil benefited from historic crude prices at year's end. (CBS News; Feb. 1, 2008)

• A Picture is Worth... Gasoline Consumption Per Day - According to BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2005, the U.S. uses more petrol than the next twenty leading consumer nations combined.  The US pays a significantly lower price for its petrol at the pump than most. (TreeHugger; July 11)

• Behind the High Price of Gas - It's not Big Oil that's driving up the cost of crude oil and gasoline, it's Big Government.  While impeding new domestic sources, for every gallon at $3.00/gallon, big oil gets 10 cents, while government gets 59 cents.  (New American; June 26, 2006)

• Driving America Off Oil - David Friedman, research director of the Clean Vehicles Program for the Union of Concerned Scientists, says that a transition to clean, renewable alternatives to oil will be complex, expensive and technically challenging. (Renewable Energy Access; Jan. 9, 2005)

• Oil > Fill 'er up? Gas 'absolute steal' - Even with the recent spike in gas prices, Americans still are paying about the same for gasoline as they paid during the Carter administration, adjusting for inflation. (Deseret News; US; April 5, 2005)

• Oil > Bush Vows To Eliminate U.S. Dependence On Oil By 4920 - Onion lampoon describes President Bush's aggressive plan "free ourselves from dependence on fossil fuels within 85 generations" -- less than three millennia from now -- with possibly solutions including using humans for fuel. (Onion; Aug. 10, 2005)

• Chevron Promotes Alternative Energy - Chevron is a major player in the petroleum-based energy, yet it is taking major steps toward embracing the development of alternative energy, devoting $300 million/year to that end. See recent TV advertisement. (Alternative Energy News; Oct. 24, 2007)

• Chrysler blasts Big Oil - "Despite a documented history of blowing their exorbitant profits on outlandish executive salaries and stock buybacks, and hoarding their bounty by avoiding technologies, policies and legislation that would protect the population and environment and lower fuel costs, Big Oil insists on transferring all of that responsibility on the auto companies." (Detroit Free Press; Apr. 11, 2006)

• Shell Launches World's First Wind-Powered Gas Field - The world's first offshore gas field powered entirely by renewable energy has started up in the UK North Sea. (Planet Ark; April 20, 2006) (MSNBC)

• Chevron, U.S. Postal Service Launch Hybrid Alternative Power System  (Feb. 11, 2006)
• Saudi Minister Slams Costly Alternatives to Oil - (Reuters; Feb. 8, 2006)
• Exxon: America Will Always Rely on Foreign Oil - (Reuters; Feb. 8, 2006)
• Saudi Nervous US Doesn't Want Its Oil - (Reuters; Feb. 8, 2006)

• Exxon Turns Off Disinformation Tap -  According to the Wall Street Journal, Exxon has stopped funding the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CO2: We call it life) and "five or six" other groups active in the global-warming debate on the side of CO2. (TreeHugger; Jan. 12, 2007)

• How ExxonMobil Funded Global Warming Skeptics - ExxonMobil Corp. gave $16 million to 43 ideological groups between 1998 and 2005 in an effort to mislead the public by discrediting the science behind global warming, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. (Boston Globe/Associated Press; Jan. 4, 2007) (See Slashdot discussion)

• Bush Admin. Appoints Former ExxonMobil CEO to Energy Crisis Resolution Post - [In an effort to have the fox guard the henhouse], Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman has named Lee Raymond, former CEO of ExxonMobil, to head an influential study to develop policy solutions to America’s energy crisis. (Oct. 2006)

• The Halliburton SurvivaBall™ - In order to head off catastrophic scenarios from global warming, scientists agree we must reduce our carbon emissions by 70% within the next few years. Doing that would seriously undermine corporate profits, however, and so a more forward-thinking solution presented as a one-size-fits-all protective orb. (HaliburtonContracts.com; May 11, 2006) [spoof site]

• Addicted to Oil - Flash animation lampoons U.S. presidential administration policy regarding oil. Encourages action to "separate oil and state." (Huffington Post) (Thanks David Cutter)

• Make your own SUV ad - GM is running a contest where you make your own ad for the Chevy Tahoe. They let you pick the pictures, add the text and music. Some green-thinkers have been having a bit of fun with this. Be sure to see the comments section. (TreeHugger; Mar. 31, 2006)

• Fill 'er up! - Cartoonist Mark Fiore lampoons American public and corporate greed that myopically drives global instability. (CBS News; May 4, 2006)

• I Can't Afford My Gasoline - Cartoon flash animation humorously depicts the causes and ramifications of the oil price increases. (AtomFilms; R. F Directo)

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