From the International Herald Tribune:
It started with a simple question by Samuel Bodman, the energy secretary: "What does the future hold for oil and natural gas supply?"
The query was made in October 2005 in a one-page letter sent to Lee Raymond, the former chairman of Exxon Mobil and head of the National Petroleum Council, a federal advisory group representing the oil industry.
After nearly two years, Raymond has finally delivered his answer. The result is a colossal 476-page study entitled "Facing the Hard Truths About Energy" that involved 350 participants, suggestions from over 1,000 people, submissions by 19 foreign governments from Australia to Saudi Arabia, and dozens of subcommittees.
The report, which was made public in Washington on Wednesday, was billed as one of the most comprehensive analysis of the global energy challenge.
In answering Bodman's question, it also provides a sobering picture of the energy problem facing the United States and the world. Most strikingly, some of the recommendations adopted by the petroleum council also probably far exceed what Bodman had in mind, or what the Bush administration is prepared to endorse.
[...]
"It is a hard truth that policies aimed at curbing carbon emissions will alter the energy mix, increase energy-related costs and require reductions in demand growth," the report said. It said the U.S. government should establish a regulatory framework for managing carbon emissions, but did not recommend any specific policy.
