How Cross City Tunnel planners ignored Peak Oil

Due to lack of patronage and anger of motorists about changed traffic conditions in and around Sydney’s Cross City Tunnel a Parliamentary inquiry was set up in December 2005

http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/Committee.nsf/0/A69743663274E980CA2570C10082D5D2

to investigate contract negotiations, community consultations, the methodology used by the RTA and how Government agencies entered into private public partnership agreements.

In my submission #8 I listed all peak oil warnings which were ignored during the decision making process, all together 13 warnings, in this table:

Peak Oil Warnings

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Cross City Tunnel History

www.crosscity.com.au

1995: The World’s Oil Supply 1930-2050; Petroconsultants. CJ Campbell and JH Laherrere warned that coil production will peak by or after 2000, followed by permanent decline

1

March 1998: The Scientific American publishes  Campbell / Laherrere’s article “The End of Cheap Oil”.

 

Nov. 1998: Chartered Institute of Transport in Australia, National Symposium, Launceston. Brian J Fleay analyses the topic: “Climaxing Oil. How will transport adapt?”

2

3

1998: As part of “Action for Transport 2010” a road tunnel under the CBD was proposed. Concept design started by RTA
July 1999: C.J. Campbell presents to the House of Commons All Party Committee “The imminent peak of world oil production”

http://www.hubbertpeak.com/campbell/commons.htm

4

Apr. 2000: The US Department of Energy puts on its web site the slide show “Long Term World Oil Supply”, based on the USGS 2000 mean estimate, showing a possible peak in 2016 under the assumption of moderate decline rates after the peak. www.eia.doe.gov

 

May 2000: J.Laherrere publishes “Is USGS 2000 Assessment Reliable?”

5

6

 

 

 

Aug. 2000: RTA releases EIS

Sep.  2000: RTA calls for tender even before public exhibition closes

Fall 2001: K.Deffeyes, Professor at Princeton University, publishes his book “Hubbert’s Peak, The Impending World Oil Shortage”, forecasting a peak in 2005, but not later than 2009.

 

Dec 2001: Australian Energy News reports about a visit of Les Magoon (USGS) to Australia in an article entitled “Oil production curve cause for concern”

7

Oct 2001: Minister of Planning approves EIS
Jan 2002; Matt Simmons; The World’s Giant Oilfields, Hubbert Center Newsletter 2002/1

http://hubbert.mines.edu/news/Simmons_02-1.pdf.

8

Feb. 2002: Cross City Motorway Consortium announced as preferred proponent
Mar 2002: Woodside Petroleum CEO Akehurst informs shareholders of Australian oil decline:
www.woodside.com.au/NR/Woodside/ investorpack/SG3682_3_ABARE.pdf

9

May 2002: Matthew Simmons: „Depletion and US Energy policy”, International Workshop on oil depletion, Uppsala Sweden

www.oilcrisis.com/aspo/iwood/simmons_depletion.pdf

10

Jun 2002: Bruce Robinson on Australia’s oil vulnerability

www.stcwa.org.au/beyondoil/Aust_OilVulnerability.doc

11

July 2002: Supplementary EIS put on display
Sep 2002: The Sydney Morning Herald publishes an article entitled “The oil war”

 

Oct 2002: CSIRO’s „Future Dilemmas“ highlights serious physical constraints in Australia’s economy:

www.cse.csiro.au/research/Program5/futuredilemmas/

12

13

Nov. 2002: Supplementary Representations Report released for public consumption
Dec. 2002: Minister for Planning approves “Approved Activity”

My submission #8 is here:

http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/Committee.nsf/0/7AF905745474FB08CA25710000165A8A