“Houston, right on the edge of the pines, and only inches above sea level, is a swamp of heat and humidity only an air-conditioner repairman or an oil engineer could love,” wrote Joel Garreau in his 1981 landmark book The Nine Nations of North America.
In other words, Houston wouldn’t be what it is without the “awl bidness.” The city, long loathed by environmentalists and urban planners, is America’s energy hub, home to Fortune 500 giants ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil, Halliburton, and BakerHughes.
The oil industry is going to face tough scrutiny in the next few months. But the NBC/Journal poll released yesterday found that “53% of Americans say the potential benefits to the economy [of offshore drilling] outweigh the potential harm to the environment.”
As the map below show, Texas still has more proven oil reserves than any other state, followed by Alaska and California. It’s no wonder that Texas is slated to gain four congressional seats after reapportionment… Now, if its citizens stopped shooting at Census workers.
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