Tommy Taylor
PBPA Chairman
Occasionally I travel to places outside of the Permian Basin. I know, I know. You might be asking, why would I ever leave the oasis that is Midland, Texas? Well, I figure if our oil has mobility around the world, I guess I can do a bit of traveling too. When I do travel, I am always taken aback by the sheer volume of cars and trucks on the road when driving to and around the bigger cities like Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin, in Texas and in cities beyond.
We are all aware of the increased activity throughout West Texas and East New Mexico with the volume of cars and trucks on the roadways. So much of this traffic, however, appears to be intimately connected to commercial activity, as is evidenced by the volume of white pickup trucks and semis. While commercial traffic obviously occurs in the larger cities in the eastern half of Texas, it appears a larger segment of the traffic may just be the movement of people for personal reasons. Regardless of the reason, traffic everywhere seems to be outpacing infrastructural improvements.
I know ahead of time that moving about in the larger cities is going to be hectic and crowded, but it is always a shock to me when I’m in the thick of the driving activity. When I have the chance to let someone else take the wheel, my thoughts always go to how our mobility is connected to the oil and gas business. And this connectivity begs the question, where would our economy be without the immense energy that is packed in that little hydrocarbon molecule? What would the quality of life be for those who depend on affordable, available, and reliable energy nearly every second of their lives? For a resource that has reputedly “reached peak,” (as some observers keep asserting), the current demand for oil and gas is clearly at an all-time high, and going higher—a conclusion that is supported by all the bustling activity along the busy freeways.
We have all heard the constant banter in the media about how electric vehicles (EV’s) are going to supplant the internal combustion engine (ICE) and hydrocarbons are going the way of the horse drawn wagon. There is no doubt that EV’s will make up a likely larger percentage of the vehicle mix in the future, similar to how wind and solar electricity generation has increased as part of our overall energy portfolio. Driving down the freeways of the large cities I do notice a few EV’s on the road, but I am not sure the cost to convert every automobile in America to an electric powered supply is feasible today. Let us also not forget about installing a new electric power grid necessary to make the EV evolution possible. Winter Storm Uri was painful enough without a substantial draw on the grid for vehicle charging too. And, during this season’s winter weather we all saw images of electric vehicles stranded on snow covered highways as their power had run out. While I have no doubt that the future is going to be different than most can imagine (including myself), I just do not think moving away from fossil fuels is going to be quite as rapid as some would lead us to believe. It is more likely that fossil fuel use continues to grow, even if its share of the greater energy pie doesn’t. The world is demanding more and more energy every day, not less.
When I’m back home, closer to the oasis, I’m quickly reminded that the oil and gas operators in the mighty Permian Basin will continue our efforts to make the oil and gas we produce the most abundant, cleanest, and most reliable energy supply possible. The everyday people of our state and nation are counting on us to deliver our product. I see them driving in the cities, flying on commercial airlines crisscrossing the country, and heating and cooling their homes without giving thought to how those modern conveniences are possible. Hydrocarbon based products are interwoven in every aspect of our society and lives. I believe that the oil and gas business will be a substantial part of the energy mix well into the next several decades. But don’t be like so many of those out there that take this business for granted. Instead, stand up for the industry, stand up for what you do for a living, and stand with the PBPA.