A Moral Manifesto for the Energy Industry

In my latest MasterResource article, “A Moral Defense of the Oil Industry,” I outline the principles that every freedom-loving energy companies needs to know to defend themselves effectively. The moral case against oil can be refuted and replaced by two concepts that marry energy knowledge and moral philosophy: Progressive energy: The ideal source of energy is not some “sustainable”–i.e., endlessly …

US Oil Production is at 15-Year Highs, But Who Built That?

As President Obama has made a point of this election season, during his term US oil production has increased from what was considered a terminal decline just a few short years ago. (See my  previous article on the subject.) At the second presidential debate Mr. Obama stated: “We have increased oil production to the highest levels in 16 years. Natural …

U.S. Energy Companies: Forced to Show Their Cards

The United States is one of the rarest countries in the world where not only do private individuals own and profit from mineral rights, but the companies that produce and extract these minerals are privately owned and publicly traded. Throughout most of the world, the minerals beneath the earth’s surface are the property of the state, and the entities that …

North Dakota’s Economic Stimulus

In North Dakota, a state with a 3% unemployment rate, the labor shortage is so great that businesses are now employing international students who have obtained four-month work visas. While many states with two or three times North Dakota’s unemployment rates are eagerly looking for government bail-outs and government-funded “stimulus” packages, North Dakota has embraced the ultimate stimulus–a high degree …

8 Secrets About Gas Prices Every American Needs to Know

Do you want to know a secret? Oil companies don’t control gas prices. Yes, you heard that right. So what does control gas prices? The simple law of supply and demand.  And supply and demand are impacted by many other factors (like global events and inflation). American consumers need to know the real story behind gas prices because they’re the …

Coal is Clean

Over the past month and a half, I’ve been speaking at numerous universities, including Stanford, Berkeley, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Toronto. One point I like to stress is that we should think of coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear, as clean energy. Why? After all, don’t these each have byproducts and risks that are undesirable? Sure, as do all forms of …