Saudi America: the dangerous fallacy of US energy independence

The Verge

The year is 2020. The United States is on the cusp of a golden age, there’s peace in the Middle East, and the Texas oil tycoon is suddenly back in the saddle.

For many, this was the takeaway from the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook, released last month. In its annual report, the Paris-based IEA predicted that the US will lead the world in both oil and natural gas production by the end of the decade, overtaking Saudi Arabia and Russia, respectively. By 2035, the report says, the US should be “all but self-sufficient” in meeting its energy needs.