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Commentary

Low Oil Prices: Good for U.S. Security, Troublesome for the Economy

Feb 26, 2016

Will oil prices remain low? And how can the balance between cheap oil's positive effects on U.S. security and its negative effects on the economy be assessed?
Testimony

The Role of Oil in ISIL Finances

Dec 10, 2015

Sales of oil and refined oil products are the most important single source of recurrent revenues for ISIL. Targeting ISIL's oil loading facilities and heavy trucks can weaken the group, but this alone will not lead to its demise.

Explore Petroleum

Report

Postsecondary Education and STEM Employment in the United States: An Analysis of National Trends with a Focus on the Natural Gas and Oil Industry

This report aims to contribute new knowledge to understanding the role that postsecondary education plays in meeting the increasing demands of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce.

Dec 6, 2017
Q&A

Oil, Extortion Still Paying Off for ISIS

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.

Oct 27, 2017
Report

Employers and Colleges Could Plan Better for Future Oil and Natural Gas Workforce

Advances in natural gas extraction should bring long-term economic benefits to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. A survey of employers and educators can inform policy decisions on how best to expand and sustain the pool of skilled workers.

Oct 16, 2017
Commentary

King Salman and Putin Deals Leave the U.S. Out in the Cold

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.

Oct 4, 2017
Commentary

How the Gulf Row Could Tear Libya Apart Even Further

Since Gadhafi was removed from power, Gulf nations have been vying for position in Libya through proxy forces to influence political outcomes. Current tensions between Qatar and its neighbors are adding to the instability.

Jul 7, 2017
Tool

Tool

Database of Potential Sources of Information on Fisheries, Tourism, and Oil Spill Claims

The objective of this Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities database is to make users aware of sources of information that may be less widely known than standard databases of economic activity such as those published by the U.S. Census Bureau.

May 23, 2017
Tool

Database of Literature on Oil Spills and Public Health

Overview that describes the literature search CRCG undertook and the database developed with a goal of assessing the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the health, social, and economic wellbeing of Gulf Coast communities.

May 8, 2017
Tool

Tool

Database of Research on the Human Impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Database that provides information on research into the human impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Apr 27, 2017
Report

Report

Scenario Development for the 2015 Quadrennial Energy Review: Assessing Stresses, Opportunities, and Resilience in the Transmission, Storage, and Distribution Systems for Oil and Refined-Oil Products, Electricity, and Natural Gas

RAND researchers developed a framework and metrics for examining vulnerabilities, opportunities, and risks to U.S. energy transmission, storage, and distribution systems through 2030 under a range of uncertainties.

Sep 27, 2016
Commentary

Cutting the Islamic State's Money Supply

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.

Jul 21, 2016
Report

Report

Human and Organisational Factors in Major Accident Prevention: A Snapshot of the Academic Landscape

RAND Europe was commissioned by TOTAL E&P Research and Development to consider the role of human and organisational factors in major accident prevention in the oil and gas sector. The work drew on insights from industrial and academic experts.

Jul 20, 2016
Report

Proposed Refinery Regulations in California Could Provide Safety and Cost Benefits

New regulations could improve safety at oil and gas refineries in California and benefit nearby communities. Even if the proposed regulations make refineries only 7.3 percent safer than they are currently, they will be worth their implementation costs.

Mar 16, 2016
Testimony

Testimony

The Role of Oil in ISIL Finances: Addendum

Document submitted on January 6, 2016 as an addendum to testimony presented before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on December 10, 2015.

Jan 6, 2016
Commentary

What Will Happen After the Oil Export Ban Is Repealed?

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.

Dec 21, 2015
Commentary

Why Selling Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Is a Bad Idea

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.

Sep 15, 2015
Commentary

How to Improve Oregon's Mileage-Fee Experiment

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.

Jul 7, 2015
Commentary

Peacetime Fuel 'Tankering' Could Save $25 Million Per Year

Fuel tankering is 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 like Afghanistan is almost always cost-effective, but the story is more complex elsewhere due to how fuel is purchased and resold within the DoD itself.

May 4, 2015
Commentary

Oil Bonanza: Good News for the World

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.

Mar 31, 2015

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RAND Topic:
Petroleum

Topic Synonyms:
Oil

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