Being somewhat in the oil and gas industry, let me enlighten you. In the state of Oklahoma alone, oil production is up 110% since 2008. The extreme prices (caused by increases in transportation, availability and OPEC) experienced in the several years prior to 2008, spurred new exploration and activity, specifically by the use of fracking and in shale fields. Now everyday, there is $1 BILLION dollars of economic activity directly connected to oil and gas exploration / drilling, nationwide and it is growing.
The time needed for the transfer of that oil / gas has been cut by 22% due to the number of pipelines which have been built in the last 7 years, specifically to or from the hub at Cushing, OK. The southern leg of the Keystone, built with protests and threats from the EPA ignored by both the state of Oklahoma and Texas, has contributed greatly to these numbers.
As it stands right now, the United States of America is the leading oil / gas producing nation in the world. The Saudi's HATE IT and are doing as much as they can to stifle that growth. Additionally, that growth in both transportation and production has spurred a massive drop in the price of crude, which will result in a number of smaller, less economically stable companies going into receivership. This is to be expected. To counter this massive spike in production, OPEC has cut the bottom out of their prices and are trying to remain relevant in the current marketplace. However, the Persian Gulf, the Straits of Hormuz and the troubles in the Middle East have almost been effectively rendered as inconsequential.
NONE of the growth in drilling or exploration has occurred on FEDERAL LANDS or lands under Federal over sight. All of this has occurred on PRIVATELY OWNED lands. The EPA is having severe flatulence because of it. To say that Barry is remotely even responsible for any of this is lunacy in its purest form. What prompted this is a slogan that Americans with vision took to heart: DRILL BABY, DRILL!!! When you go to the pump and you put in $20.00 of gas and actually fill up your tank, say a silent thank you to Sarah and the Republicans who in 2008 began to make it happen.
It just makes me chuckle every time I think about it...