Astute readers of Oil & Gas Journal may have noticed that this column recently has acquired a new title and a broader focus.
Since the 1940s the Watching Washington column has been a forum for OGJ's Washington editors to reflect on the national scene.
WASHINGTON WATCHERS
Our Washington editors have included stalwarts such as Henry Ralph, Bert Linz, Clyde LaMotte, Gene Kinney, and Bill Bachman. All used their reporters' skill to dissect, analyze, and comment on the blessings and curses inflicted on the U.S. petroleum industry by elected and appointed officials and assorted bureaucrats who determined when, how, and if the industry operated.
They always had much to comment on. Washington policymakers rule absolutely or at least influence every phase of the U.S. oil industry from leasing of federal land to consumption of petroleum products.
That will never change. And neither will OGJ's intent to keep its readers briefed on important Washington developments.
Now, OGJ also is focusing more on international coverage. The American oil industry no longer explores mostly in America, and world commerce is rolling toward homogeneity.
Breakthroughs in recent trade treaties will accelerate those trends. The North American Free Trade Agreement has captured most of the headlines at home, but more important is the newly renegotiated General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which will greatly facilitate international commerce.
Under that pact, the U.S. and the European Community will cut tariffs on each other's goods in half, and tariffs worldwide will be reduced by as much as one third. The U.S. Congress is expected to approve the agreement this spring.
POLICY PROBLEMS
These days it's apparent that governments have more in common on energy policy problems than ever before.
For example, a recent report out of Tokyo said the local environmental agency could not decide whether to change its definition of low pollution cars to include cars fueled by LPG.
Drop the word "Tokyo," and the same report could have come out of a dozen capitals around the world.
Another common trend is that economically pressured governments are revamping their national oil companies to varying degrees.
For those reasons, this column was retitled Watching Government late last year and given a broader mission: to comment on regulation and government operations worldwide as the industry expands into more countries around the globe.
Copyright 1994 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
