For a long time, decades, when the world thought of oil they thought of Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. That made sense. The Middle East that brought ultra-cheap oil to the world, and it's colourful cast of characters enjoyed jerking the economic world around by running out onto their royal balconies and shouting ‘Oil prices must go up’ or ‘Oil prices must go down’ or ‘We’re still thinking but we are going to do something big and we’ll get back to you’. An ever-thirstier world, high on [Read more]
Column: 2021 will be hard. Leave it all out there
“The test is always [the song] ‘Terrible Lie’. It's two chords: C, D...and you'd see these guys and they'd be playing C, D and I'd stop them and say, 'It's not, C, D. It's, '[expletive] you'. I want your hand to bleed. I don't care if you hit the right notes.” Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails frontman, on hiring new guitar players I get it, not all of you like Nine Inch Nails. The gaping holes in your entertainment spectrum are not my concern. And you might think, well, I have no idea what [Read more]
Column: All the energy-related holiday cheer that can be mustered: Hats off to Seamus O’Regan
Well, I suppose it would be not a bad idea to close out the year with something that isn’t a cranky rant. It runs counter to everything I stand for, but in the spirit of the season, what the hell. Surely there are a few golden nuggets in the rubble of this year. Summoning forth the principle of goodwill towards people (yes, I’m editing a bible quote, sue me), the high road is to find something positive to focus on. Of course, it’s no fun unless someone is offended. I can’t think of a better way [Read more]
Column: From Bitcoin to Canada’s new Grantcoin – the earth-shaking, energy-sucking impact of The New Money
Cryptocurrency doesn’t seem to have all that much to do with hydrocarbons, so one might wonder why the topic is appearing here in the world’s finest oil and gas journal (they let me rant here, so BOE Report earns the title for bravery alone). Here’s why. Far beyond the headlines about Bitcoin’s ascendancy are strong links to the energy world that are worthy of scrutiny. The “____coin” revolution has hardly begun, and it’s already a bull in the energy china shop. Bitcoin is the poster child [Read more]
Column: The problem isn’t fake news, it’s abandonment of news – here’s how to fix it
Last month, a man named Adolph Hitler Uunona was vigorously elected in a Namibian regional election. The result is not as bad as it might appear at a glance; Namibia was colonized by Germany early last century, the place had a German presence heavier than schnitzel, and his father “probably didn’t understand what Adolph Hitler stood for.” In a poignant bit of statesman oratory, the newly elected official soothed the world: “It doesn’t mean I’m striving for world domination.” Thanks to brave [Read more]
Column: Canada will watch the coming oil boom largely from the sidelines
“…what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville!…I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. Let’s face it.” On the Waterfront, 1954 Well, that quote fits Canada’s hydrocarbon sector like a glove, despite the fact that it implies we’re all bums. We’re not quite there yet. But we will be soon. Oddly enough, the bums that are left standing may be very rich bums, and I don’t know what that means existentially, but hear me [Read more]
Column: Digital economy supply chains – excellent CBC (!) podcast lays bare the cold, hard, massive realities
Time to come clean about something. Like almost any other person affiliated with the hydrocarbon industry, I’ve long been frustrated with the Ottawa-centric, social-science-heavy analyses of industry provided by the CBC. The institution’s output seems geared to the sort of mentality one would not be thrilled to work with - whiny, hand-wringing, dependent, un-calloused, offended urbanites that couldn’t grow a potato or heat a building but have a fantastic understanding of the art of academic [Read more]
Column: Enbridge and energy transition – With their footprint, possibly the best authority on the subject, anywhere
Have you ever heard the phrase "talking your book"? It's a phrase that's used to discredit a comment, saying in essence that the speaker has a vested interest in an outcome, and speaks in an authoritative way to present something as factual when it just may be to support that position. The phrase often refers to someone owning a stock or trading position, then flogging data/info that will help that trade work out. The phrase is bigger than that though; people "talk their book" all the time [Read more]
Column: Exciting developments in the woods – tree-planting initiatives are just getting on with it
There are a lot of organizations out there. The world is flooded with them, and the sheer number indicates a paradox: If everything is being organized so thoroughly, why is the world in such complete chaos? By the time you read this, the US election may be taking the word chaos to dizzying new heights, brought to you by even more organizations. Despite that philosophical conundrum, there are still new ones popping up that are more than welcome. Below are a few that actually have some appeal. [Read more]
Column: Hey Canada and USA: Where will the world’s oil come from if we sleepwalk into energy insecurity?
In the heart of Thanksgiving/Christmas season, we are often confronted and reminded of a curiosity of human existence that has far wider repercussions than we realize. During big get-togethers (within health guidelines of course, speaking more historically here), many of us have been faced with the Phenomenon of the Perpetual Ass. It seems that in any sizeable group there is at least one person who will see it as their duty to putridly debase conversation, to offer ignorant and inflammatory [Read more]
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