Energy Tomorrow Blog
Video: No Malarkey, Natural Gas and Oil Critical to U.S. Security, Growth
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Mark Green
Posted August 25, 2020
Former Vice President Joe Biden, talking about the benefits of U.S. natural gas and oil in the years leading up to his 2020 presidential campaign:
“North American energy makes us independent.”
“We’re positioned to own the 21st century. … North America will remain the epicenter of energy.”
… Clearly, there was a time when the former vice president was quite bullish on U.S. natural gas and oil. He recognized the strategic benefit of falling U.S. oil imports and the advantages of affordable, reliable energy to American manufacturing. … Unfortunately, things have changed.
OPEC+ Turmoil Underscores Need for U.S. Oil Diplomacy
oil and natural gas production us energy security saudi arabia russia
Mark Green
Posted April 5, 2020
Although OPEC+ has delayed a planned meeting Monday to address differences between leading members Russia and Saudi Arabia, there were encouraging signals from the White House after the president’s meeting with a number of natural gas and oil industry leaders, including API President and CEO Mike Sommers.
The continuing oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, which has the two nations increasing production amid a slump in world oil demand, is broadly concerning. The administration is correct to focus strong diplomacy on finding a resolution, the urgency of which is underscored by the postponement of Monday’s OPEC+ meeting.
The best message from the White House is what’s not on the table: additional U.S. production cuts. As the president said, the global oversupply problem has been worsened by the Russian and Saudi production increases, and those countries bear the responsibility of changing their policies.
Keystone XL's Construction is Good for U.S., U.S. Energy
keystone xl pipeline jobs us energy security canadian oil sands economic growth
Mark Green
Posted April 2, 2020
TC Energy’s announcement that it will proceed with building the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline is a big deal in terms of vital energy for America, jobs, economic growth and North American security. The 1,210-mile pipeline – able to safely deliver 830,000 barrels per day from Canada’s oil sands region in Alberta to the U.S. heartland – figures to be a significant, long-awaited progress toward helping secure this country’s future energy needs.
I say “long-awaited” because my first API writing assignment was about the KXL – nearly nine years ago!
Over that time the pipeline became a political football – a debate in which the basic facts were mostly incontestable: thousands of good jobs during KXL’s construction, tens of millions of dollars in property and income tax revenues to different levels of government and no significant effect on the climate or environment, according to the U.S. State Department, which conducted six comprehensive scientific reviews.
Innovative Technologies Give Energy Operators Staying Power
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Sam Winstel
Posted March 31, 2020
Despite challenging public health, geopolitical and economic circumstances, the U.S. energy industry remains positioned at the leading edge of technology and innovation. Historically, America’s natural gas and oil companies have overcome unexpected and uncertain events with safe, reliable and resilient operations – and gone on to play an important role in rebuilding the domestic economy and strengthening national security.
And there’s evidence this will happen again. That’s why we’ve said, don’t bet against this industry.
Mark Mills, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, wrote recently that today’s industrial digital technologies could help us weather this market downturn and eventually access more of our abundant energy resources.API Opposes Government Intervention in Response to Market Downturn
crude markets us energy security opec trade
Sam Winstel
Posted March 25, 2020
There seems to be no shortage of flawed ideas in response to ongoing crude oil market instability.
Last week, a U.S. senator asked the Commerce Department to impose tariffs on imported crude oil, and a Texas state energy regulator called for statewide oil production quotas – isolating measures that don’t serve the interests of American consumers and don’t help our industry do its job of supplying the country with needed energy.
For Good Reasons, Industry Doesn’t Want Tariffs or Quotas
oil and natural gas trade us energy security
Mike Sommers
Posted March 23, 2020
As the world grapples with the ongoing spread of the coronavirus, the decision by Russia and the OPEC nations to increase energy supplies while demand is dropping has contributed to ongoing market instability and delivered a shock to America’s evolving energy picture.
Since the late 2000s, the U.S. has emerged as the world’s leading producer of natural gas and oil—last month producing at estimated record levels of 13 million barrels of oil and 96.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas to meet consumer demand. Innovative technologies like hydraulic fracturing have enabled producers to reach abundant U.S. shale reserves, and thus changed America’s trajectory from energy scarcity to abundance and from importing energy to exporting it.
It is not surprising, then, that some global energy players are threatened by American energy leadership and have actively tried to prevent its progress. Russia and other nations’ push to increase global energy supply despite lower demand in the short term is a reaction to America’s new paradigm as a global energy superpower. This is a challenging situation, compounded by the impact of the coronavirus, but interventions like protectionist trade measures are not the answer.
Don’t Bet Against U.S. Natural Gas and Oil
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Mark Green
Posted March 17, 2020
Much of the news surrounding the U.S. natural gas and oil industry is fairly challenging right now: some of the lowest global crude oil prices in years; world energy demand, which already was slowing, has been further affected by the coronavirus; Russia and Saudi Arabia, the world’s No. 2 and No. 3 oil producers, plan to increase output, launching a price war that also might be aimed at clawing back market share lost to U.S. shale producers in recent years.
Even so, don’t bet against the U.S. natural gas and oil industry. Ours is an industry of innovation and technological expertise that historically has risen to overcome serious circumstances, playing a key role in building U.S. economic strength and increasing the nation’s global security.
12.23 Million B/D: Record Oil Production Strengthens U.S.
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Jessica Lutz
Posted March 6, 2020
It’s been a big week for announcements coming out of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the nation’s natural gas and oil industry.
On Monday, EIA said that annual U.S. oil production broke another big record in 2019, and swiftly followed that with news on Tuesday that U.S. natural gas use has reached new record highs. Both are great news for American energy and national security, the economy and the environment.
Fracking Ban Could Cripple U.S., New Study Finds
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Mark Green
Posted February 27, 2020
We’ve been making the point that political chatter about banning safe hydraulic fracturing and ending federal natural gas and oil leasing simply doesn’t make sense when you think about how far the U.S. has come in recent years – economic growth, increased energy security and consumer benefits – because of modern fracking, which is used for 95% of new wells in the U.S. today.
Thanks to a new study, we now know what that America would look like, and the picture isn’t good.
A new economic analysis conducted by OnLocation shows that if some politicians get their way and ban fracking and federal natural gas and oil leasing, the consequences could be crippling.
The Crippling Costs of a Fracking Ban
fracking politics us energy security jobs economic losses
Mark Green
Posted February 21, 2020
API’s new video, “The Costs of a Fracking Ban,” pulls no punches: Ending the technology most responsible for the U.S. energy revolution – as proposed by some politicians – would harm millions of Americans and weaken the nation’s security.
With 95% of new natural gas and oil wells developed with hydraulic fracturing, a ban on fracking most likely would end U.S. global leadership in natural gas and oil production and make America weaker, less secure. It would hamstring the economy and could cost millions of jobs. Average household costs could increase, and entire communities could be waylaid in the process.