*Due to the fracking boom, the United States has become the largest producers of gas and oil. Jeff Raizner weighs in with his thoughts on this matter.
01 January 2014 – This year may be the year the United States becomes the single largest producer of natural gas and oil, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This goes against the popular belief that the majority of the world’s fossil fuel comes from the Middle East and Russia.
The United States actually passed Russia on the list in 2012 and is only found behind Saudi Arabia when it comes to oil production.
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is responsible for this boom and could be the difference needed to put the U.S. into the top spot. The EIA stated the production from the US will be close to 50 quadrillion British thermal units, which is equal to 25 million barrels of oil reported MSN.
Along with increased production come more jobs and more workplace accidents. With oil companies more concerned about profits than safety, the already high accident rate of the oil industry is expected to increase.
Many of the new jobs will be taken by inexperienced workers since a number of the experienced oilfield workers left in the 1980s. This, combined with the non-compliance with safety rules is likely to lead to a higher accident and injury rate.
The industry is already known as a high risk, high reward industry for workers. The Jones Act and even the Death on the High Seas Act may come into play with some of these accidents. These maritime statutes are there to protect injured offshore workers and the families of maritime employees.
“Anytime an industry providing high-risk, high-reward jobs grows, it leads to more accidents,” stated Jeff Raizner, a part of the Doyle Raizner maritime injury litigation team. “As the oil industry grows in the United States and offshore drilling increases, more traumatic injuries and accidental deaths are likely.”
About Doyle Raizner LLP:
Doyle Raizner attorneys (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mB6iCsBsdY) have achieved impressive results for injured employees whose benefits were wrongly delayed and denied by their workers’ compensation insurer. By doing so, the firm has earned a national reputation as one of the United States’ preeminent bad faith insurance firms, representing people in their fights to get what they are rightfully owed from insurance companies.
*Doyle Raizner has offices in Houston and Phoenix.
