[Read this bill in PDF format here. -Ed.]

A resolution
memorializing the Governor to take action to prepare a plan of response and preparation to meet the challenges of Peak Oil.

WHEREAS, world oil production is nearing its point of maximum production (Peak Oil) and will enter a prolonged period of irreversible decline leading to ever-increasing prices; and
WHEREAS, the United States has only two percent of the world's oil reserves, produces eight percent of the world's oil, and consumes 25 percent of the world's oil, of which nearly 60 percent is imported from foreign countries; and
WHEREAS, the decline in global oil production threatens to increase resource competition and geopolitical instability, and lead to greater impoverishment and global economic crisis; and
WHEREAS, national oil companies own 72 percent of remaining oil reserves and 55 percent of remaining gas reserves, and resource nationalism is increasingly dominating decisions of oil and gas development and trade relationships; and
WHEREAS, the availability of affordable petroleum is critical to the functioning of our transportation system, the production of our food and of petrochemical-based consumer goods, the paving of roads, the lubrication of all machinery, and myriad other parts of the economy; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota is entirely dependent on external supplies of petroleum, including the crude oil processed in refineries within the state; and
WHEREAS, price signals of petroleum scarcity are likely to come too late to trigger effective mitigation efforts in the private sector, and governmental intervention at all levels of government will be required to avert social and economic chaos; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Energy-sponsored study (the Hirsch Report) on mitigation of Peak Oil demonstrated that a 20-year lead time is required for effective mitigation, while current measures supported by the federal government will replace only three weeks' worth of gasoline consumption by 2012; and
WHEREAS, alternative sources of transport fuels from coal and natural gas require high energy inputs and increase total carbon emissions; and biomass-based fuels compete with soil fertility, impacting agricultural sustainability; and
WHEREAS, substitution of petroleum with other fossil fuels threatens even greater damage to water, air, soil, and species diversity through their extraction and combustion; and
WHEREAS, North American production of natural gas has most likely peaked, and an increasing percentage of Minnesota's electricity supply is generated from natural gas; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota has demonstrated leadership in confronting challenges of environmental quality and energy security, promoting environmental and economic equity, and has a rich diversity of citizens committed to maintaining the state's long-term viability; NOW,

THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the State of Minnesota acknowledges the unprecedented challenges of Peak Oil; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature supports the adoption of a global Oil Depletion Protocol to provide transparency in oil markets, control price swings, address issues of equity in access to remaining oil resources, and provide a framework of predictability within which governments can adjust to increasing oil scarcity; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature supports the undertaking of a statewide assessment study in order to inventory state activities and their corollary resource requirements, evaluating the impact in each area to a decline in petroleum availability and to higher prices, with the aim of developing a comprehensive state plan of action and response to Peak Oil; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the governor should recommend funding and should give direction to state departments for the development of a response plan as soon as possible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the State of Minnesota is directed to prepare an enrolled copy of this memorial and transmit it to the Governor of the State of Minnesota.