By Pincas Jawetz (PJ@SustainabiliTank.info)

Tel Aviv, Israel, December 14, 2005

 ENS-NEWS.com ) brings us the following news:

“The US House of Representatives Peak Oil Caucus chairman Roscoe Bartlett, a Maryland Republican, and Tom Udall, A New Mexico Democrat, have sent a letter to Prime Minister Goran Persson of Sweden, praising the Swedes for a hearing they had in the newly established Swedish National Commission on Oil Independence. This Commission has a goal of ensuring Sweden’s independence from oil by the year 2020.”

Furthermore, the Congressmen point out that 33 of 48 major oil producing nations have now peaked their oil production,leading to a certain global oil peak, and stressed that this is certain and the only difference in expert opinion is in the exact timing of the global peak oil date.

In US Congress the above Congressmen have introduced H.R. 507 that expresses “the sense of the House of Representatives that the US, in collaboration with other international allies should establish an energy project with the magnitude, creativity, and sense of urgency that was incorporated in the Man on the Moon project to address the inevitable challenges of Peak Oil.

The Congressmen point out to the Swedes that a combination of conservation and innovations in improved efficiency, and alternate and renewable sources of energy will be able to meet the energy demands of the future. They write to the Swedes “expressing satisfaction in a new partnership to manufacture a truck with a hybrid electric power-train between Volvo Trucks in Sweden and Mack Truck in the US.” The two Congressmen suggest following up by looking for further opportunities of collaboration between the National Commission Of Oil Independence of Sweden and the Peak Oil Caucus of the US Congress.

Above is extremely interesting as it shows how Parliaments can help further National goals and private business with a little push from the government - above coming from a bi-partisan US Congress caucus operating outside the US Executive Branch but seeking partnership with a Government Commission in a foreign country where the Executive seems to be rather ready to act.

Sweden in the past had already a government backed effective production of bioethanol fuels from wheat and other biomass programs.

Linking a potential need for conservation, efficiency, new sources of energy, and a serious look at renewable sources of energy - these are the ingredients not only of energy security policy, but also for the search for a technology base required in order to find ways and actions in regard to the GHG emissions reductions we need in order to avoid the effects of climate change. This is the kind of cooperation that could have made for success in Montreal.