The City of Lawrence will create the Mayor's Task Force on Peak Oil to develop a response plan in active consultation with the community that will address both a sudden crisis-related reduction of fossil fuels and a long term depletion of fossil fuels.

In February 2007, Marrickville (a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales) adopted the Oil Depletion Protocol, committing to an annual 3% reduction in the use of oil by the total operations of Marrickville Council.

“We have to address peak oil,” said Vancouver, B.C. Mayor Gregor Robertson. “I think we underestimate this at our peril right now, and it needs to be factored in with the decisions we are making this term for sure.” The Mayor and councillor Andrea Reimer want to see the city prepared, and may seek the creation of a task force.

Though it's been around for longer, the Transition Towns initiative really blossomed as an international movement this year with the release of the Transition Handbook. In its home country, the United Kingdom, Transition activities led to several peak oil related resolutions (as well as a host of non-governmental community developments, like the creation of local currency). This year, the idea leapt the pond, taking root in the United States with the formation of Transition United States.

Fatih Birol, chief economist to the International Energy Agency, told the Guardian that conventional crude output could plateau in 2020, a development that was "not good news" for a world still heavily dependent on petroleum.

Oil production could peak by 2010. What does that mean for your community? An article by Daniel Lerch, featured in the December 2008 issue of Planning magazine.

The City Council of Hamilton, Ontario approved $35,000 for the creation of a Community Energy Collaborative to explore the city's energy supply vulnerabilities. The task force will look at economic, social and environmental sustainability and urban planning.

This report and recommendation were submitted to the City Council of Hamilton, Ontario on November 18, 2008. It details the steps Hamilton has taken to date on the issue of peak oil, and recommends the creation of a volunteer peak oil task force based on the model of Portland, Oregon. The council approved funding for the task force on December 8, 2008.

In a unanimous decision, the Nottingham (UK) City Council passed a measure acknowledging "the forthcoming impact of peak oil," and listing actions it plans to take to help Nottingham "rise to the challenge of peak oil but also encourage the city to grasp the opportunities which peak oil offers."

Oil production is up, but prices are back to 2005 levels. You might think this means the pressure's off on peak oil. But a closer look at what's actually happening -- and what the peak oil concept says about the real long-term constraints on oil supplies -- reveals the low prices will actually create more problems, and sooner.