It’s no secret that the oil and gas industry can be a tremendous moneymaking opportunity, but breaking into the industry presents serious challenges. In particular, many industry neophytes struggle to attain the proper financing to get a project off the ground. For newcomers in search of oilfield financing, the last few years have brought mixed…
When word reached the frozen, snow-covered Standing Rock Indian Reservation that the Army Corps of Engineers had ruled against the Dakota Access Pipeline, the throngs of protesters erupted into cheers. However, it didn’t take long for the gathered crowds – a mingling of Native American tribe members and other supporters from across the country –…
It hasn’t been the greatest time to be a player in the oil markets, as excess supply and other regional and global factors have created greater than normal instability. Both Brent and WTI prices have fluctuated considerably throughout the year, though prices have generally remained far lower than in years past. With a turbulent 2016…
It’s no secret that many of the world’s largest economies rely heavily on oil. In little more than a century, petroleum and its various byproducts have risen from humble roots as an intriguing oddity to a behemoth of a commodity that has infiltrated virtually every aspect of daily life. While its uses are many, the…
The oil market has seen its share of volatility over the past several weeks, as uncertainty continues over the looming OPEC meeting on November 30. The meeting, set to take place in Vienna, is widely viewed as a critical step in reviving flagging oil prices and reassuring wavering traders. In the face of lingering questions…
Today professionals in the oil and gas industry often find their business proposals sparking intense debates within Native American tribes. Although tribal governments may welcome the additional revenues and jobs productive wells and pipelines bring, many Native Americans harbor lingering concerns about permanent impacts upon pristine landscapes. Those concerns are only bolstered by environmental groups…
Petroleum is, in many ways, the lifeblood of human civilization. It powers and lubricates the millions of engines that transport people around the world, it contributes to energy generation and it’s a key raw material behind an extraordinary assortment of products ranging from smartphones to false teeth. Unfortunately, obtaining the petroleum needed to do all…
In the rolling, muted prairies that surround the town of Williston, North Dakota, the signs of decline are impossible to miss. Cranes, dozers and all manner of heavy machinery sit idle. Massive oil rigs stand all but abandoned, looming over the landscape like towering memorials to a bygone age. In town, businesses that sprang up…
A multitude of boom towns litters the landscape of Texas, tracing the rising and falling fortunes of the ranching and oil industries upon which so much of the state was built. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the vast Permian Basin, a geological feature that encompasses much of West Texas and contains the second-largest…
