1. When All Else Fails… Look at the Data DECONSTRUCTING THE DAILY ENERGY INFO STREAM

2. Abundance Energy News Floods the Main Stream Press Production is growing so fast the U.S. will be energy independent by 2030 U.S. has gone from a Net Importer to a Net Exporter of Petroleum North American Production will soon meet U.S. needs The shale gas/oil revolution has reversed “Peak Oil” U.S. is the ‘Saudi Arabia’ of unconventional oil We can return to $2.50 gasoline Abundant shale gas will power America cheaply, AND we can export it to help our trade balance

3. Some Critical Questions What is the source of the information? Does the deliverer have a bias or agenda to promote? How was the work funded? Are the claims supported by reliable data? Contradicted? Are there significant omissions of fact or context that would change the interpretation? Is the scale portrayed appropriate to the data and issue? Have units of apples been comingled with oranges? Has volume or hypothetical resource been confused with rate? Are the conclusions based on straight line projections?

4. Let’s Practice on a Recent Example

5. This graph from the Citi report compares U.S. oil consumption to domestic production and imports What impression does it give about U.S. energy self-sufficiency?

6. Here’s the Story when the Same Data is Re- plotted at Uniform Scale