Recently, ExxonMobil Development Co.’s L.M. Tillman addressed a gathering at the Offshore Technology Conference on the subject of energy industry employment. Tillman, vice president of engineering, said that economic growth in the developing world will drive the demand for energy and with it, the demand for energy workers. Here’s a follow-up Q&A with Mr. Tillman on energy employment, opportunities for younger workers and industry’s efforts to secure the next generation of workers.

Q: Where are the best opportunities to work in the industry, and what kind of skill sets are needed to land jobs and advance rapidly?

A: For the industry to be able to meet the energy challenge, it needs engineers and scientists who can push technology and innovation, analyze problems and develop creative s... more »

The White House had a post up last week with some numbers on production of oil and natural gas on America’s public lands and offshore waters. They want the facts to “speak for themselves,” so let’s chart their numbers over the past six years:

The White House says:

"We know that production levels will fluctuate from year-to-year based on market conditions and industry decisions."

Of course the same is true for private lands where production levels are up.

"It also reflects the fact that the nation battled a major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010."

An interesting point, given that 2010 production is the peak for oil. And it doesn’t explain the projected declines this year and next:

"Still, the overall trends show a clear picture of rising domestic produc... more »

Lots of insight in a speech this week by Shell's Hugh Mitchell, chief human resources and corporate officer, speaking at the Edinburgh University Business School.

The challenges: rising population - the world's population is expected to increase by a third over the first half of the century, from 7 billion to more than 9 billion - and rising wealth. Mitchell:

"As countries like India and China continue their economic development, by 2050 billions of people will be buying phones, fridges and cars which their grandparents would never have dreamed of. For the global energy system, these trends are already having a profound effect. Driven by rising demand and prosperity, global energy demand is set to double in the first half of this century. In China, energy demand could rise by 75% between 2... more »

The Western Energy Alliance (WEA) has a new analysis showing that oil and natural gas leasing on federal lands in the Rockies is significantly down since 2008.

How down? Using Bureau of Land Management (BLM) leasing data from 2008 through the current federal fiscal year (ending Sept. 30), WEA says the number of parcels offered has declined 70 percent. Acreage is down 81 percent and revenue 44 percent. The numbers would be worse if not for production gains in the Bakken formation in North Dakota and Montana and the Niobrara in Wyoming.

The question is, why? Answer: Lack of access to federal lands for energy development. For example, WEA says, just four parcels in Colorado have been offered for lease in 2011 and just 17 in Utah. WEA's Kathleen Sgamma:

"High value lease sales in these areas i... more »

As we've mentioned on this blog many times, energy development is a primary driver of job creation. Developing the nation's abundant oil and natural gas resources could create tens of thousands of additional jobs.

A new Gallup poll proves this point and demonstrates that energy-producing states are among the best in job creation.

North Dakota has been breaking oil production records and sits atop Gallup's Job Creation Index. The Index also shows that the "energy-producing states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas are in the top 10 state job markets for the first half of 2010, as they were in 2008 and 2009."

Alaska, another state where energy development is crucial, made the list in addition to Pennsylvania and West Virginia--two states that saw 57,000 new jobs last year from Marcellus Shal... more »