An Oil Boom is a Power Boon
U.S. News (Lamont Colucci): OPEC met on Nov. 27, and openly recognized that the United States’ oil technological revolution – driven by enhanced oil recovery methods including hydraulic fracturing (known as fracking) and horizontal drilling – has undermined the cartel’s economic and political power. This constitutes one of the major geopolitical and economic shifts of the 21st century in America’s favor. This meeting has been characterized as OPEC abandoning its role as a “swing producer” or simply the arbiter of oil supply and demand. Some are now suggesting that the new swing producer will be the United States.
Enhanced oil recovery technology was consistently denigrated as unworkable and unprofitable, and there will be many more articles restating this as the old wine in a new bottle. These technologies have made the U.S. the world’s number one oil producer, surpassing Saudi Arabia and Russia. OPEC’s strategy of allowing the market to decide oil prices is designed to hurt American enhanced oil recovery activities, with the assumption that American producers need a higher profit margin per barrel than it does. This may be a horrible miscalculation on OPEC’s part due to continual advances in technology and innovation.
According to a 2013 report, hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling have the potential to increase the global reserve of oil from 1.6 billion barrels to 10.2 billion barrels. Domestically, we are already witnessing the 21st century oil boom generate prosperity for states like Colorado, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming. Current estimates indicate that by 2020 the United States will be the dominant worldwide producer of both natural gas and oil and achieve energy independence.
However, this energy issue has been dominated by the wrong people: economists, businessmen, engineers and environmentalists. They all have their required expertise, but all of this is really an issue of foreign policy and national security. There are four ways that this new situation can be welcomed by conservatives, liberals, realists and environmentalists.
Read more: http://bit.ly/1wjDwfC
More industry news:
- Opinion: Is This What ‘Energy Independence’ is Supposed to Look Like? http://onforb.es/1wjImJN
- Sen. Murkowski Looks Ahead to Leadership Roles: http://bit.ly/12kMMTj
- Utah Oil Sands Venture Employs Citrus-Based Solvent Technology: http://reut.rs/1rSvTf9
- Editorial: Keystone Pipeline Should Be Approved: http://bit.ly/1AbGWj5
- Opinion: New York – Site of America’s Next Energy Boom? http://bit.ly/11Ot9mB
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By Mark Green
Originally posted December 2, 2014
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