Friday, April 11, 2014

Crude Oil And Natural Gas Production Both Decreased On Federal Land 2008 - 2012; US Oil Reserves Highest Since The 1970s

I haven't read the full government report yet but it was sent by a trusted reader who probably read every page. Twice. He noted that oil and natural gas production had actually decreased on Federal land from 2008 to 2012.

The energy revolution in the United States is occurring despite every Obama attempt to stop it; he has put up obstacle after obstacle. He dithers on the Keystone for six years, and the Jones Act for just as long. After firing Sebelius, does anyone really think the Keystone is on his mind? The Jones Act?

The entire energy revolution in the United States is due to entrepreneurs drilling on state and private land. Not federal land. The link will take  you to a PDF (http://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/files/20130228CRSreport.pdf).

Right, wrong, or indifferent, this is a pretty damning report for someone who says he a) is a patriotic American; and, b) supports all forms of energy production. I can't comment on the first assertion, but it is clear he does not support all forms of energy production. We know he has a war on coal. And it certainly appears he has a war on crude oil and natural gas coming off federal land. (Not that I want the president to visit Parshall, North Dakota, but Mr Obama has spent more time in Saudi Arabia than Fort Berthold.)

According to a Reuters columnist, US oil reserves are the highest since the 1970sRigzone is reporting:
U.S. exploration and production companies are finding accumulations of crude and condensates twice as fast as they are producing them, according to statistics published on Thursday. Proved reserves of crude stood at 30.5 billion barrels at the start of 2013.
If condensates are included, proved reserves reached 33.4 billion barrels, the highest since 1976, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration ("U.S. crude oil and natural gas reserves proved reserves" April 10).
Proved reserves are those which owners believe with reasonable certainty can be extracted at prevailing prices using existing technology - where reasonable certainty means a probability of at least 90 percent. 
I am surprised that the pilot of the first helicopter that went in on the Bin Laden mission is not taking credit for the energy revolution going on in the US. (Oh, that's right: he would lose his most important base -- the activist environmentalists.)

I am amazed that this energy revolution is taking place despite an administration's effort to stop the fossil fuel industry every opportunity presented.

The report and the graph are linked here