As we enter 2019, I want to express my special thanks to the shale energy producers in the United States. In December of 2011, the average price of gasoline was $3.52 per gallon (nationwide average). See the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) chart below for specific information on gas prices in different regions of the country at that time. The comparison to present day costs is considerable.
For instance, today, the cost is $1.54 per gallon in Central Ohio. Sorry about those high taxes you folks in other states (PA, CA) may be paying.
The ability to safely and economically extract oil and clean burning natural gas and natural gas liquids from shale deposits has been a boon to our economy. It has also lessened the burden on the less affluent in our country. Moreover, OPEC has been forced to accept true market competition. Remarkably, now the U.S. is the leading producer of oil and is exporting Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) in numbers inconceivable just a decade ago.
Make no mistake, what we call “renewable energy” sources remain an absolute must for our collective future. Our good fortune in shale resources is our “bridge” to a better energy future … without shale energy, our complicated world would be more so.
Take some time to thank the women and men who work in this industry. Especially when you fill up your vehicle with any energy source. Whatever your energy of choice, it is less expensive today because of shale resources. People who “make” energy give us all a better life.
These women and men also protect our environment and live under a level of scrutiny few of us would be able to endure. Remember the fear in the hearts and lips of people convinced that hydraulic fracturing (a/k/a "fracking") was the scourge of the earth? That dire prediction did not come to pass -- thanks, in large part, to the dedicated commitment, expertise, and bona fide hard work of the men and women who were willing to tackle the related hard tasks. All human effort is inherently flawed, but it is our good fortune that these people are sticklers for safety.
Reasonable people can and should disagree. Energy is not exempt from debate. But that does not mean that those who oppose you are your enemy. Maybe they are actually your companion on the way to a better future. Maybe they force you to be at your best.
Oblige them in that regard.
Happy New Year!
