In his State of the Union message last month, President Obama staked out the administration’s position on trade, citing new deals with a number of countries around the world and the quest for new trade opportunities:

“We’re also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements we signed into law, we’re on track to meet that goal ahead of schedule. And soon, there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea.  … I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products.”

Some in Congress apparently didn’t get the memo about new markets for American products. There’s an effort afoot to re... more »

There are many ways to approach making policy determinations. One is to gather all of the evidence, evaluate it, and then come to a conclusion based on it.

For example, one could look at EIA projections that oil and natural gas products will supply 55% of our energy consumption in 2035 and that 41% of our liquid fuel needs in 2035 will need to be imported and then conclude that oil and natural gas will be primary fuels for a long time to come so we should pursue policies to secure our supplies.

Then you could look at studies on domestic production and see that we could create 1 million additional jobs by 2018, secure 100% of our liquid fuel needs by 2026, and provide $800 billion dollars in revenue to U.S. governments over the next twenty years and easily conclude that pro-development pol... more »

Heading into another weekend, here's a look at some of the positive ways energy is affecting life in these United States:

Michigan Marathon - The Detroit Free Press reports that expansion work on Marathon's Detroit refinery is expected to peak this fall, employing 1,300 workers. The $2.2 billion project started three years ago and will let Marathon process more Canadian oil sands. Marathon promises to add 60 jobs and 75 contract positions after work is completed in the second half of next year, the paper reports. The expanded refinery is expected to generate $230 million in additional city tax revenues over the next 20 years, plus an estimated $85 million in state and local taxes.

(Oil) Boomer Sooner - You might have seen this earlier in the week, but a new study about the impact of oil an... more »

So, just how do we get to energy security - to the point where, by 2030, 92 percent of America's liquid fuel needs is supplied by a combination of U.S. and Canadian sources? Here's how.

Start with where we are now. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the United States uses slightly more than 19 million barrels per day (mb/d) in liquid fuels - including oil, heating oil, diesel and biofuels. Of that total, 8.5 mb/d (45 percent) comes from U.S. sources, 2.33 mb/d (12 percent) from Canada and 7.2 mb/d (38 percent) from the rest of the world. Biofuels account for about 1 mb/d (5 percent).

With the right policies, by 2030 the U.S. can account for 62 percent of its liquid fuel needs and Canada 16 percent. Add in the EIA's projection that biofuels will grow to 14 percent, a... more »

It's not enough to talk a good game. The administration's call for increased domestic oil and natural gas production isn't being matched in terms of granting access to the reserves that would yield the energy America needs now and in the future.

Since the government resumed issuing deepwater drilling permits in March, just 15 have been granted and just one in the past month - and some of those are previously granted permits that were suspended when the administration put a moratorium on drilling after last year's Macondo accident.

America needs a permitting pace that reflects its energy needs but is getting a snail's pace instead. API Upstream Director Erik Milito:

"The Interior Department is not doing enough to prepare our nation for a secure energy future, and its policies are harming ou... more »