In the 1950s, I was involved in oil drilling gas in southeastern Kansas. Much of the free-flowing, 28 gravity (thick) oil had diminished to one to three barrels per day. Hence came secondary recovery! 

A lot of contractors might opposed government subsidies on principle, but drillers in geothermal could benefit from a little more federal attention to that sector.

 The Bakken formation, mostly in North Dakota, is turning out to be one of the most prolific oil plays in the history of the United States. It was named after Henry Bakken of Tioga, N.D., in 1953.  

 The federal government is the 800-pound gorilla of land usage. With mineral rights of over 700 million acres, the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the largest landowner in the country, so when it speaks, anyone with a vested interest in land use is wise to listen carefully. 

 Hydraulic fracking has a bad reputation with some environmentalists, who think that the heavy water usage involved in fracking projects is too destructive to the environment. But one preventable environmental concern relates to excavating permanent water storage basins. Drillers can find ways to store the water they need without as much environmental disruption.