Research Library

This paper investigates how new potential and proposed regulations will influence the natural gas market in the United States in the coming decades, using the Rice World Gas Trade Model (RWGTM) to examine scenarios in which domestic natural gas development is stressed in a variety of ways. It considers a range of possible policy actions from the federal to the local level.

A conference report on "The Shale Revolution: What Do We Know and Where Are We Going?," hosted by the Center for Energy Studies on Oct. 30, 2014.

Technological progress in the exploration and production of oil and gas during the 2000s has led to a boom in upstream investment and has increased the domestic supply of fossil fuels. It is unknown, however, how many jobs this boom has created. Using time-series methods at the national level and dynamic panel methods at the state level to understand how the increase in exploration and production activity has impacted employment, this paper finds robust statistical support for the hypothesis that changes in drilling for oil and gas as captured by rig counts do, in fact, have an economically meaningful and positive impact on employment.

This paper explores some of the issues that confront the full realization of the benefits of energy resource development in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, collectively.

Kenneth B. Medlock III, James A. Baker, III, and Susan G. Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics, testified about crude oil production and energy trade policy before the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives.

A paper discussing the nature of natural gas pricing in Asia and forecasting changes in the pricing paradigm as well as the global market.

This research discerns how municipal solid waste (MSW) composition influences the heating value and air pollution for the co-combustion of coal with MSW using five MSW composition scenarios, four of which were derived by a reduction of plastics, organics, paper, or a combination thereof, as compared to the national average MSW composition.

A paper that briefly examines the current situation and outlook for
 shale gas in China, and explores existing and potential 
avenues for international cooperation. Published by the International Shale Gas and Oil Journal Subscription required.

A comprehensive study of the reserve and production potential of the Barnett Shale integrates engineering, geology, and economics into a numerical model that allows for scenario testing based on several technical and economic parameters. Part 1 summarizes the geologic characterization, per-well decline analysis, and productivity tiering required to feed into the detailed modeling of future reserve and production forecasts. The conclusion (Part 2) examines full field economics and production and reserve forecasts.

The causes and consequences of rising oil price over the past decade have been the subject of much debate. The role of speculation in financial markets has come increasingly under the microscope, with many economists arguing that in commodity markets such as oil, inventory adjustment should prevent speculative pressures from unduly influencing price. This paper investigates whether speculative pressures can exert an influence on the price of storable commodities, such as crude oil and natural gas.