Oil Alternatives Conference
Tom Whipple of the Association for the study of Peak Oil and Gas told those attending the “life after cheap oil” seminar at Wilson College that the world is expected to reach peak oil between 2008 and 2010. Peak oil is the point after which oil production enters a terminal decline.
The exact date doesn’t matter, he said.
“It’s happening in our lifetime,” Whipple said. “It’s not the end of world oil. It’s just not going to be cheap or affordable. There will always be oil. Three-dollar (a gallon) gasoline didn’t slow us in the slightest. At some point most of us are not going to be driving around in cars.”
ยป Source: Chambersburg Public Opinion
The U.S. imports 66 percent of its oil, and oil imports could be halted for any of number of reasons, according to Whipple. Just a 5 percent cut in the 1970s led to gas lines and rationing.
“The rate of decline will be very important,” he said. “If it goes like a brick, you have a problem.”
Peter Koch, a retired stained glass maker, asked Whipple, “Is there a silver bullet?”
“That’s what this conference is all about,” Whipple said. “If there is a a silver bullet: We waste so much energy; the quickest thing we can do is conserve, conserve, conserve.”
Koch powered his diesel Chevrolet Suburban from Williamsport to Chambersburg on vegetable oil he gets from a bar. He also burns the vegetable oil in his furnace. Between them he saves about $4,000 a year.
“I want to solve my own problems,” Koch said. “There was no support group in Williamsport and no information. (Coming to the conference) is like networking.”
Some people came to see for themselves if alternative energy is real.
Frank Neglia, formerly of New York, came to the conference specifically to see General Motors’ fuel cell HydroGen3 minivan.
“I read about this when I was a kid of about 12,” said the 82-year-old Neglia. “They’ve been sitting on the technology for years. I’m happy it’s there. I want to smell it. No pollution. No problem.”
Others sensed an urgency at the conference:
“This is such a huge problem,” said Luis Escobar, director of information technology at Wilson College. “I personally think if we don’t bring this to the attention of our political leaders, we’re going to have a disaster like we’ve never seen before. This is a totally non-partisan issue.”
“It’s kind of exciting being a frontiersman,” said Al Albanowski, Gettysburg. “Something has to break. Something has to happen. Those people in there (at
Whipple’s lecture), young and old, all of them were cynical. It’s a shame it’s come to that. There’s a lot of talk. I want to see if anybody is making it work.”
Tim Schrack, a real estate appraiser from Huntingdon, is making biodiesel to burn in his diesel pickup truck. He said he came to the conference to further refine his technique for making the fuel from fryer oil discarded from two restaurants. It costs him about 68 cents a gallon.
More than 350 people from 17 states and three countries registered for the biennial Fulton Conference on Sustainability. Workshops continue today, but only the energy fair from 2:30 to 5 p.m. is open to the public.
Stuart Rose, a former employee of the U.S. Energy Department, touted the energy sustainable development he is building in tidewater Virginia.
“We are trying to create something that is sustainable and will sell in the local market,” he said. “If we can sell in (conservative) Poquoson, Va., we can sell anywhere.”
The three people who offered to purchase one of the spec homes said they liked it for its modern look, the quality of the workmanship and the low utility bills, Rose said.
“They’re buying it for their own reasons,” he said. “You can’t get down on them.”
Nancy Sansone, Shippenville, said she and her son, Anthony, attended the conference to learn about conservation and sustainable energy. She composts, drives an energy-efficient car and is considering fluorescent lighting for her home.
“We are always looking for ways to live lighter on the earth,” she said.
