A Tale of Two Cities: Denton versus Stillwater – An issue too important to lose

The U.S. is in the midst of new revolution comparable in scale and impact to other historical shifts that have frankly changed the world. This 21st-century revolution – the shale energy revolution – has impacted global energy markets and balances-of-power much like the internal-combustion engine did during the industrial revolution of the 19th century and as fiber-optics did in the digital revolution of the late 20th century. Traditionally, oil and gas resources in the U.S. have been produced by way of a vertical drilling process that sought to tap hydrocarbon resources contained in naturally formed pockets or “traps.” Mastering this traditional production process allowed America to become a global leader in early oil and gas production, but the American leadership position began to wane midway through the 20th century as American consumption soared past production in economic expansion during the 1950s and 1960s. Meanwhile the energy center of gravity shifted to the Middle East as massive Arab and Persian fields ramped up production of cheap oil.

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