Oildummy.com

    Do you believe we are seeing the effects of peak oil right now with the price of oil steadily climbing upward? It’s hard to say for sure. As for me, I believe we could be dangerously close to peak oil, and it is a very scary thought. There are plenty of arguments to dispute it, something along the lines of “Middle Eastern countries and OPEC or our government are behind the high prices and we should see oil return to $30 a barrel”, but we need to take a bit deeper look.

    Over the last 30-some years, our oil production in the United States has slowly but surely declined steadily, making us more and more dependent on foreign sources, particularly Middle Eastern sources. How much longer can the oil fields of the Middle East keep up with the continuous world growth and surge in demand? These fields have been pumping for a long time now, with no big exploration finds to supplement them. The production will ultimately decline much like it has in the US as millions of barrels of oil are pumped out every single day. It is not a question of if it will happen, but rather when it will happen. With the sheer volume of oil that the Middle East supplies the world, if its production begins to falter, we are in big, big trouble of not having the supplies we need.

    Of course the Middle East is not our only supplier of oil, but this problem is not confined to that area (it just makes a good example as the thought of a country like Saudi Arabia struggling to pump oil seems ludicrous). Most oil-producing countries of the world are facing the same situation; production that is far ahead of exploration. Peak Oil is not a topic to take lightly, even if you are doubtful that it is even an issue right now. There is massive amounts of information and debates on the peak oil subject, and I will try to consume as much as I can to bring new, up-to-date information on both sides of the subject to this site.

    One of the easiest, cheapest ways to keep your car running healthy is to check the air filter. Case in point; I bought my Civic used, and although the car appeared clean and fairly well-cared for, it wasn’t running very efficiently. I was expecting at least 35 mpg out of the 1.7L 4 cylinder, but it was struggling to crack 30. I knew this car could be running better, and the first thing that I checked was the air filter-Bingo! With dirt and soot completely covering every square inch of the filter, it was obvious that it was still the factory filter (Not good for a car with 80,000 miles).

    The next day I bought a new one for $15 and here I am, about 8 months later, getting between 36-38 miles a gallon. I wonder how much the person before me wasted at the pump by ignoring a $15 filter that badly needed changed. Then again, I wonder how many millions of American automobiles are sputtering around, in need of some fresh air!

    My current ride of choice is a 2004 Honda Civic, and I absolutely love it. It is a value package, though, so it has absolutely no options beyond A/C and a CD player, but that doesn’t matter much to me. However, it was a bit odd getting used to after driving a 94 Accord EX with every option. Oh well, the gas mileage in the upper 30’s more than makes up for it! I seriously think a Civic is one the best buys for the money in terms of affordability, reliability, and fuel efficiency. How many other cars cost less than $20,000, get 35 mpg, and with routine maintenance last well over 200,000 miles?

    Whenever I get the chance, I try to talk up my little car and sell people on the benefits of driving such vehicles. It’s not always easy to get somebody to buy into the hype, though. Just last night I got the comment that a vacuum cleaner has more horsepower than a Civic. Even with gas prices hovering near $3 dollar a gallon, many, many people still have no interest in the mere thought of conservation. Oh well, I feel good about myself putting around in my little Honda, even if a vacuum cleaner’s horsepower can compete.

    This one drives me nuts… I wonder how much fuel is wasted every day because of Americans whose commuter vehicle of choice is a gas guzzling truck or suv. I perfectly understand a mom who has 4 kids to drop off at school, or anybody for that matter who actually utilizes their larger vehicle. However, people who drive to work and straight back home do not need a large vehicle to get them there. Rolling up to the office in the Hummer or Escalade is just pointless and wasteful in my opinion.

    I don’t understand the rationale behind it. If it’s a status symbol thing, buy a nice smaller car. Today’s small cars aren’t the pieces of crap that were rolling around in the 90’s, some of them are nice, nice cars. Even if you’re making six figures and can perfectly afford the small fortune it takes to fill up these behemoths, take a second look at your role in our energy situation and your environmental effect. I can almost guarantee that you will feel better about yourself and eventually frown upon the countless others that still thunder to work to the tune of 12 miles per gallon.