Research Library

OPEC may opt to continue or deepen its oil production cuts at its upcoming May meeting, as a growing number of highly efficient U.S. shale operators now appears able to maintain oil production — and even expand it — at prices that likely are unsustainably low for many major exporters’ national budgets, writes energy fellow Gabriel Collins.

Iran is on the brink of “water bankruptcy” in large part because the Iranian government’s aspirations for wheat self-sufficiency are driving high agricultural water use, fellow Gabriel Collins writes in this research paper. The paper analyzes Iran’s water situation and proposes policy solutions to slow the rapid depletion of the country’s groundwater.

Under long-established Texas law, the surface estate owner clearly owns oilfield produced water. However, the law does not address how, if at all, the producer would need to split revenues with the surface owner for a sale or a for-value transfer of produced water. Fellow Gabe Collins analyzes the ambiguity related to revenues from this commodity and discusses potential transaction structures for produced water in Texas.

State regulators and legislators — not federal courts — should get first crack at resolving problems arising from seismic activity related to wastewater injection. Fellow Gabriel Collins explains.

The oil production targets agreed to at the November 30, 2016, OPEC meeting have created the firmest prospect in the past two years of a meaningful oil price recovery. If WTI prices rise and stabilize in the $60/bbl range, how fast can U.S. shale producers respond? This brief addresses the question and highlights the challenges U.S. unconventional liquids producers will likely face during a scale-up. It also points out price and timing inflection points likely to broadly influence industry decision-making.

This article analyzes China’s rising diesel and gasoline exports, which now rival exports by Saudi Arabia.

Using China Customs port-level export data, this article analyzes the key outlet points for China’s middle distillate exports and into what markets they are being sold.

Using the Guadalupe County Groundwater Conservation District as a case study, this journal article examines the benefits of a three-dimensional water management system to better manage groundwater usage in Texas and outlines the process for implementing such a system within other groundwater conservation districts in the state.

This working paper analyzes three key factors that characterize the “new normal” of China’s oil demand: slowing overall demand growth, gasoline replacing diesel as the demand driver, and a substantial rise in refined products exports.

China’s national diesel consumption declined in 2014 and 2015, and sustained massive oil demand growth from China can no longer be taken for granted.