Reps. Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-Md.) and Tom Udall (D-NM) led off the hearing before the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee because they lead the House Peak Oil Caucus, which has six other members.
“We started it to bring immediate and serious attention to this issue. The continued prosperity of the United States depends on its ability to act on this,” Udall explained.
Bartlett, who has given 14 special-order speeches before the House on the subject since March, cited Shell Oil Co. geologist M. King Hubbert’s 1956 prediction that US oil production would peak around 1970.
“If he was right about our country, there’s no reason to believe that he wasn’t right about the world. He predicted that its oil production would peak about now,” Bartlett said.
Domestic oil production has declined every year since 1970 despite higher prices and improved technology, he told the subcommittee.
“To provide a smooth transition to a more secure and sustainable energy future, we need to invest the effort and the money to use energy more efficiently while developing alternative and renewable sources, especially in transportation,” Bartlett said.
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