Capitol Crude: The US Energy Policy Podcast

Platts senior editors Brian Scheid and Meghan Gordon take you back to the 1970s with John Kingston, director of global market insights for S&P Global. It was an era of low US crude oil production, high prices, long gasoline lines and disco, and saw the advent of policies that shaped topics at...

Low oil prices and less invested in exploration has squeezed crude production in the US, but Gulf of Mexico production is expected to grow -- even as regulators are growing increasingly concerned about another major spill or loss of life from offshore safety. Platts senior editors Meghan Gordon and...

Capitol Crude is back from summer vacation and taking a trip back to the mid-1990s in the US, when Hanson was on the radio, Seinfeld had new episodes and slickwater fracking was being developed. Nick Steinsberger revolutionized the production of oil from shale and unintentionally set in motion the...

In the 100th episode of Capitol Crude, Platts senior editor Brian Scheid talks with Adam Sieminski, administrator of the US Energy Information Administration, on the state of the global oil market. Sieminski discusses where oil prices are heading, when the market may reach balance, the diminishing...

The Obama administration unveiled final regulations for drilling in US Arctic waters, but questions remain about the future of oil production there. Will the Arctic be pulled out of the administration's upcoming five-year leasing plan, and will environmental opposition and unfavorable economics...

A new technical report on US fuel efficiency targets says the vehicle fleet may fall short of a goal of 54.5 miles per gallon. Senior editor Brian Scheid parses the key points of the report and talks with Sam Ori, executive director at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago,...

Fracking helped unleash a flood of new US oil and gas production, but regulating it is no simple task. The Obama administration has not embraced the environmental movement to keep all fossil fuels in the ground and the topic has become a wedge issue in this year's presidential race. Given that a...

Capitol Crude co-hosts Brian Scheid and Herman Wang couldn't get tickets to the Tony Award-winning musical "Hamilton," so they perform their own rap musical -- on oil policy, of course. Their tale of oil policy topics over the past few years is also Herman's final episode before he heads off to...

Taking their cues from Conan O'Brien, Platts senior editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang take Capitol Crude into the future – all the way to the year 2020, with predictions about Taylor Swift, 3-D printers, and a potential global oil supply shortage. Analysts and market watchers have...

On this week's Capitol Crude, Brian Scheid and Herman Wang take you along on a recent tour of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. With pipes corroding and tank floors failing, the US Department of Energy says the world's largest stockpile of crude oil may be nearing the end of its service...

Preparing to drive to that summer vacation? Gasoline is one of the most recognizable oil products to Americans, yet what drives the market is unknown to many. Senior oil editor Brian Scheid shares a few drinks with Jeff Bair, managing editor for US light ends, to take stock of high blendstock...

Now that the breaking news is winding down, Capitol Crude analyzes what the June 2 OPEC meeting means for the global oil market, US policymakers and US crude producers. Herman Wang is in Vienna with details of the meeting, which will likely be remembered as the first for Khalid al-Falih in his new...

Recent complaints out of Tehran that the nuclear deal has yet to yield tangible benefits leaves questions about the future of the deal and what it would mean for oil. Senior editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang delve into the hand-wringing by some, despite efforts of the Obama administration to...

Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region has been hard hit by the oil price plunge of late, but it is attempting to pull its oil industry out of the shadows and toward legitimacy. Platts senior editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid are joined by Ben Lando, founder and editor-in-chief of the Iraq Oil...

Saudi Arabia last week made a change in its oil leadership, naming former Saudi Aramco CEO Khalid al-Falih to the post of energy minister, replacing the long-serving Ali al-Naimi. Naimi, who regularly moved markets with his pronouncements on oil supply and demand, had been in charge of Saudi oil...

The state of the oil industry in Venezuela and its ailing PetroCaribe program are having effects on the market in other parts of the 'neighborhood' -- like the US, Caribbean and Central America. The Obama administration last week hosted the US-Caribbean-Central America Energy Summit in Washington,...

Oil prices have been on the rebound in recent weeks, with many market watchers saying that fundamentals appear improved. Some are predicting that the market will see supply and demand rebalance by the end of the year. Senior oil editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wang look closer at the market's green...

Iran's planned post-sanctions oil production path is colliding with crude market realities, keeping the country's production and exports from ramping up to meet initial expectations. Platts senior oil editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid discuss the obstacles Iran is encountering,including factors...

Alaska has long been a bastion of the US' oil production, even giving dividend checks to residents from oil revenues. But oil price woes are having a major effect on a state that has no state income tax or state sales tax, and crude production on Alaska's North Slope in 2015 fell to its lowest...

On this week's Capitol Crude, Platts senior editors Brian Scheid and Herman Wanglook at the growing opposition to oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Abigail Ross Hopper, director of the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, says in an interview that the Obama administration is...

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's proposal to ban US imports of Saudi Arabian crude appears unfeasible, but is the plan already damaging fragile ties with the Saudis and other overseas allies? Platts senior oil editor Brian Scheid looks at the market impacts of Trump's views of...

While much of the US has its eyes glued to March Madness, the oil industry is wondering if there could be a big upset in store from a summit of OPEC and major non-OPEC producers in Doha, Qatar, on April 17. The oil producers will be meeting to finalize a plan to freeze output at January levels, and...

As President Barack Obama leaves for his historic trip to Cuba, Platts senior oil editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid look at what the potential end to the long-standing trade embargo means for US crude oil and petroleum products exports. Obama will be the first president to visit Cuba in nearly...

Since 2014, the US and its coalition allies have engaged in an intensive air strike campaign against Islamic State oil facilities, aiming to stamp out one of the terrorist group's vital sources of funding. The US has also announced sanctions on IS officials and warned of punitive actions against...

There's been a lot made of prices and economics when it comes to the US exporting crude oil, but what about the actual logistics and capabilities to export? Platts senior oil editors Herman Wang and Brian Scheid talk with Luciano Battistini, Platts managing editor of Americas crude, about the fine...