Last month in Sacramento, CA and last week in Denver, CO, The Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO) convened to discuss the idea that crude oil supplies have diminished to the point where the amount which remains unearthed is less than that which has already been extracted. The 5th annual ASPO-USA conference presented “three days of information-packed events plus a Saturday pre-event workshop designed to stimulate discussion amongst a wide audience of people in business, public policy, and anyone concerned with resource supply issues.”

The conference consisted of “an extensive roster of presenters, including economists and financial analysts, agricultural and water experts, editors and journalists, contributors to The Oil Drum, and advocates for peak oil mitigation strategies such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, and population control.”

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter addressed the convention on its last day saying that Colorado’s “efforts to build a new energy economy can provide a model for addressing climate change and other challenges facing the country and world.” Denver’s mayor, John Hickenlooper, spoke to the group on Monday. Both politicians presented the Front Range (consisting of towns from Fort Collins in the north down the I-25 corridor through Denver and Colorado Springs in the south) as a bastion of the clean energy economy.

Governor Ritter’s comments reflect the possibility that clean energy companies can spark the economy and lead to the next economic boom in the United States. As recently indicated on TechCrunch, BYD motors (mentioned here in an earlier post), represents one example of the innovative steps being taken by Chinese corporations. The opportunities to lead abound; however, unless the United States seizes the moment and takes advantage of the clean energy future, we may find ourselves importing more than small household items from abroad.

- Eric Wilson