Lost in that exodus was some of the expertise to keep the U.S. industry competitive, said Tim Carr, chief of petroleum research for the Kansas Geological Survey. Innovative technology has made it possible to recover up to 50 percent of oil from reservoirs, compared with 15 percent in years past. But as the United States loses oil production to other countries, it also will lose some of the innovative technology that makes those improvements possible. Research and development are among the first things to go in a faltering industry, Carr said, and it is innovation that could keep the Kansas industry alive. Drillers in the region can't just borrow what others develop, either.
Research has to be done with specific conditions in mind.
Independent producers are asking for tax relief to reduce their costs and for access to more U.S. reserves on federal land or protected areas. We can talk about conservation. The large oil companies will want more oil out of Alaska. We have trade-offs. What we face are those tough decisions.