It’s easy to wonder why the oil and gas industry has been
getting so worked up in recent months, holding rallies and
podcasts and the like about proposed restrictions on the
industry. Certainly the US government did impose a moratorium in
the Gulf of Mexico. But that was in reaction to an event – the
Macondo well explosion. The reality is that the US government in
general – either Congress or whoever is running the
administration – has made a lot of threats over the years and
yet none of them have turned into anything substantial. Look how
far climate legislation has gone. That said, there does seem to
be a sign that things might be changing on some level – and not
for the better if you happen to make your living in the oil and
gas industry. The air above Houston is some of the most
regulated in the world. That is because the region – the energy
capital of the world – hosts 497 industrial facilities with a
total of 27,463 flares, boilers and the like, all emitting
chemicals – from benzene to xylenes – many of