 | More thoughts on ethanol after the State of the Union...what will farmers do, and have they read the research? | The Oil Drum | DrumBeat: January 30, 2007 |  |
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Roscoe Bartlett. I sure do not envy his position.
He has been a great policy thinker, in a place where thought is out of place, and is a true technical thinker who understands science, where technical complications are considered deadly.
Next to Matthew Simmons, Bartlett is one of the few speakers/writers on this subject I will listen to any more. He is no Luddite, and does not see a collapse to a stone age past as a romantic adventure. Rare among the "peak aware" nowadays.
But, he is being pushed to the edge of obscurity, and being portrayed as a bit wacky, kind of a latter day Jerry Brown "Governor Moonbeam" type.
Let's admit it. "Peak oil" is easy for opponents to mis-portray and spoof. This is why caution in what we say is of EXTREME importance. Sadly, so many voices, even some of the pioneering voices of the peak oil issue, have not been at all cautious. Thus, most people who have heard of Roscoe Bartlett have heard of him by way of the opponents of peak oil awareness, not by it's supporters. I know some politically savvy people. I have mentioned Bartlett to them. In many cases, I got back a wry grin. They had already heard of him and his argument. Well, not his real argument, but his argument as portrayed by those who parceled out his points, and quoted his 'friends" to make a joke of any concern about the oil and natural gas issue. It's sad, but Washington is no place for nuanced argument. And of course, everytime the price of oil drops a few bucks, it is further "proof" to those willing to use it that way that Bartlett and his "friends" are simply folks with a bit of an "eccentricity".
But yes, I will still repeat and spread his speeches, at my own web group as well as among friends. I think he deserves that, and sometimes, it is more important to be right and honest and try to help you nation than it is to win.
Remember, we are only one cubic mile from freedom
RC
It must be a terrible shock to him, as a Republican, to learn that the Invisible Hand has foresaken him.
U.S. Congressman Bartlett has even gone directly to the leader of his party (GWB) to explain "the problem", only to be told that some things are more "urgent" than others and that Peak Oil does not even make the "urgent" list. It is merely "important" but not important enough to be "urgent".
Direct link to Bartlett's PDF posting into the Congressional record is here.
(Don't bother with the links at the bottom of the page, they were temporary cgi's generated by Thomas.gov)
It was an excellent speech. To an empty house of course, which is the problem.
Sitting here in the Midwest becoming involved with Biodiesel and Biooil (from Pyrolysis) it is obvious that we just need to start moving on some of these projects. More people need to be engaged in the pursuit of solutions, not wait for someone else to solve them.
I have no illusions that Biofuels can solve our energy problems. But they will help. Wind can't solve our problem, but it helps. Ditto with solar. All are a piece of the energy production and consumption equation that need to be investigated.
Most importantly we need to conserve energy of all kinds and understand how hard it is to capture and manipulate. My experience is that the people most engaged in finding energy solutions are also the most passionate about conserving energy and using new design to create efficiency.
The American public is crying out for leadership in this area. They would gladly pursue new jobs and approaches if it was presented as a coherent plan for building a new economy and lifestyle where all can participate and potentially excel. This is what is missing in the public forum now. All our leaders demonize the innovators as whacko greenies, self serving farmers, special tax break wind generators, etc. This is all true now because there is no other option for pursuing solutions.
It is is hard to be a leader today. You have to be willing to stand up and put a bullseye on your reputation. It is risky if you aren't confident you are headed in the right direction. You have to be willing to make mistakes, admit to them, and still push for change. Few politicians will do these things. Our president espouses to these characteristics but in my opinion is just stubborn and status quo driven not visionary or leading. And ultimately you have to lead people to a better outcome than where we are today and I see very few of those people running for office today.
Now I have to go back to work and solve some real world problems.