The changes to America's energy landscape have been so swift and dramatic that it is has caught many analysts and policymakers unaware. For the last 40 years, energy policymakers were focused on managing a scarce resource; today, we are on the cusp of an unprecedented energy abundance. Technological advances like horizontal drilling, better seismic imaging and hydraulic fracturing are providing plentiful, affordable energy, potentially initiating a U.S. manufacturing renaissance. As China, India, Brazil and the Middle East emerge as major and growing oil consuming countries, the increasing production of unconventional oil and energy sources in the U.S. takes on added significance. For decades, U.S. oil production decreased as global demand increased. U.S. oil production can be considered an increasingly important aspect of national security and a hedge against increasing demand and uncertainty in global markets. Join Karen Alderman Harbert as she discusses ways to harness our emerging energy abundance. Ms. Alderman Harbert is the President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy.
America's New Energy Paradigm
