Confused by the media about what's happening with oil prices and how we might sensibly respond? Here's a quick look at what the some economically conservative voices are saying.

The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority held a symposium to identify issues as it prepares to write its Regional Transportation Plan for the next 25 years. Among the main messages was that the old assumptions about what parts of the state will grow and where transportation dollars should be spent have been thrown out the window because of the volatile situation with oil prices and supplies.

Mick Winter of Drydipstick.com reviews Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty. "Post Carbon Cities focuses on the basics: what the energy problem is, why it is, and what can be done about it. It brings home the effects that oil and gas depletion—and climate change—are apt to have (and indeed already have) on local governments."

This excerpt of Daniel Lerch's presentation at the Spirit of Red Hill Valley 2007 lecture in Hamilton, Ontario, categorizes some of the short and long term challenges that peak oil will present to local governments. A good introduction for colleagues who may have heard of peak oil but don't associate it with local issues.

Cities everywhere are looking for ways to deal with high fuel costs. In Missoula, the city's vehicle maintenance superintendent is approaching the issue with ingenuity, efficiency, and strict rules enforcement.

Demand for public transit is rising everywhere -- but can we really make transit a viable mode when our cities and suburbs have been completely built around the private car? Daniel Lerch responds to a reader's comment about the realities of quickly upscaling transit, and whether or not next-generation electric vehicles are the answer.

Solar is quickly emerging as a major alternative energy source -- and its success in less-than-balmy places like northern Europe shows that cities just about anywhere can benefit. Despite recent uncertainties in energy legislation at both state and national levels, there's a lot that local governments can do right now to shift community energy dependence towards this most clean and local of energy sources.

The last few weeks have been a particularly interesting time to follow reactions to surging oil prices. Some have been predictably short-sighted, such as calls for offshore drilling and investment in nuclear power. Thankfully, more and more local governments in the US and Europe are pursuing sensible solutions -- most recently at the city, county and even city-state levels.

An update from Post Carbon Cities to the Relocalization Network - a network of citizen groups working to strengthen their communities though relocalization. The news: action on the U.S.'s Southeastern front!

Come to our hosting a session on peak oil and energy uncertainty at the annual American Planning Association conference in Las Vegas, Wednesday April 30th at 4:00pm. "Post Carbon Cities" author Daniel Lerch is joined by John Kaufmann of the Portland (Ore.) Peak Oil Task Force and Jennifer Sarnecki of Southern California Association of Governments.