This seven-member body was charged with coordinating the assessment of San Francisco's vulnerability to energy price shocks, determining appropriate measures to mitigate municipal vulnerability, and to draft a comprehensive response plan for recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. The Task Force released this report and held its final meeting on March 17 2009.

The post-World War II economy has experienced its share of crises, and each time the economy has rebounded and gone on to bigger and faster global growth. But something different happened last summer -- and we're not diagnosing the problem correctly, and we're not pursuing the correct solutions. We've essentially failed to recognize that the game has changed.

There is growing consensus that councils should be leading the national effort to tackle climate change. Councils can therefore take strategic action to reduce transport related carbon emissions (a major source of climate change) which can in turn address some of the impacts of oil price oil price volatility. The report concludes with specific recommendations to central government about how it can help local government respond to the challenges and opportunities.

The City of Lawrence will create the Mayor's Task Force on Peak Oil to develop a response plan in active consultation with the community that will address both a sudden crisis-related reduction of fossil fuels and a long term depletion of fossil fuels.

In February 2007, Marrickville (a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales) adopted the Oil Depletion Protocol, committing to an annual 3% reduction in the use of oil by the total operations of Marrickville Council.

“We have to address peak oil,” said Vancouver, B.C. Mayor Gregor Robertson. “I think we underestimate this at our peril right now, and it needs to be factored in with the decisions we are making this term for sure.” The Mayor and councillor Andrea Reimer want to see the city prepared, and may seek the creation of a task force.

Though it's been around for longer, the Transition Towns initiative really blossomed as an international movement this year with the release of the Transition Handbook. In its home country, the United Kingdom, Transition activities led to several peak oil related resolutions (as well as a host of non-governmental community developments, like the creation of local currency). This year, the idea leapt the pond, taking root in the United States with the formation of Transition United States.

Fatih Birol, chief economist to the International Energy Agency, told the Guardian that conventional crude output could plateau in 2020, a development that was "not good news" for a world still heavily dependent on petroleum.

Oil production could peak by 2010. What does that mean for your community? An article by Daniel Lerch, featured in the December 2008 issue of Planning magazine.

The City Council of Hamilton, Ontario approved $35,000 for the creation of a Community Energy Collaborative to explore the city's energy supply vulnerabilities. The task force will look at economic, social and environmental sustainability and urban planning.