Our high school soccer practices have been great except for last Wednesday.

Coach had to give the boys a reminder of what it means to be a TEAM. In my motivational minute following practice, I told the story of another team some years ago who didn’t have as much talent as this current team. We were playing the undefeated number one ranked high school boys team in West Virginia who had more skill and talent than we did. Our boys had heart, hustle and teamwork.

Our boys made a statement by out working and out hustling the #1 team in the state. Most important they played better TEAM ball. Our goalkeeper made some outstanding saves. We won 1-0! In the newspaper the next day the opposing coach made the statement, “They didn’t have a lot of great players but they were a great TEAM.” Some of our boys were upset until I explained how high a compliment we had been given. Talent is a gift we have or don’t have. The ability to work hard and play as a TEAM is choice we make. In business or in athletics, I would always rather have an All-Star TEAM than a team of all-stars.

Last week I was the featured guest on the Richard Styrett radio show in Toronto, Ontario Canada and globally via the internet. Richard’s wife reads this column on line and recommended me to her husband as a guest. We did a 30-minute interview during evening drive time. The Shale Crescent USA and Ontario have a lot in common. They have manufacturing and petrochemicals. They also have natural gas and some oil, although not as much as Shale Crescent USA. Some of the natural gas liquids from Shale Crescent USA flow north to support the Canadian petrochemical industry in Ontario. Ontario is close to half of Canada’s population. Just like we are in the middle of 50% of the USA’s population. If there wasn’t an international border, Ontario might be part of the Shale Crescent USA.

That is not all we have in common with Ontario. Richard stated both countries have leaders who are anti oil and gas. He mentioned Joe Biden shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline that would have taken Canadian oil to Houston. (the Canadians are already coming up with alternatives) Richard also mentioned, President Biden asked OPEC to increase oil production in order to decrease U.S. gasoline prices. I was not aware of that before the interview and read the news reports after we finished. I was confused and concerned. Why would OPEC voluntarily reduce oil prices since that is their biggest source of revenue? Why ask OPEC instead of the U.S. oil and gas industry?

The world has changed a lot in the last 10 years. Everyone including the President may not be aware of these changes since for over 40 years we had been dependent for OPEC for our oil. The USA is now the world’s leading oil producer. Our reserves may be greater than those of the Middle East.

We could ramp up U.S. production if it made economic sense and if regulations and pipelines weren’t an issue. We also have the capability to use our natural gas liquids to make gasoline. Much of our gasoline in the Shale Crescent USA comes from the liquids in the Marcellus and Utica not Texas or OPEC oil.

OPEC also has to frack like everyone to increase oil production. The difference is they don’t have to worry about environmental regulations or venting methane to the atmosphere like U.S. producers do. If climate change is still an issue the last place to get our oil is OPEC. After OPEC oil is produced, it will be shipped to the USA on an oil tanker fueled by cheap dirty bunker fuel for thousands of miles to our Gulf Coast where it will be refined and shipped via pipeline, rail and truck to get to consumers around the U.S.

A concern voiced by Richard was global supply chains. He commented that the 15 largest container ships create the equivalent pollution of all the cars in the world. Other folks are also concerned about ocean pollution. The site medium.com gave the number that one typical cargo ship has the same amount of pollution as 50 million cars. A simple solution to vehicle pollution is to make products here and reduce the number of container ships on our oceans. From Shale Crescent USA research, we know the U.S.A. has the resources for feedstock, energy, advanced manufacturing, work force and markets to manufacture here and shorten supply chains. Consumers will have higher quality, dependable supply and maybe even lower cost because of less transportation. Most of this is also true for Canada. Richard called it a reset. What once was, can be again only better.

We have the unique opportunity to create jobs, economic opportunity and do what others have been talking about for over 30 years, lower global emissions making the planet cleaner. Richard commented, “We don’t have a plastics problem, we have a litter problem.” I would add, we have a collection problem. Shale Crescent USA is working with three companies who all want our plastic waste as feedstock for their products. They will create good jobs in the region. We have lots of plastic. Our challenge is collecting it so they can use it. We can have the plastics we need and a cleaner world.

My soccer boys over the years showed me how a TEAM with heart, hustle and teamwork can beat a stronger opponent. We don’t have to be the best and the brightest. We don’t need to have all the answers right now. We can work together as North Americans for a cleaner more prosperous world starting in the Shale Crescent USA. It will take leadership and a willingness to work for the greater good, putting aside differences. A good start is by buying North American. All things are possible.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering with over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. He is the author of four books and numerous published articles.