Gender in the oilfield
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 15, 2020, that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This momentous, 6-3 decision came in Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the plaintiff claimed he was fired because he...
Tom Wolf’s Bullying of Natural Gas Harms All Pennsylvanians
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, during his first term, put on as much of a happy face as the man could muster with respect to natural gas, knowing so much of the Keystone State economy depended on it. Reelection in 2018, though, freed Wolf to be the man he really...
Much is at Stake in the Upcoming National Elections
Upcoming National Elections, we all know that a lot is at stake in this year. The U.S. presidency and Congress are up for grabs. Early polls suggest that President Trump is vulnerable in his race against Joe Biden to seek a second term. The slim Republican margin in the...
One of the many outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the cost of shipping crude oil overseas has collapsed. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal today, the average price for chartering oil tankers has fallen by 77% since March as a result of the massive cuts in supply in response to the crash in oil prices.
These are extraordinary and unprecedented times for the oil patch. The world is awash in crude oil from the only-recently paused price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. That supply glut has been combined with a massive demand drop as economies around the world have been shut in and shut...
Pennsylvania Governor Vetoes Environmental Bill
The events of the last several months have been unprecedented. A global pandemic and oil price war unfolding at precisely the same time. Rewind to 2019. Production was at an all-time high in the United States, but signs of a weakening global economy and demand and looming downward pressure on...
The Texas Railroad Commission on April 14, 2020, had a hearing on prorationing. As of writing this article, no decision had been issued by the commission. For those who are very interested in this topic, I encourage you to go to the commissions’ website and watch the hearing and...
WTI
(Editor’s Note: As we went about putting this issue of SHALE Magazine together, the Texas Railroad Commission had just finished a month-long process during which it considered and rejected proposals to limit production in Texas through its power of prorationing. Because it became such a controversial issue, I felt...
Energy Dominance Dumbinance
In light of Saudi Arabia’s and Russia’s current attempts, as well as those of their corporate and government-sponsored accomplices, to kill the American oil and gas industry, it’s important for Americans to be reminded of — or be told about for the first time — what their home-grown energy...
The Shale Controversy – Understanding Both Sides
NEPA Reforms and Their Impact on Shale Environmental activists who have been critical of President Trump’s proposed regulatory reforms have engaged in abusive litigation practices that delay vital infrastructure projects making it necessary to revisit the federal rulemaking process, according to congressional figures and energy policy analysts. In January, Trump detailed...
Energy Density Trumps Climate Policy
Energy Density Trumps Climate Policy Fossil fuels are winning in consumer-driven, taxpayer-friendly energy markets, clouding political attempts to control greenhouse gas emissions associated with natural gas, coal and oil. Despite governmental policies to shift grid electricity to wind and solar, and to jump-start electric vehicle markets, it is still a...