In College Insurrection, I recently covered a story showing that North Dakota universities were about the only higher education institutions in the country expecting increased funding. These revenues are courtesy of the state’s recent oil boom.
This is one example of how oil shale may prove to be more valuable to this country than trillion dollar coins. Both foreign and national firms are poised to invest in developing this natural resource, according to a report in The UK Telegraph:
Royal Dutch Shell is planning an ethane plant in the once-decaying steel valley of Beaver County, near Pittsburg. Dow Chemical is shutting operations in Belgium, Holland, Spain, the UK, and Japan, but pouring money into a propylene venture in Texas where natural gas prices are a fraction of world levels and likely to remain so for the life-cycle of Dow’s investments.
Some fifty new projects have been unveiled in the US petrochemical industry. A $30bn investment blitz in underway in ethelyne and fertilizer plants alone.
A study by the American Chemistry Council said the shale gas bonanza has reversed the fortunes of the chemical, plastics, aluminum, iron and steel, rubber, coated metals, and glass industries. “This was virtually unthinkable five years ago,” said the body’s president, Cal Dooley.
The British publication indicated that projections show America will become the world’s biggest producer in 2014 and approach “energy independence” before the end of the decade. In fact, oil shale development has essentially made the US self-sufficient in gas almost overnight.
As an extra bonus, there will be real numbers in the “jobs created” category in future employment reports. In a Wall Street Journal interview, Chief Executive Peter Voser had this to say:
Natural gas is a cheap, advantaged feedstock, which can be used for the industrialization of the U.S. again. It can bring manufacturing and petrochemical industries back, and that is where the jobs are. I would find it peculiar if the U.S. [does] not grab this opportunity.
But “peculiar” is a word that adeptly describes many Obama Administration policies, especially as they pertain to energy development. Despite the fact that natural gas development is a big reason the U.S. led the world in reducing carbon admissions, the process that extracts it (i.e., “fracking’) is demonized by environmental extremists and the progressive media. And, as Lorraine Yapps Cohen observes in The Examiner:
What are the chances the U.S. will grab this opportunity? Obama’s record on grabbing opportunity in hydrocarbon-based energy is drab indeed. The administration prohibits domestic production wherever it can. Look at the Keystone Pipeline, the disapproval of which prevented transport of oil into America and thereby squashing energy independence.
It is my opinion that instead of getting entirely caught-up in the upcoming debt ceiling drama, we focus on ensuring Congress doesn’t regulate the boom into a bust (or allow Obama to enact a crushing Executive Order). How truly liberating it would be to free ourselves from Middle East oil and green energy self-righteousness.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
So far the administration has used the leverage of controlling activity on public lands to curtail fracking to levels it sees fit. One wonders when the EPA and perhaps other agencies may get involved to have even more impact on activity on private lands. I get the feeling that similar to the ‘economic recovery’, this WH plans to keep things under control without too severe a negative impact on elections (real world economics or energy product be damned). Clearly it’s working with unemployment and rate of growth (recovery) as many of those most negatively affected by the economy voted him back in. They must have accepted a new status quo? Likewise, as long as energy prices don’t ‘necessarily skyrocket’ and impact elections, this administration likely will continue to curtail gas/oil production to some degree while subsidizing green.
“Energy conservation,” “green energy,” and “energy independence” might have been the stated goals of the environmental movement, but they were never the true focus. The hidden agenda is really the deindustrialization of the US, along with the control of its populace. Hence the mad rush (e.g., Keystone Pipeline, anti-fracking hysteria, anti-clean-coal technology, anti-nuclear technology, restrictions on ANWAR drilling, etc.) to avoid any opportunities for our nation to become truly self-sufficient.
Silly old bear.
You have to start this analysis with a few predicates…
1. Obama is assertively working to cripple American economic revival. See Ragspierre on Cloward-Pevin squared.
2. The Collective is misanthropic.
3. Science…or anything rational…is the enemy of the Collective, since it is fundamentally delusional at its core.
You are spot on.
Sadly, it seems most of us on the rational side of the isle are hesitant to get out of their denial on this, and they continue to argue philosophy, as if there is actually an argument about ‘energy.’
Obama really is the Manchurian Candidate many of us warned of. Until we begin to deal with him as such, he is only going to get more power and do more destruction.
In kind, the GOP leadership really are a bunch of mildly corrupt, but viciously backstabbing sell-outs, and horrible cowards. We can’t dump Obama just yet (impeachment is always on the table), but WE are the GOP — not the clowns we had the misfortune to have hired to run it.
It is urgent that we do some serious firing, and new hiring. First head to roll is that of GOP Chair Reebus Preebus (or whatever his name is); then, go after that incredible, incredible selfish failure, John Boehner.
Or, just sit back and do nothing. But do stop complaining.
Yes!
As America recovers in spite of him, Prez-O-Bama works feverishly for a way to circumvent the recovery and set up on the road to Cloward-Piven.
Can someone name something fundamentally good for this country, that the left supports?
Anything? I’m drawing a blank.
Well, there is a difference between word and deed. In word, many liberals (not necessarily progressives) sound like they are for practically the same things as libertarians and many conservatives – sort of the free will idea. But in deed/legislation the truth comes out. They see ‘giving’ freedom to one by ‘taking’ from another as fully justifies. So, for example, while they are FOR ‘equal opportunity’, their means to achieve it are very ends oriented with little regard for sacrifices or consequences, whether unintended or not.
Progressives have pretty much taken over the agenda. There aren’t many liberals left. And since the progressive ideas and agenda are mostly run out of academia now, I’ve spent time engaging some academics on topics like this. And here is one big takeaway – To an academic progressive, it is actually acceptable and often more efficient to restrict or remove freedom(s) from those they define as “in power” or “powerful” in order to cede them to those not. It explains not only the redistribution mentality, but the reason why they more often than not prefer to go after ‘rights’ and twist it into a discussion of ‘justice’. Make no mistake, ‘justice’ to academic progressives is nothing more than a government means to shift power where it decides it should go. Power in the form of money, but also in the form of ‘rights’. You only need to look at the way the define classes and offer protection – e.g. illegal aliens.
They go a lot further. Obama czar (yes, they’re there and they’re dangerously thriving) Mark Lloyd advocated genocide for ‘social change.’ Then there’s Obama czar John “Sterilize ‘Em: Holdren.
http://thefinereport.com/2012/12/remembering-the-obama-czars-who-advocated-genocide-to-silence-political-opposition-remembering-theyre-still-here/
People who don’t take these people at their word probably are analogous to people who read Mein Kampf and poo-pooed it. Obama’s Mein Kampf is Obamacare: read that 2,700 page law, and you’ll see how little it has to do with healthcare, and how much it has to do with empowering a select few federal bureaucrats with the power of life and death over the rest of us. And let’s not forget the private police force it creates. Again, read it — and weep. But hopefully, it will anger and energize you to kick out the God damn GOP leaders who will literally hand Obama a democrat House in 2014.
How truly liberating it would be to free ourselves from Middle East oil and green energy self-righteousness.
Iirc Instapundit has pointed out that it’s to the advantage of Mideast oil producers to fund American Greens.
Such as by buying their failed TV networks?
Now, Algore (Manbearpig) is richer than Mittens.
[…] Energy independence within reach if we're allowed to reach it Dow Chemical is shutting operations in Belgium, Holland, Spain, the UK, and Japan, but pouring money into a propylene venture in Texas where natural gas prices are a fraction of world levels and likely to remain so for the life-cycle of Dow's … Read more on legal Insurrection (blog) […]
As much as I don’t like McCain, he’s starting to look good now (just shows you have bad things have fallen).
Why? Becasue I’m imagining VP Palin leading the efforts for resource extraction on all lands across the US.
Time to drop another penny in the wishing well.