Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana

Report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force
TRANSPORTATION
Of all sectors of the U.S. economy, transportation is the most petroleum‐dependent and the
most vulnerable to disruption resulting from declining world petroleum supplies. Ninety‐
seven percent of transportation energy is reliant on fossil fuel. Of that figure, fully 95
percent comes from petroleum. 143 For decades, low global petroleum prices prevailed,
shaping the way people and goods move.
Low oil prices fostered personal automobile ownership and a road network that allowed us
to live substantial distances from where we work, shop, and go to school. Cheap oil also
fostered air travel and long‐distance trade among nations. As a result, cities like
Bloomington have become dependent on other regions for almost everything needed in
daily life, from food, clothing, water, transportation fuel, shelter and medicines to big
screen televisions, solar collectors, and wind turbines. One would be hard pressed to find
any food, product, or service for sale in Monroe County, that doesn’t involve any
transportation beyond the boundaries of Monroe County. Even locally‐produced and sold
food usually requires the use of seeds, machines, tools, fertilizer, irrigation systems, fuel,
containers, hoop houses, etc. that have been produced elsewhere and transported to
Monroe County over long distances. Because of our reliance on automobiles, trucks,
container ships, and airplanes for moving goods and/or people, a disruption in the supply
of petroleum could affect most everyday aspects of life in Bloomington and Monroe County.
However, there is much we can do reduce our vulnerability to a decline in cheap oil.
The level of our community’s vulnerability is a function of how easy or hard it is for people,
businesses, and institutions to respond to increasing fuel prices by reducing petroleum
consumption without compromising the basic human needs of shelter, food, water, health
care, and transportation. A key aspect of community resiliency will be strengthening our
143 Natural gas comprises approximately 2 percent and renewable energy comprises 3 percent of energy
used in the transportation sector. U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Annual
Energy Review 2008.
112