As we approach the end of the year, many are asking how the oil and gas industry faired the past year as we move passed the pandemic, although it feels like we’re still in the midst of the crisis with various mask and vaccine mandates, and divergent views on how businesses should move forward in the post-COVID world. Out of the gate earlier this year, the Biden administration immediately hammered the industry by closing the Keystone XL Pipeline Project, halted new leases for drilling on federal land, including offshore drilling, and stopped the ANWAR development in Alaska. However, the industry fought back through court battles and a preliminary injunction was granted this past June to halt the drilling ban on federal land. There are consistent assaults on the oil and gas industry from the current administration, such as a natural gas tax in the pending reconciliation bill, and a narrative that fossil fuels must be eliminated in 10-20 years to usher in renewable energy. With that notion, the opposing viewpoint never considers how natural gas is clean energy and technology, such as carbon capture, is helping the industry improve production emissions. The push for renewable energy is happening and it will accelerate; the reliance on the technology is simply not there to meet current energy demands. Renewable infrastructure is expensive to build and cost prohibitive for the average consumer. The United States was energy independent last year and now we must rely on OPEC to import more oil and gas, the latter a natural resource in abundance that is reliable and inexpensive. Hydrocarbons will be required to build the renewable sector and can work in tandem with the oil and gas industry. Fossil fuels will continue to pull communities out of energy poverty in Third World nations, if embraced as a means for growth, and will remain a consistent force to produce the products we need in our modern world for decades to come.
The CEO of U.S. Energy Media, Emmanuel Sullivan is a technical writer who has built up his profile in the oil and gas industry. He lives and works in Houston, where he publishes Oilman and Oilwoman on a bimonthly basis, and Energies quarterly, distributing the magazine to energy thought leaders and professionals throughout the United States and around the world. At a time when technology is rapidly changing, he provides an invaluable service to oil & gas, and renewable energy executives, engineers, and managers, offering them both broad and specific looks at the topics that affect their livelihoods. Sullivan earned his BA in Communications at Thomas Edison State University and his MA in Professional Writing at Chatham University.
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Emmanuel Sullivanhttps://oilmanmagazine.com/author/emmanuel-sullivan/
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Emmanuel Sullivanhttps://oilmanmagazine.com/author/emmanuel-sullivan/
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Emmanuel Sullivanhttps://oilmanmagazine.com/author/emmanuel-sullivan/
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Emmanuel Sullivanhttps://oilmanmagazine.com/author/emmanuel-sullivan/
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Emmanuel Sullivanhttps://oilmanmagazine.com/author/emmanuel-sullivan/
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Emmanuel Sullivanhttps://oilmanmagazine.com/author/emmanuel-sullivan/
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Emmanuel Sullivanhttps://oilmanmagazine.com/author/emmanuel-sullivan/
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Emmanuel Sullivanhttps://oilmanmagazine.com/author/emmanuel-sullivan/
Oil and gas operations are commonly found in remote locations far from company headquarters. Now, it's possible to monitor pump operations, collate and analyze seismic data, and track employees around the world from almost anywhere. Whether employees are in the office or in the field, the internet and related applications enable a greater multidirectional flow of information – and control – than ever before.
