However, let's get real. When gas gets too high, people are going to be ready to throw environmental laws out the window, will the polar bears, and to hell with the ice caps. That is the reality when this starts deeply affecting pocket books. I can tell you that at that point, you will wish you had seen the wisdom of compromise. Because people who insist on holding their ground at all costs are going to be steam-rolled. Momentum is building now. You may get a reprieve if gas prices back off, but it won't last. And you will have lost an opportunity.

RR, I appreciate the motivation behind your proposal, but I think your words here sum it up. In other words, I think that any compromise made now will be thrown out the window once gas prices start to rise; any promises made will be unmade. I've dealt with legislation and compromise, among other things, and it's shifting sand. That's what I have against CO2 sequestration too: it's nice in theory but ultimately it won't be done. In retrospect it will just have provided a rationale to do what's easiest.

There may be future civilizations. Be nice to leave a little reasonable-EROEI oil on the planet in case they actually want to do something useful with it. We won't, I'm afraid. (and the climate up there may be pretty temperate by then).

cheers