[Note: This post was written for the Relocalization Network's forthcoming May newsletter, which is why it's addressed to Relocalization Network Groups. The Relocalization Network is another project of Post Carbon Institute, created to support grassroots groups in strengthening their communities in preparation for energy uncertainty. Check if there's a Relocalization group in your area; they could be valuable allies! - Laurel]

For a long time, our map of local government responses to peak oil had a conspicuous empty patch covering the southeastern U.S.¹ We knew that there were relocalization groups at work there, but we just hadn't heard anything about local government action on the issue.

That changed this past month when we heard from the group NCPowerdown about incipient movement in not one, but two North Carolina towns: Chapel Hill and Carrboro. It sounds like NCPowerdown has an admirable - and strategically important - grasp of who's who in their local governments, and how they want to proceed, too. In Chapel Hill, the town council has referred the development of a Peak Oil resolution to the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Committee, to be assisted by NCPowerdown. In Carrboro, the group is working with the town's Environmental Planner, and reaching out to relevant boards to build awareness and consensus in the local government and ensure a proposal that suits the specificities of their town.

We also heard from an employee of South Carolina's state government, who had read the book Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty and was looking for the right framework for bringing it to towns in his state. One useful tool for setting the stage is online video footage of Oregon Department of Energy Senior Policy Analyst John Kaufmann testifying before the Connecticut Legislature's Peak Oil and Gas Caucus about the Portland Peak Oil Task Force. We highly recommend the video to anyone piecing together how they want to present the case for preparation.

Post Carbon Cities staff and Relocalization Network staff have been talking together about how to best support Relocalization Network groups that want to pursue change at the level of their local government -- that is, to get their village, town, or city's governing body to officially recognize Peak Oil as a pressing issue and commit resources to research and action. One important tool is the Post Carbon Cities guidebook. But as that South Carolinean staffer knows, you can't just give a busy official a book and have the book speak for itself. There has to be some kind of context to make it clear that it's relevant and important. As a first step, we've put together a draft cover letter that you can use when you present an official with the guidebook.

We're also working out the details of setting up meetings between Post Carbon Cities staff and Relocalization Network groups planning to start the (often difficult) process of engaging their local government, so those groups can be better prepared. Contact Relocalization Network Program Manager Asher Miller if your group is getting ready to start down this road, and we'll see what we can do.

1. ^ And while I'm on the subject of exciting changes to our map - note that as of today, Connecticut has our first Big Pink Marker. That Big Pink Marker denotes the state legislature's passage of HB 5724, which will "create an energy scarcity and sustainability task force, to require the Office of Policy and Management to assess all state agencies with regard to petroleum use and to establish a grant program for municipalities to plan for energy scarcity and cost increases." As a born and bred Massachusettsian, I never thought I'd say this, but: Way to go, Connecticut!

Photo credit: Elizabeth Thomsen