Today's Warm and Fuzzy Thought

British Petroleum has begun the shutdown of the oil pipeline that runs from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez in Alaska, also known as the backbone of the Alaskan oil industry. They do so citing the aging pipeline has begun to leak oil and in one spot as many as 210,000 gallons of oil has been leaked out into the Alaskan tundra. This shutdown will cost millions of dollars a day, and will most likely have adverse effects on oil and gas prices around the world. I heard one estimate today that because of this, oil could top $80 a barrel.

If we have learned nothing else over the last two years, then we should learn how fragile the oil industry is and how we are being held captive by forces that are out of our control. Like our power grids, the oil field infrastructure needs work but we have become so dependent on it companies are afraid to take it down to make desperately needed repairs. So instead, they will continue to keep it afloat until it finally collapses and we are left in the dark and cold of our own power addictions.