New Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell is on the right track in her remarks at this week’s Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, committing Interior to providing “regulatory certainty, predictability (and) consistency” in oil and natural gas development.
This is critical to reverse recent declining development in federal areas. According to the Congressional Research Service, while oil production in non-federal areas was up 2009 to 2012, in federal areas it was down 6 percent:

Similar story for natural gas – rising production in non-federal areas compared to a 21 percent decline in areas controlled by the federal government:

The uncertainty Jewell wants to address shows in how long it takes to get a federal drilling permit, compared to the wait for a state permit (Ho... more »

AEI Ideas – The Economic Ripple Effect of the Bakken Shale Boom

Blogger Mark J. Perry writes about a recent analysis by the Minneapolis Fed that delved into the economic impact of increased shale development in the Bakken area of North Dakota. The report found that counties within 100 miles of the Bakken experienced the next-largest increase in wages and the next-lowest level of unemployment, compared to other counties in the state.

CNBC – Marcellus Shale Turns Pennsylvania into ‘Saudi Arabia’ of Natural Gas

CNBC highlights the surge in natural gas production through hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale play. The Marcellus "is at the sunrise of this [energy] renaissance. This is going to be just the beginning of an economic juggernaut for the US and Pennsylvania."

Fuel Fix... more »

The folks at Oil Sands Fact Check have a new video that shows strong support for the Keystone XL pipeline from union members at a recent rally in Washington:

Worth underscoring:

“The Keystone XL pipeline does not require an act of Congress; it does not require an appropriation.  It’s privately funded, it’s ready to go.  All it needs is one last permit and we go to work.”

– Sean McGarvey, president, Building and Construction Trades Department (AFL-CIO)

“It’s about jobs; that’s what it’s about – put Americans back to work again in an industry that has a 14.7 percent unemployment rate. It’s good for our economy, it’s good for our country; it’s good for our energy independence and it’s good for working men and women in the building trades.”

– Terry O’Sullivan, general president,... more »

The Advocate – Our Views: Riches Await in the Gulf

The Baton Rouge, La., paper touts the energy potential in the Gulf of Mexico after Interior Secretary Sally Jewell’s recent visit to an offshore rig there. The editorial backs Jewell’s statement that “maintaining the public’s trust in the safety and environmental performance of oil and gas production is critically important as we continue to tap into the Gulf’s abundant resource potential.” 

TribLIVE – How’s the Economy? Looking Up

Washington County, Pa., leads the greater Pittsburgh region in terms of economic development projects, energy production and job creation – thanks to natural gas development and hydraulic fracturing. 

The Oklahoman – Proposed EPA Standards  Could Fuel Higher Gasoline Prices

The newspaper  highlights... more »

The Wall Street Journal has an incisive editorial this week that compares the diverging trajectories of two big, energy-rich states: Texas and California.

Texas is flush with well-paying oil and natural gas jobs, supported by shale development spurred by advances in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. The Journal notes that more than 400,000 Texans work in the oil and natural gas industry – nearly 10 times as many as in California – and the state has doubled its oil output since 2005. California? It used to be mentioned in the same breath as oil giants Texas and Alaska, but oil production is down 21 percent since 2001 and it has slipped out of the top-three tier of oil-producing states. The editorial:

This is not because California is running out of oil. To the contrary,... more »