Shale drillers have turned the biggest oil field in the U.S. into a pressure cooker that is literally bursting at the seams. Producers in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico extract roughly half of the U.S.’s crude. They also produce copious amounts of toxic, salty water, which they pump back into the ground.
Oil headed for the biggest weekly gain since late October, as traders tracked a partial US blockade of crude shipments from Venezuela and a military strike by Washington against a militant group in Nigeria. Global benchmark Brent traded above $62 a barrel, more than 3% higher this week, while West Texas Intermediate was near $58.
Curious Minds Corner
Can natural gas be transported long distances even if pipelines don’t exist?
Yes — by cooling it to around –162 °C to liquefy it into LNG (liquefied natural gas), reducing volume ~ 600×, making transport across oceans possible.