Just a day before Valentine's Day, the current occupant of the White
House demonstrated his love for United States citizen/consumers by
signing the so-called “Economic Stimulus Act of 2008” into law.
Sitting behind a small desk with a banner that shouted "Boosting Our
Economy," he inked a $107-million spending package that will send (any
week now) tax “rebate” checks ranging between $300 and $1,200 to
middle- and low-income taxpayers (which is to say, most of us).
Joining in the photo-op were Congressional Democratic leaders Nancy

He prefers not to think about money but he doesn’t have that luxury.
The trust-fund gene skipped his family, and it’s been thus far a life
of fiscal constraint. Not that he’s complaining: He’s done good enough
to keep gas in the Chevy and shoes on the boys. The roof doesn’t leak,
even when it’s raining. There’s milk in the fridge and ammo for the
rifle. He is not impoverished.

 The Peak Oil conundrum is perhaps the single best 21st century
trend for making the case for relocalization, and ultimately, secession.

 Rather than elaborate here, I suggest you read more from Richard Heinberg, who was in Vermont late last week to share his 8 books of wisdom with listeners.

Richard Heinberg, one of the foremost peak oil educators in the US, will be coming to Vermont this week. On Wednesday evening (April 23), he will speak in Brattleboro, and on Thursday evening (April 24), he'll be in Montpelier. Details on the places and times for these events, plus how to arrange transportation to the Montpelier event, are at the Vermont Peak Oil Network web site.

Heinberg will also be speaking to legislators at the State House on Thursday at 9 am, and the talk will be broadcast live and streamed by WGDR, 91.1 FM Plainfield. The topic will be "Energy Overview: Navigating the Transition from Fossil Fuels to Renewables."

In the northern half of the state, you can hear me interview him live, Wednesday at 1:05 - 2:00 pm on Equal Time, on WDEV 96.1 & 96.5 FM/550 AM.

In addition to his four books on peak oil, Heinberg writes a monthly Museletter. Several recent Museletters are especially interesting for Vermonters.

GBIC, the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation, released Wednesday morning its report on The Green Economy and Environmental Enterprise in Vermont. I attended their release ceremony in Montpelier. It was held three minutes by foot from the State House, starting at 8 am, so that legislators could attend before their committees began meeting. It worked. Quite a few legislators, as well as many people who participated in the study, filled the Ethan Allen Room at the Capitol Plaza.

The report, produced by the Snelling Center for Government at the University of Vermont, was the result of conversations that have been happening since last summer with businesses, non-profits, and government representatives. The project began as a way to boost the "Green Economic Sector" in Vermont, with high-wage jobs and entrepreneurial activities. As GBIC's Frank Cioffi introduced the report, however, he recognized that Vermont needs more green jobs just to stay where we are in the present economic climate. "There is going to be more churning in the economy. More people are going to lose their jobs. The world economy is changing, and we need to change right along with it."

Remember some years ago, when there was a chain email circulating urging people not to buy gasoline on a certain day, to force evil oil companies to reduce gas prices? I think I saw it first in 1999. I was car-free at the time, and my response was that it was a great idea, but too limited. Rather than stop buying gas for a day, I thought we could really stick it to the oil companies by not buying it for a month, or half a year. At that point, unless you count a taxi that filled up before taking me on a short trip, I hadn't bought gas in half a year. My gasoline bills were really low!

As oil prices hit record highs nearly every day, I'm not surprised to receive a similar email. This one cautions, "THIS IS NOT THE 'DON'T BUY' GAS FOR ONE DAY, BUT IT WILL SHOW YOU HOW WE CAN GET GAS BACK DOWN TO $1.30 PER GALLON."

With a version of the "friend-of-a-friend" who is the source for most urban legends, the email claims, "This was sent by a retired Coca Cola executive. It came from one of his engineer buddies who retired from Halliburton."

The new idea in the email is about as loopy as the thought of saving taxpayers money by outsourcing soldiers' work to Halliburton:

"There is a factual basis to Peak oil and, in fact, there is reason to believe that Peak Oil may have already occurred."

This was a conclusion of the town-appointed Regional Peak Oil Task Force in Brattleboro. The Task Force made its initial report (PDF) to the Brattleboro Select Board this month. It's not exactly ground-breaking news. It has been ten years since a Scientific American article proclaimed the "end of cheap oil" before 2010, and it has been widely observed that global crude oil production reached at least a temporary peak in May 2005. Peak oil is now even discussed in the pages of the Wall Street Journal.

Still, far from everyone accepts that the planet is fast approaching a long-term decline in oil production, that is, that oil production has reached its peak or soon will. State and local governments, for example, wrestle with how to replace aging bridges or handle parking congestion, without considering how many cars and trucks are likely to be on the roads when we have half as much oil available as now-which could be in less than 25 years. Despite warnings that preparing for a smooth transition to an energy-poor economy can take 20 years of hard effort, the US federal government has no coherent strategy (PDF) for even beginning. The only state government that I'm aware is developing a strategy for addressing peak oil is Queensland, Australia.

It's important, therefore, for state and local governments to educate themselves and prepare themselves for fundamental changes in their lives when oil is less plentiful. And that's how an official organization like the Brattleboro Regional Peak Oil Task Force can be important.

“Free Vermont Media": On the Virtues of Local Bookstores and Businesses

by Christopher Morrow

“When you sell a man a book you don't sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book I mean.”

Christopher Morley in Parnassus on Wheels, 1917

The specialness of the book world lies in the fact that we deal in enrichment. Much akin to our brethren on the farms of our fair state, we provide sustenance – “heaven and earth.” While we sometimes trade in books other than “real books,” the passion of booksellers and readers tends to lie in books that provide something meaningful - ideas, entertainment, education, emotion, story… Unlike farmers, we are not responsible for birthing and nurturing our goods, we are more like festival organizers trying to choose the best mix to satisfy our customers. A good bookstore has something for all festival goers. Exotic chicken species, cotton candy, smash ‘em up derbies, merry-go-rounds, pig races, flavored popcorn, the 4H winner - all are there to be discovered.

Great news on the front page of the BFP today.

Check it out - I rewrote the headline: Vermont Thrashes the Big Auto Lobby AND Captive Federal Regulators in a Court of Law.

Who says our little state can't nudge the world in the right direction?

Our homestead's chickens - as air-breathing and sentient beings - are ecstatic. As am I.

The bigger issue is - imagine if Vermont were it's own republic, we wouldn't have to jump through federal legal and regulatory hoops. We could decide, as the citizens of our sovereign republic, to debate questions of climate change, air quality, and transportation on their own merits.

CONNECTING LOCAL ECONOMIES, ECONOMIC JUSTICE, FOOD SYSTEMS, AND GLOBAL
WARMING

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 7th FROM 7:30-9pm AT THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY IN
BURLINGTON.

What is economic justice and how does it relate to our local food systems
and global warming? Join us as we explore this question and others with
author and environmentalist Bill McKibben.

The Peace & Justice Center's Economic Justice Program and Intervale Center
are bringing Bill McKibben to engage in a discussion that draws from the
content of his newly published book Deep Economy. This discussion is
incredibly relevant and timely to the work of both the Peace & Justice