Government Sponsored Reports on Peak Oil, 2005-2007
United States: Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, and Risk Management, Robert L. Hirsch, Roger Bezdek, and Robert Wendling, February 2005.
A report prepared for the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) of the United States Department of Energy, by Science Applications International Corporation.
"The peaking of world oil production presents the U.S. and the world with an unprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached, liquid fuel prices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and, without timely mitigation, the economic, social, and political costs will be unprecedented."
http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/others/pdf/Oil_Peaking_NETL.pdf
Switzerland: Smarter Living: the 2000-Watt Society. February 17, 2005, Report by Novatlantis, with the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy and the Association of Swiss Architects and Engineers. (Novatlantis is a programme initiated jointly by the Swiss Federal Council of Education and the Federal Institute of Technology research centres.)
"The global reservoir of fossil fuels – especially oil – is depleting at an increasingly rapid pace, and before long we will have to rely on reserves that are much more difficult to exploit. The exhaustion of these supplies will inevitably give rise to actual or perceived shortages, and these in turn will lead to economic crises and even armed conflicts. There is no doubt that we are living at the expense of future generations…
http://www.novatlantis.ch/index.php?id=27&L=1
United States (Military): Energy Trends and Their Implications for U.S. Army Installations, US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center
Donald F. Fournier and Eileen T. Westervelt, September 2005.
"A careful review of all the estimates leads to the conclusion that world oil production may peak within a few short years, after which it will decline…. To sustain its mission and ensure its capability to project and support the forces, the Army must insulate itself from the economic and logistical energy-related problems coming in the near to mid future."
http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=A440265&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf
"There is a growing consensus that a major change in the global energy regime will soon impact the economy….As the fossil fuels peak in production, the jolt the Hirsch Report, Alan Greenspan, and multiple other sources are anticipating could be overwhelming to our local economy."
http://www.theoildrum.com/uploads/31/POSTglobal_econDEV_report__internet__x.pdf
Ireland: A Baseline Assessment of Ireland's Oil Dependence, Key Policy Considerations, Forfas, April 2006.
(Forfás is the Irish national policy and advisory board for enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation.)
"An overarching national strategy that encompasses areas of energy, transport, enterprise, spatial, environmental and research policy is a requirement for Ireland in preparation for the challenge of peak oil. Countries such as Sweden have taken the lead by adopting a proactive approach to this challenge. Ireland needs to follow suit."
Canada (Regional): HAMILTON: THE ELECTRIC CITY, Report by Richard Gilbert for the City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, April 13, 2006.
"severe energy constraints are likely within the horizon of the City’s ongoing planning exercise, i.e., before 2031."
http://www.richardgilbert.ca/Files/2006/Hamilton–Electric%20City%20(Web).pdf
Sweden: Making Sweden an OIL-FREE Society, Commission on Oil Independence, 21 June 2006.
"The Commission was requested to find the best strategies for reducing dependence on oil and actual use of oil in Sweden by the year 2020. The proposals will deliver us from a costly and insecure dependence on oil…"
http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/574/a/67096
Australia: Australia’s future oil supply and alternative transport fuels, Final Report, Senate Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport, February 2007.
"The essence of the peak oil problem is risk management. The risks involved are high if peak oil comes earlier than expected, or if economies cannot adapt quickly enough to the post peak decline."
http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/rrat_ctte/oil_supply/report/
United States: General Accounting Office, Crude Oil Report to Congressional Requesters, February 2007. (Subtitle: Uncertainty about Future Oil Supply Makes It Important to Develop a Strategy for Addressing a Peak and Decline in Oil Production.)
"While the consequences of a peak would be felt globally, the United States, as the largest consumer of oil and one of the nations most heavily dependent on oil for transportation, may be particularly vulnerable. Therefore, to better prepare the United States for a peak and decline in oil production, we are recommending that the Secretary of Energy take the lead, in coordination with other relevant federal agencies, to establish a peak oil strategy."
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07283.pdf
United States (Regional): Descending the Oil Peak: Navigating the Transition from Oil and Natural Gas, Peak Oil Task Force Report of the City of Portland, March 2007.
"Fifty years from now, the peak of global oil production will be a distant memory….even the most optimistic forecasts offer little time to adapt given the very long lead times required to change such things as transportation and building infrastructure."
http://www.portlandonline.com/osd/index.cfm?c=ecije
Australia (Regional): QUEENSLAND’S VULNERABILITY TO RISING OIL PRICES, Queensland Parlimentary Taskforce on Oil Vulnerability, April 2007.
"Accordingly, the Taskforce recommends that a prudent risk mitigation approach requires a mix of initiatives such as reduction in consumption of liquid fossil fuels, encouraging the development and use of alternative fuels, technologies and strategies, and preparation for demographic and regional changes, as Queenslanders change travel, work and living habits in response to rising fuel prices."