SHALE OIL AND GAS: STRENGTHENING WESTERN CIVILIZATION AND WEAKENING ITS ENEMIES. And now it’s ready to boom anew:

American shale has weathered the storm better than anyone expected. U.S. oil output has flagged over the past year, beaten back by plunging oil prices, but it would be dishonest to call this a bust. Instead, with oil prices back up around $50 per barrel, shale once again seems ready to boom anew. . . .

The crude oil price collapse was a crucible for shale producers, and it forced companies to accelerate their plans to cut costs, boost efficiencies, and innovate new ways to frack new reserves in greater quantities. Drillers weren’t the only ones in the industry forced to trim the fat: oil services companies had to settle for significantly narrower margins as they offered operators large discounts to keep the crude flowing. And while that has some concerned that shale’s breakeven costs could increase as oil prices go up, others are convinced shale has pioneered some lasting new fixes. . . .

OPEC bet the house on shale’s inability to withstand a bearish oil market, but that gamble doesn’t seem to be paying off as producers around the world start to settle into today’s new market equilibrium. We’ve said it before but it bears repeating: bet against American innovation at your own risk.

That’s why so many lefties are doing their best to squash it, sometimes with foreign help.