Don's Tuesday Column

THE WAY I SEE IT by Don Polson      Red Bluff Daily News 10/21/2025

     California may run out of oil—not America

Note to readers: The editors asked for new “head shots” for the updated format. While happy to comply, I need the electric barber shears in our Red Bluff home, to reduce my full summer’s “mountain man” beard to a civilized goatee. Also, a treatable eye infection almost looks a bit...tipsy.

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The topic of fossil fuels, so-called “renewable” or “green” energy, and climate change might venture outside the purview of columnists; opinions spring forth nonetheless. It should be noted that our local economy depends on affordable gasoline and diesel for cars and trucks; 1) for convenience of lifestyle but, more importantly, 2) the life-sustaining essentials of food deliveries, shopping, medical care and, of course, getting to and from our—well, your—jobs.

Life itself is only possible in this otherwise inhospitable local climate due to heating and air conditioning with natural gas and electricity (even “swamp coolers” need it). Without being disrespectful to environmentally-obsessed advocates for eliminating fossil fuels, and the lifestyle we have collectively chosen—over the distant (even nonexistent) threat of climate catastrophe, I can only say, “Are you nuts?”

I mean, “bless their pea-pickin’ hearts,” as Tennessee Ernie Ford would say. Even environmental advocate and scientist Bjorn Lomborg has pointed out that the costs of mitigating predictable, obviously gradual climate change are exponentially smaller than the proposed replacement of carbon dioxide-generating—life-essential—fossil fuels, with solar and wind energy. Nuclear proponents may have a replacement case.

Our RV’s solar panels, cables and controller (costing about $2,000) enable battery recharging; they only function well on sunny days, or with some sustained sun exposure in a camp spot. A microcosm of home, city, utility or industrial scale solar, the limitations remain: Our low-footprint RV electricity usage is for keeping devices recharged, and lights on (and my CPAP running) when it’s dark outside, and the microwave; it’s only possible with AC electricity converted from onboard batteries. It’s a propane refrigerator and range.

Prior to solar panels, only the gasoline-fueled generator recharged those batteries—that’s several hours a day that we, and other campers, listened to our rumbling machine. Solar panels—whether our three roll-up ones (200 watts each), home rooftop installations, or vast acreages covered with the panels—generate DC current which runs nothing until it is converted to AC (Thanks to Nikola Tesla; Thomas Edison invented distribution).

It still is only possible to camp thanks to the onboard batteries storing the juice—even tent campers need their lights and charcoal/propane/campfire cooking, all using resources, not the sun. Funny thing, though, it’s back to that loud, gas-consuming generator when a) the coastal marine layer gets too thick, b) the seasonally-lowering sun leaves us in shade all day, or c) a rain- and fog-laden weather system hits the mountains. That’s all irrelevant when plugged into power at an RV park, where electricity comes from...not solar panels, I assure you.

I told you that to tell you this: I wrote that data says we aren’t running out of fossil fuels (disputed on this page); I had to remind myself, and readers, of the literally vast deposits of oil, natural gas and coal. If those could provide cooking and electricity to third-world people, rather than wood or animal dung, their innate intelligence and industry could elevate their lifestyle and economy, as well as extend their lives.

As they say, “Google it!” “Reserves of fossil fuel in U.S.” yields this: “In 2024 the U.S. had an estimated 1.65 trillion barrels of technically recoverable oil and 4.03 quadrillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas (Institute for Energy Research—IER)…” That’s an increase of 15% (oil) and 47% (natural gas) compared to the 2011 inventory.

So, there are more, not less, fossil fuel deposits. What sense does it make to try to replace inexpensive, abundant fossil fuels with expensive (including global costs of subsidies, tax credits, construction and installation) solar or wind turbines. The panels, and wind turbine blades, become un-recyclable junk, eventually.

At about 20 million barrels a day, the U.S. uses about 7.3 billion barrels a year. We have about 220 years worth of oil, not 15 or even 50. Maybe it will get more expensive to extract; but we are so far from running out that it’s ludicrous to proclaim an emergency, even an urgency. Same with natural gas and coal.

Short quiz: What happened in the 1880s, 1914, 1919, 1939, 1956 and even more recently? Again, google “When were the earliest predictions of the end of oil supply”? Those were all cite-able predictions that the “world (or U.S.) would run out of oil in 10 to 15 years.” Paul Erlich predicted in “The Limits to Growth” that the world would run out of oil by 1990. Predictions? Or just wish-casting.

So, Red Bluff-ians, feel happy and guilt-free using fossil fuels.