KEY: stricken = old language to be removed
     underscored = new language to be added

H.R. No. 25, as introduced: 84th Legislative Session (2005-2006) Posted on May 8, 2006

1.1     A house resolution
1.2     expressing the sense of the Minnesota House of Representatives concerning the 
1.3     challenge of Peak Oil and the need for Minnesota to prepare a plan of response and 
1.4     preparation.
1.5     WHEREAS, world oil production is nearing its point of maximum production (Peak Oil) 
1.6     and will enter a prolonged period of irreversible decline leading to ever-increasing prices; and  
1.7     WHEREAS, the United States has only two percent of the world's oil reserves, produces 
1.8     eight percent of the world's oil, and consumes 25 percent of the world's oil, of which nearly 60 
1.9     percent is imported from foreign countries; and  
1.10    WHEREAS, the decline in global oil production threatens to increase resource competition 
1.11    and geopolitical instability, and lead to greater impoverishment and global economic crisis; and  
1.12    WHEREAS, national oil companies own 72 percent of remaining oil reserves and 55 
1.13    percent of remaining gas reserves, and resource nationalism is increasingly dominating decisions 
1.14    of oil and gas development and trade relationships; and  
1.15    WHEREAS, the availability of affordable petroleum is critical to the functioning of our 
1.16    transportation system, the production of our food and of petrochemical-based consumer goods, 
1.17    the paving of roads, the lubrication of all machinery, and myriad other parts of the economy; and
1.18    WHEREAS, Minnesota is entirely dependent on external supplies of petroleum, including 
1.19    the crude oil processed in refineries within the state; and
2.1     WHEREAS, price signals of petroleum scarcity are likely to come too late to trigger 
2.2     effective mitigation efforts in the private sector, and governmental intervention at all levels of 
2.3     government will be required to avert social and economic chaos; and
2.4     WHEREAS, the Department of Energy-sponsored study (the Hirsch Report) on mitigation 
2.5     of Peak Oil demonstrated that a 20-year lead time is required for effective mitigation, while 
2.6     current measures supported by the federal government will replace only three weeks' worth of 
2.7     gasoline consumption by 2012; and
2.8     WHEREAS, alternative sources of transport fuels from coal and natural gas require high 
2.9     energy inputs and increase total carbon emissions; and biomass-based fuels compete with soil 
2.10    fertility, impacting agricultural sustainability; and
2.11    WHEREAS, substitution of petroleum with other fossil fuels threatens even greater damage 
2.12    to water, air, soil, and species diversity through their extraction and combustion; and
2.13    WHEREAS, North American production of natural gas has already peaked, and an 
2.14    increasing percentage of Minnesota's electricity supply is generated from natural gas; and
2.15    WHEREAS, Minnesota has demonstrated leadership in confronting challenges of 
2.16    environmental quality and energy security, promoting environmental and economic equity, and 
2.17    has a rich diversity of citizens committed to maintaining the state's long-term viability; NOW, 
2.18    THEREFORE, 
2.19    BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the State of Minnesota 
2.20    acknowledges the unprecedented challenges of Peak Oil; and 
2.21    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives supports the adoption 
2.22    of a global Oil Depletion Protocol to provide transparency in oil markets, control price swings, 
2.23    address issues of equity in access to remaining oil resources, and provide a framework of 
2.24    predictability within which governments can adjust to increasing oil scarcity; and 
2.25    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives supports the undertaking 
2.26    of a statewide assessment study in order to inventory state activities and their corollary resource 
2.27    requirements, evaluating the impact in each area to a decline in petroleum availability and to 
2.28    higher prices, with the aim of developing a comprehensive state plan of action and response 
2.29    to Peak Oil; and
2.30    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
2.31    the governor should recommend funding and should give direction to state departments for the 
2.32    development of a response plan as soon as possible; and
3.1      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives is 
3.2     directed to prepare an enrolled copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by his signature and 
3.3     that of the Speaker, and transmit it to the Governor of the State of Minnesota.