“Peak Oil” piques state worker interest

A group of state workers are hosting a presentation on “Peak Oil” tomorrow, focusing on the impact of rising gasoline costs on state services.

Scott Bird at the Department of Social and Health Services is organizing the event. He said he became interested in the subject when he worked in the budget and forecast office, and had to deal with growing fuel expenses.

He described tomorrow’s meeting as a “show and tell” with the guest speakers, including Melissa Ahern an economics professor from Washington State University.

“We know accountants and budget people as a rule are a pretty boring lot, but we think this is going to get people’s blood going,” Bird said.

Look up Peak Oil and you’ll find it refers the concept of post-peak production in oil, as in, we’re running out. And with an oil-dependent economy, no oil threatens disaster.

It sounds alarming, to be sure, and one Website on the subject has a distinct survivalist bent to it, called Lifeaftertheoilcrash.net.

Doomsday aside, though, gas isn’t getting any cheaper, is it?