Duquesne: Part of the Worldwide Energy Scenario

Even before the recent unrest in the Middle East, the impact of petroleum prices, foreign dependence on energy and growing questions about the availability of oil worldwide have carried foreign energy ministers to Duquesne.

Representatives from Uganda, Morocco and Poland have all made their way to campus in the last year, heeding the advice of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) to draw on the expertise of Dr. Kent Moors, a political science professor and director of Duquesne’s Energy Policy Research Group.

An internationally recognized expert in oil and gas policy/finance and risk assessment, Moors began his career 40 years ago in the DOS intelligence division during the Vietnam War and has been tapped for various DOS policy assignments since he arrived on campus three decades ago. For the past two years, Moors has officially served as an adviser on global shale gas initiatives and oil policy to ministries and national oil companies from developing nations.

“Duquesne is the only university nationwide to have this type of regular DOS arrangement,” Moors said. “They come here for a full briefing on risk assessment and policy development.”

The exchanges most often take place on campus, but Moors occasionally will travel to a central spot, such as Washington or London, where representatives from up to two dozen countries may conveniently meet.

The sessions, he explained, allow ministers of state agencies, state oil companies and occasionally parliament and citizen action groups to further deepen their knowledge so that they can make informed decisions on energy policies at home.

After these sessions, the ministers head home and start their work. As the process continues, often months later, Moors will be asked to visit the countries, providing feedback as their plans unfold.

Recent turmoil in the Mideast has made energy prices and accessibility all the more important to many countries.

“As the prices go up on oil, alternatives such as gas shale have even greater importance worldwide,” Moors said. “In Poland, for instance, the government seeks a better balance with imports, and gas shale could provide a domestic source of unconventional energy.”

Moors looks for energy issues to have far-reaching impact around the globe.

“Energy, or lack of it, will produce some of the largest consequences imaginable,” he said. “In bringing these issues to light, we’re doing a real service.”

Moors, who is editor of The Oil and Energy Investor, a three-time-a-week advisory, and the monthly Energy Advantage, is a frequent contributor to Money Morning and contributing editor to the two leading post-Soviet oil and gas publications. He appears as a regular guest on the Fox Business Network and KDKA-Radio.