Petroleum

Infrastructure Finance
commentary
Navigating Speed Bumps to a Possible Federal Vehicle Miles Traveled Fee
Liisa Ecola, Laura Patton
Mar 26, 2021
The Hill
It's been clear for years that the gas tax has been losing its ability to pay for America's existing roads and bridges, let alone improvements and new construction. A vehicle miles traveled fee could provide a potential option for a 21st-century transportation funding system.
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Disaster Recovery Operations
commentary
Overlapping Environmental Disasters Put a Strain on Gulf Communities
Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane
Nov 29, 2018
NOLA.com
For Gulf Coast residents, dealing with the impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster is challenging enough. With the Taylor Energy spill, they may face an even more daunting recovery, one that could take decades. Acknowledging the extent and complexity of recovery is the first step toward supporting coastal communities to build their resilience in the face of overlapping disasters.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Could America Use Its Leverage to Alter the Saudis' Behavior?
Ariane M. Tabatabai, Becca Wasser
Nov 15, 2018
Newsweek
As the Saudis' chief political and military partner and the undisputed security guarantor in the Middle East, the United States has considerable influence it can wield over Saudi decisionmaking. The Trump administration could consider using its influence to encourage Saudi leadership to moderate its assertive and damaging policies abroad.
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Terrorism Financing
q&a
Oil, Extortion Still Paying Off for ISIS
Oct 27, 2017
The Cipher Brief
ISIS's oil revenues declined from a peak of $40 million per month in 2015 to $4 million per month as of early October 2017. Despite the massive reduction, it's still a substantial amount of money for a group whose expenditures decrease with the size of the population and territory it controls and decreased recruitment.
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International Economic Relations
commentary
King Salman and Putin Deals Leave the U.S. Out in the Cold
Becca Wasser, Howard J. Shatz @HowardJShatz
Oct 4, 2017
Newsweek
Riyadh plans to invest in Russian energy assets and possibly arms. The deals will lead to the manufacture of arms in Saudi Arabia and likely the transfer of military technology. These agreements thwart the U.S.- and EU-led sanctions regime and send an important signal to Washington.
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Libya
commentary
How the Gulf Row Could Tear Libya Apart Even Further
Amanda Kadlec
Jul 7, 2017
Foreign Policy Concepts
Since Gadhafi was removed from power, Gulf nations have been vying for position in Libya through proxy forces to influence political outcomes. Libya's rival militias — armed and funded by their respective Gulf sponsors — set the framework for the civil conflict that erupted in 2014 and continues today. Current tensions between Qatar and its neighbors are adding to the instability.
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Terrorism Financing
commentary
Cutting the Islamic State's Money Supply
Eric Robinson @RobinsonEricD
Jul 21, 2016
The National Interest
Airstrikes have hit ISIL tanker trucks, oil fields, refineries, and banks, but it would be a mistake to view the group as a poor man's version of its old self. New steps are needed to counter its multi-million dollar taxation and extortion machine.
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Petroleum
commentary
Crude Economics, Crude Politics: Who Wins and Who Loses with Cheap Oil?
Charles Wolf, Jr.
Feb 26, 2016
The Weekly Standard
What is the outlook for oil prices? And how can we assess the balance between positive effects on national security and negative effects on the national economy?
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Petroleum
commentary
What Will Happen After the Oil Export Ban Is Repealed?
Keith Crane, Nathaniel Lutovsky
Dec 22, 2015
The RAND Blog
Without the crude oil export ban, producers could sell their product abroad without discounting it, and the Gulf Coast refineries could specialize in the heavier oil for which they are optimized. On the whole, the global refining industry would likely enjoy efficiency gains.
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Petroleum
commentary
Why Selling Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Is a Bad Idea
Keith Crane
Sep 15, 2015
The Wall Street Journal
Some lawmakers are proposing a sell-off of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to finance highway and bridge work. This is a shortsighted strategy.
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Transportation Funding
commentary
How to Improve Oregon's Mileage-Fee Experiment
Liisa Ecola, Laura Patton
Jul 7, 2015
The Oregonian
Oregon is rolling out the nation's first large-scale pilot to examine switching to a mileage fee instead of the gas tax. The trial is a welcome next step toward understanding how mileage fees can be deployed.
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Military Budgets and Defense Spending
commentary
Peacetime Fuel 'Tankering' Could Save $25 Million Per Year
Christopher A. Mouton
May 4, 2015
The RAND Blog
Fuel tankering involves carrying excess fuel on an aircraft when flying from origins where fuel is less expensive than at the destination. Tankering fuel to a conflict zone such as Afghanistan is almost always cost-effective, but the story is more complex in other regions because of the way fuel is purchased and resold within the DoD itself.
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Petroleum
commentary
Oil Bonanza: Good News for the World
Charles Wolf, Jr.
Mar 31, 2015
The International Economy
World oil prices have fallen by more than 40 percent since June 2014 and over the next several years prices are more likely to fall than to rise. The global economy will benefit hugely from this shift, and it's possible that global security will also benefit from lower oil prices.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
ISIS Aims to Occupy Mecca
William Young
Jan 19, 2015
Newsweek
As ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reaches for control of the holy sites in and around Mecca and Medina and the wealth that comes with them, the U.S., NATO, and others should consider providing significant equipment and know-how to shore up the border defenses of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan.
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Energy
commentary
Can Eurasian Energy Compete?
William Courtney @courtneywmh, Richard Kauzlarich, Kenneth Yalowitz
Jan 16, 2015
The National Interest
Cheaper oil, government interference, and market dynamics jeopardize the future of Russian and Caspian energy. To be globally competitive, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan should let the private sector play a greater role and make more decisions on commercial, rather than political grounds.
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Petroleum
commentary
The Upside of Lower Oil Prices
Charles Wolf, Jr.
Oct 17, 2014
The Weekly Standard
Movement toward sharply lower oil prices should be a prominent component of any strategy directed at disabling many of the world's most disruptive threats: Iran's nuclear development, ISIS, Hamas attacks on Israel, and Russia's threat to Ukraine.
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Transportation Planning
blog
What Mobility Might Look Like in the U.S. in 2030
Oct 28, 2013
Mobility — the ability to travel from one location to another — may look very different in the United States in the year 2030. Three key drivers differentiate possible scenarios: the price of oil, the development of environmental regulations, and the amount of highway revenues and expenditures.
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Energy Security
blog
Using Air Power Against Pirates Off West Africa
Oct 25, 2013
A U.S. Official has confirmed that two mariners thought to be U.S. Citizens were kidnapped from an American ship in a pirate attack off of the West African coast — the 40th such attack reported in the Gulf of Guinea in 2013. The current security situation in the Gulf has affected petroleum and natural gas production.
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Gasoline
commentary
Paying for Infrastructure, a Taxing Issue
Liisa Ecola
May 16, 2013
The RAND Blog
If the user pays idea is worth saving, the United States needs a different calculation, writes Liisa Ecola. Some states are looking at mileage fees. With mileage fees, you pay based on the number of miles you drive, rather than the number of gallons of gas used.
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Petroleum
commentary
Prices Will Still Be Dictated by World Markets and the Middle East Will Continue to Bedevil Policymakers
Keith Crane
Mar 28, 2013
Wall Street Journal Online
Even if the United States no longer imports oil from the Middle East, the United States will still be vulnerable to oil price shocks driven by developments in the Middle East, writes Keith Crane.
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Iran
commentary
Assessing the Iranian Sanctions
Keith Crane
Jul 9, 2012
National Journal
The sanctions have imposed economic costs and have effectively signaled that not only the United States, but much of the rest of the world, see Iran's policies on nuclear enrichment as a serious potential threat to the region and the world, writes Keith Crane.
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Petroleum
blog
U.S. Military's Role with Petroleum Is to Assure Security
Jun 19, 2012
When the U.S. Department of Defense purchases oil, it has almost no effect on world oil prices, according to new RAND reports. That means reducing fuel consumption is the only effective way for the Pentagon to cut its petroleum expenses.
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Gasoline
commentary
Among Potential Deficit Remedies, Don't Rule Out Raising Gas Tax
Martin Wachs
Dec 25, 2010
Detroit Free Press
A proposed 15-cents-a-gallon gas tax is worth a second look. Among various painful options put forward in the Deficit Reduction Commission's draft report, this tax hike may be well justified, write Martin Wachs.
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commentary
The Future of Transportation Finance: A New Generation of User Fees
Martin Wachs
May 14, 2010
Resources for the Future
The principle of paying for roads and transit by charging those who use the system has served our nation well, but in its current form it will soon outlive its usefulness, writes Martin Wachs.
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Global Climate Change
commentary
On Carbon Dioxide, a Better Alternative
Keith Crane, James T. Bartis
Nov 29, 2007
Washingtonpost.com
A carbon dioxide tax with refund is fair because the people responsible for the most emissions would pay the most. The tax would also be progressive. Many Americans with lower incomes would find the refund would more than defray the higher costs of gasoline and electric power, write Keith Crane and James Bartis.
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commentary
Paying for Our Transportation Needs
Martin Wachs
Oct 25, 2006
San Diego Union-Tribune
Published commentary by RAND staff: Paying for Our Transportation Needs, in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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commentary
Fueling Opportunity
John D. Graham
May 19, 2006
Washington Times
Published commentary by RAND staff: Fueling Opportunity in the Washington Times.
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commentary
Katrina Shows Supply Chain Needs National Attention
David S. Ortiz, Henry H. Willis @HenryHWillis
Sep 26, 2005
Los Angeles Business Journal
Published commentary by RAND staff: Katrina Shows Supply Chain Needs National Attention in the Los Angeles Business Journal.
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commentary
Iraqi Oil and the Global Economy
James T. Bartis
Jan 6, 2003
Albany Times-Union
If Saddam Hussein is ousted as leader of Iraq, the United States will face critical decisions about the future of the world's second-largest oil reserves, writes policy analyst James Bartis.
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