President Trump wasted no time issuing executive orders to move stalled pipeline projects forward: the Dakota Access and Keystone XL. The United States is the No. 1 consumer of oil and boasts the largest pipeline network in the world. Pipelines are lifelines to the American economy and modern way...
Colorado lawmakers are expected to once again take up revising oil and gas rules in the state, the latest such effort in a long line of activity over the past fifteen years. This time, action under the dome follows an election in which the public overwhelmingly voted down Proposition...
The National Climate Assessment is the latest in a series of reports that has thrust climate change into the public spotlight — and added to the intensity of calls for a carbon tax. This brief article will illustrate first the arguments put forth by advocates for the carbon tax...
Shortly after assuming office, former President Barack Obama famously told the Republican congressional leaders, “Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won.” Truer words were never spoken. Indeed, what a difference an election makes.
Half a year ago, companies in the U.S. oil and natural gas...
The oil and gas industry should expect a different legislative landscape over the next two years, as a change in leadership in the House of Representatives heralds the possibility of more oversight and a changed approach to the industry’s issues.
After last November’s election, in which House Democrats won an...
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was negotiated in the early 1990s and came into effect on Jan. 1, 1994. NAFTA created one of the world’s largest and most successful free-trade zones in the world, broadly reducing or eliminating tariffs, duties and other restrictions on cross-border trade and...
Film is a powerful medium. From a policy perspective, few other forms of communication can so rapidly change public sentiment. This is particularly true of feature films. Although documentaries are certainly important — and this year they have seen a resurgence that includes “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and...
Affordable broadband continues to bubble up as an issue, too long unresolved, for underserved rural areas in Texas and other states. Because sparsely populated regions are not attractive for private-sector carriers, limited or expensive service constitutes the only option. Though satellite broadband internet is certainly available anywhere in the...
History matters. On Dec. 19, 1890 Art. X, §2 of the Texas Constitution was amended to include a provision forming the Railroad Commission of Texas, stating the “Legislature … may provide and establish all requisite means and agencies invested with such powers as may be deemed adequate and advisable...
Now that the unexpected has occurred, and Donald Trump is President-elect of the United States, a lot of pundits and analysts will be trying to forecast future policy directions. The Trump presidency is unique in many ways, not the least of which is his frequently cited credential as a...
