Oil

A new NRDC report ranks U.S. states on their level of oil vulnerability measured by how heavily each state's citizens are affected by increases in oil prices. States are also ranked on their implementation of solutions to reduce oil dependence. The report found that while oil dependence affects all states, some are hit harder economically than others. And while some states are pioneering solutions, many are taking little or no action. In fact, the report finds that about one-third of states are not taking any steps to reduce their dependence. From the NRDC report (via Car Free USA):

Bud & Walter Brewer Collection/Tulsa Historical Society, via The New York Times.

The Committee to Keep NYC "Congestion Tax Free." Front row, left to right: John Corlett, Automobile Club of New York; Ray Irrera, Queens Chamber of Commerce; Council Member David Weprin; Lobbyist Walter McCaffrey; Joe Conley of Queens Community Board 2.

This week's New Yorker has a lengthy profile of Bill Clinton by David Remnick. The article is not available online but this Q&A with Remnick is. Check out what Clinton was reading around the time of the World Cup this summer:

Richard Heinberg, whose latest book "The Oil Depletion Protocol" aims to help citizens and municipalities deal with the increasing likelihood of global energy supply disruptions, publishes an excellent monthly newsletter called "Muse Letter." The latest issue focuses mainly on the recent Israeli-Hezbollah conflict -- not exactly within Streetsblog's purview -- but it also contains a potentially critical piece of news about global oil supply.

The news media has been writing a lot about energy and oil addiction lately.  One particularly noteworthy package of reporting highlights the hidden problems of oil addiction. Another searches for ways it could be alleviated but misses the most critical one. The first is The Chicago Tribune's enormously important four-part series by Pulitzer-winning reporter Paul Salopek called A Tank of Gas, a World of Trouble published July 29. 

The Daily News reports that Mayor Bloomberg made his first public statements about U.S. oil dependency on his radio show last week:

Reuters reports, Bicycle and oil deals cement Chavez's ties to Iran: