Oil Independent Berkeley

I got a response from the Washington Post to my request that they cover peak oil--no promises of coverage, just an acknowledgement that they would alert their energy reporter to the issue. Now would be an ideal time to turn up the pressure by getting other people concerned about peak oil to contact the Post ombudsman. Here's a sample message people can send to Deborah Howell at ombudsman@washpost.com.

I am writing to encourage the Post to undertake an in-depth investigation into the woefully underreported issue of peak oil and gas, a looming crisis that has the potential to cause severe economic damage in coming years. Although the Dept of Energy and the General Accounting Office have urged the government to immediately mobilize a "crash" program to retool our economy so that it can function without fossil fuels, there has been no action whatsoever on this issue. Like global warming, if we do "too little, too late" to conserve fossil fuels and to mitigate the anticipated impacts of impending shortages on our economic, agricultural and transportation systems, we are condemning the next generation to unimaginable hardship.

I urge the Post to vigorously investigate this issue and feature it prominently in the pages of your distinguished newspaper. There are dozens of angles for reporters to examine, including agriculture, water pumping and purification,
transportion, shipping, unemployment, health care, global trade, home heating oil, sewage treatment, waste management, housing/construction, potential military responses, the timing/rate of oil and gas depletion, "relocalization" campaigns (many are springing up all over the world), etc.

Thank you for your consideration of this critical issue.

Sincerely,