$100 Crude in 2023? Oil and Gas Prices Expected to Have Another Bullish Year
Despite higher prices, the U.S. energy sector has refrained from dramatically boosting output as production is still below pre-pandemic levels. In the first week of January, the industry produced 11.7 million barrels per day (bpd), according to the Energy Information Administration (
EIA). By the end of December, output totaled 12 million bpd.
President Joe Biden has engaged in a war of words with oil and gas companies.
The administration repeatedly
claimed that the sector has 9,000 permits to drill. But the fossil fuel industry has disputed the White House’s assertions, purporting that there are many challenges that producers need to overcome, such as attracting capital, fighting litigation by environmental organizations, and tackling red tape that results in delays.
“While we may not appreciate the cynical attempt to deny the effects of the president’s own ‘no federal oil’ policies, we appreciate that the White House suddenly wants American producers to develop on federal lands. After the Biden administration spent over a year making it more difficult to develop on federal lands while begging Russia to increase its production, the admission—no matter how long it took to make—that American production is preferable to Russian is now welcome,” said Kathleen Sgamma, president of Western Energy Alliance, in a statement in March.
“We also appreciate that suddenly environmental groups are very keen for us to develop on existing leases and permits, as they constantly sue to stop any development.”