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BPC Discussion Series: The New Geopolitics of Petroleum and Natural Gas

The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Energy Project held a series of four moderated discussions over the course of 2013 and 2014. The discussions focused on recent and emerging trends in global oil and natural gas production, and on how they impact energy markets, energy diplomacy, and economic growth. The discussion series was hosted by BPC Senior Fellow and former Senator Pete V. Domenici and was moderated by David L. Goldwyn of Goldwyn Global Strategies, LLC.

The first two of these discussions, titled “The Geopolitical Impacts of the U.S. Tight Oil Boom: Implications for OPEC and the U.S. Strategic Posture” and “U.S. Shale Gas Boom: Implications for the U.S. Economy, Trade, and Geopolitics,” were held in June and July of 2013, respectively. The first session focused on the significant increase in U.S. tight oil production and its impact on domestic oil infrastructure, geopolitical ramifications, and the possibility for U.S. oil exports. The second session concentrated on the U.S. shale gas boom and addressed a similar set of economic, geopolitical, and trade-related themes.

The third and fourth discussions, titled “Expanded Natural Gas Production: Impacts on New Pathways for Climate Change Mitigation,” and “Navigating the Oil Frontier: The Implications of the Tight Oil Boom on Arctic and Ultra-Deepwater Oil Development,” were held in October 2013 and April 2014, respectively. The third session investigated how growing natural gas production is likely to affect global greenhouse gas emissions as well as investments in competing low-carbon energy technologies. The fourth and final session explored the impact of the surge in tight oil production on the prospects for “frontier” energy resources, such as those found in the Arctic or ultra-deepwater, and explored the scientific, technical, environmental, and social challenges associated with accessing frontier energy resources.

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