Before I address the global energy outlook for 2022, I want to thank all of those who have been an important part of my journey in the energy industry in 2021. Many thanks to readers of my columns, blogs, magazine articles, presentations, and radio/podcast interviews. A special thanks to Shawn Wilson, Butch Black, and the Exploring Energy Team! Also my appreciation to GTR News/Forrest Cameron, Emmanuel Sullivan/Oilman Magazine, and all the listeners of my National Energy Talk podcast.
It was great to be back on the speaking circuit, including presentations at York College, (York, Nebraska), National Association of Royalty Owners Annual Convention, Professional Petroleum Data Management Association’s Houston Expo, and the World Trade Summit in Oklahoma. A highlight of 2021 was attending the World Petroleum Congress in Houston.
My presentations in 2021 focused on strategic optimization and developing pathways to our energy future, emphasizing natural gas/LNG, hydrogen, infrastructure, and the digital transformation.
As an advisor to IngenuitE, Inc., I continue to be encouraged by the opportunities for the energy industry in the IT world.
As compared to 2020, 2021 was truly a time of uncertainty and challenges, to say the least. Many of the issues continue to exist. The future of regulations, executive orders, tax issues, fiscal and monetary policies, international trade issues, COVID-19 vaccination outcomes, supply and demand of energy, and private/public education challenges are some of the numerous issues before us.
Energy education is needed more than ever. Nothing moves without energy. We need to work together to provide energy efficiency and environmental preservation. The oil and gas industry is strongly needed for necessary energy usage and petrochemical products.
As I state in my book, America Needs America’s Energy: Creating Together the People’s Energy Plan, “Future generations are depending on us to keep the American dream alive. For too long we in America have been wasting time blaming the energy industry or the government for failure to adopt a national energy strategy, when we should be responsible for creating the plan. As consumers of energy, we must drive the process, evaluating how we can best leverage our natural resources here at home to ensure long-term energy independence and security. American citizens must take individual responsibility for the state of this great nation, striving to protect the land we call home.”
It is my strong belief, that current infrastructure and pipelines must be maintained along with the implementation of an energy transition. The concerns before us are the challenges of accessibility, affordability, efficiency, availability, reliability, cyber security, sustainability, and energy security. Therefore, energy supply must match up with energy demand.
There are many moving parts that will impact the energy outlook for 2022, including weather, geopolitics, digital transformation, supply chain, OPEC+, and semiconductor chips.
Investments are needed in the oil and gas industry to achieve ultimate results. The selling of oil from the strategic petroleum reserves is only a bandaid approach. A strong energy workforce, which includes America’s energy, all forms, are needed more than ever. Innovation and technology will lead us to pathways of a brighter future.
America needs America’s Energy!
