Peak Oil May Mean 'Monstrously Difficult' Times Ahead

Government, industry and the media are doing nothing to prepare America for the impacts of peak oil.

1 minute read

March 30, 2005, 6:00 AM PST

By Michael Dudley


"One might say we have a difficult time ahead of us, but in my view this understates the case: We will have a monstrously difficult time ahead of us. We are terribly in debt and a crippled economy will only make this problem much harder to manage. We have continued our high level of immigration and population growth. We are choosing to make China our enemy at a time when China has bought Boeing airliners and holds a considerable amount of our debt and promises to buy more of our debt into the future. We have made no effort to curtail our use of petroleum or the size of our vehicles yet everything, including the dollar, is balanced precariously on the edge of a cliff."

Thanks to Michael Dudley

Monday, March 28, 2005 in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

A pencil rendering of Foundry Park, which shows skyscrapers and public green spaces.

Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment

The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.

October 23, 2026 - Chicago Sun Times

An Ariel view of Ocean Parkway, a busy six-lane highway

This road in NYC is infamously dangerous — and Mamdani can't fix it

New York City's Ocean Parkway is known for reckless driving, but the power to implement safety measures lies with the state rather than the city.

5 seconds ago - Gothamist

People walking in Denver next to a red bus.

One of Denver’s busiest corridors to gain BRT

The project will span 18 miles and contain 74 bus rapid transit stations.

October 29 - Transportation Today News

People board an orange bus in Seattle.

275,000 bus trips are at stake on Seattle's ballot

If passed, the Seattle Transit Measure would trigger a 0.3% sales tax and raise an average of $138 million per year to maintain and expand Seattle’s bus services.

October 29 - Seattle Times