Note To US Politicians: Oil And Gas Is An International Industry – OpEd

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The same U.S politicians that are thrashing on the oil and gas industry, thus seeking its demise, are the same ones reaping the benefits. This with medications, medical equipment, communication electronics and the thousands of other products. An industry that has contributed to their lifestyles and their ability to live beyond 80 years of age. They blatantly continue their use of planes, trains, vehicles to move them and their entourages around the world. Basically, they’re enjoying everything they want to deprive from the poorest in developing countries.

The politicians’ silence is deafening on the subject of deaths in poor countries that are mainly from preventable causes of diarrhea, malaria, neonatal infection, pneumonia, preterm delivery, or lack of oxygen at birth. Those underdeveloped locations in the world, mostly from oil and gas starved countries, are experiencing 11 million child deaths every year. By the way, adults in those poor countries barely live past 40 years of age.

The children in poor countries still lack purified drinking water, sewage sanitation, adequate nutrition, reliable electricity (or any at all), adequate health care, i.e., the infrastructures and products we take for granted that are all based on deep earth minerals and fuels.

Seems that politicians supporting the demise of the oil and gas industry should speak up and take accountability for supporting the elimination of the industry. This, which could reverse the annual fatality atrocities occurring in those poor countries that are a few hundred years behind us and have yet to join the industrial revolution.

Our U.S. politicians’ litigation and regulation grandiloquence seem to be unaware that oil and gas is not just an American business with its 135 refineries in the U.S.. Yet an international industry with more than 700 refineries worldwide that supply oil products and fuels to the world. The constant bickering to attract votes from those even less informed than our elected politicians seem to support their desires to hamper or close the American oil and gas industry.

Shockingly, the U.S. could literally turn off the entire country from any source of energy and global emissions would still grow according to U.S. Congressional testimony in 2017. The entire U.S. economy, military and government could disappear with global pollution and respiratory illness still would rise. The reason why is “one of the biggest sources of carbon dioxide emissions is developing countries.” Think China, India and Africa.

We’re constantly hearing and reading about litigation against U.S. oil firms like Exxon. That they knew their industry was a potential harm to the environment. Many of the politicians are targeting lawsuits and further regulations against the oil markets and a ban on fracking to reduce the crude supplies to those U.S. refineries to hamper their production.

In case you don’t remember, we also had virtually no military aircraft carriers, destroyers, submarines, planes and tanks around the world before 1900. Both WW I and II were won by the Allies as they had more oil than the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan to operate their military equipment while moving troops and supplies around the world.

We now have medications, electronics, cosmetics, plastics, fertilizers, and transportation infrastructures. Looking back just a few short centuries, we’ve come a long way since the pioneer days. The two prime movers that have done more for the cause of globalization than any other: the diesel engine and the jet turbine, both get their fuels from oil.

The world had very little commerce before 1900, and without transportation – there is no commerce. Road and air travel now dominate most people’s lives.

Today, we have 39,000 planes in the world – including all commercial and military planes. Yes, we’ve come a long way from the Wright brothers’ historic first flight in North Carolina over 100 years ago. Yes, the same airlines that are accommodating 4 billion passengers per year,

We have more than 60,000 merchant ships in commercial maritime transport accounting for roughly 90 percent of world trade moving products around the world.

Regarding automobiles, earlier accounts often gave credit to Karl Benz, from Germany, for creating the first true automobile in the late 1800’s. This before Henry Ford sponsored the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Today, there are 1.2 billion vehicles on the world’s roads with projections of 2 billion by 2035.

Registration of electric vehicles is increasing but only projected to be in the single digits, around 5 to 7 percent. If projections come to reality by 2035, 5 to 7 percent of the 2 billion vehicles would equate to 125 million EV’s on the world’s roads. The bad news is that would also represent more than 125 BILLION pounds of lithium-ion batteries that will need to be disposed of in the decades ahead.

The Energy Information Association (EIA) projects nearly a 50% increase in world energy usage by 2050, led by growth in Asia. Even with the rapid growth of electricity generation, renewables—including solar, wind and hydroelectric power—that is the fastest-growing energy source between 2018 and 2050. The industrial sector, which includes refining, mining, manufacturing, agriculture and construction, continue to account for the largest share of energy consumption of any end-use sector—more than half of end-use energy consumption throughout the projection period. The oil and gas industry are projected to remain the main player for world energy, so why are politicians so anxious to tank it?

Could it be that our outspoken politicians, who are aggressively promoting the demise of the U.S. oil and gas industry, are unknowingly giving support to deprive the poverty-stricken in third world countries from the thousands of products we get from fossil fuels? The same list of products that have virtually conquered all the diseases and allows us to live in any weather conditions. Unto which are now the basis of the lifestyles enjoyed only by those in developed countries, while the poorest in the world continue to suffer.

Without the U.S refineries the USA economy would lose millions of jobs and take the financial hit to have all  products and fuels imported from foreign countries. The world will incur more emissions as most refineries outside our country have significantly less environmental controls than here in our homeland. Our country would become a national security risk being dependent on foreign countries for our existence.

With or without the U.S. oil and gas, that’s the target of U.S. politician’s discourse, the world will continue experiencing enormous fatalities of children worldwide in the energy starved countries.

Do politicians want the oil and gas industry outside America supporting all the transportation needed for international commerce? Time to stop bickering and focusing on what’s important – saving millions of children from preventable deaths.

Ronald Stein

Ronald Stein, Founder and Ambassador for Energy & Infrastructure of PTS Advance, headquartered in Irvine, California.

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