{"id":2589921,"date":"2026-04-12T17:40:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T21:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blackmon-drill-baby-drill-makes-modest-comeback\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T17:49:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T21:49:16","slug":"blackmon-drill-baby-drill-makes-modest-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blackmon-drill-baby-drill-makes-modest-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackmon: Drill, Baby, Drill Makes Modest Comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fblackmon-drill-baby-drill-makes-modest-comeback%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2589921&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Continental Resources, an Oklahoma-based shale operator, said it will increase its drilling and production capital budget in response to a higher oil-price environment that has emerged amid Iran-related tensions. The company\u2019s statement, attributed to Lawler, says the expanded capital plan will boost production. This makes Continental the first major U.S. shale player to reverse planned capex cuts and push output higher, fueling speculation about a renewed shale \u201cboom.\u201d Yet the piece cautions that a full-scale revival is unlikely given how the industry has evolved over the past decade.<\/p>\n<p>Three key drivers shape the current shale landscape:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The maturity of America\u2019s shale plays, with the lifecycle moving from rapid drilling to more mature advancement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Investor pressure to prioritize returns and manage debt, which shifted focus away from aggressive drilling in favor of financial discipline.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Ongoing improvements in technology and efficiency that allow high production with fewer rigs, turning shale into a more repeatable, manufacturing-like operation.<\/p>\n<p>Even with Continental and peers potentially increasing activity, the expected growth is likely to be modest rather than a return to the aggressive \u201cDrill, Baby, Drill\u201d era. The article-an opinion piece by David Bossie-notes that major players like ExxonMobil, chevron, and Diamondback have already pushed shale toward a structured, profitability-driven model.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Oklahoma-based Continental Resources <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-04-02\/harold-hamm-s-continental-is-boosting-oil-output-as-prices-soar?utm_source=Daily%20on%20Energy%20040226_04\/02\/2026&amp;utm_medium=&amp;utm_campaign=WEX_Daily%20on%20Energy&amp;rid=25611717&amp;env=be0cc693914446f86a0c64d333658b95e716d4ed80ad83ccc0c423d5673786df\">made news this week<\/a> by announcing it will increase its drilling and production capital budget in response to the new higher oil price environment that has evolved in response to the Iran Conflict.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Continental is increasing our capital budget, which will increase production,&rdquo; Lawler said in a statement to Bloomberg.<\/p>\n<p>With that reversal of a previously planned substantial cut in capital outlays, Continental becomes the first big shale player in the United States to announce its intention to focus on raising production in response to the current obvious price signal.<\/p>\n<p>The move set off speculation of a looming return to the &ldquo;Drill, Baby, Drill&rdquo; shale boom times of the first Trump presidency. But investors and analysts should temper such expectations because times in the U.S. shale patch have changed over the last decade, and the strategic approaches of management teams inside the big shale <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/as-european-energy-companies-shift-to-renewables-us-firms-shore-up-oil-and-gas-supplies\/\" title=\"European energy companies are transitioning to renewables, while US firms focus on securing oil and gas supplies.\">upstream companies<\/a> have shifted apace.<\/p>\n<p>A price signal as strong as the rise of both the Brent and WTI indexes above $100 per barrel will inevitably draw a supply response. These shifts in shale fundamentals have come in response to several overarching drivers.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>First is the maturity of America&rsquo;s enormous shale formations themselves. When Donald Trump 45 took office in 2017, the various shale plays in states like Texas, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania were in a relatively early stage of the natural life progression seen in every <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-escalates-war-on-fossil-fuels-as-it-pursues-renewable-energy\/\" title=\"California intensifies fight against fossil fuels in pursuit of renewable energy.\">major oil play<\/a> in history.<\/p>\n<p>First comes a drilling boom during which drillers rush to stake out sizable lease positions and engage in rapid drilling programs to build up production and delineate the extent of the targeted formation(s).<\/p>\n<p>Using Texas as an example, the state experienced a major initial drilling boom in first the Eagle Ford Shale and then the Permian Basin from 2009 through 2014, when Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries tanked the price of oil by flooding the market. That was an attempt by those other countries to regain market position, which they saw being reduced as the U.S. shale industry grew.<\/p>\n<p>But the price bust was so intense that those OPEC countries found themselves struggling to fund their sizable social welfare states by 2016, when they combined with Russia, Mexico and other non-OPEC members to form the OPEC+ cartel.<\/p>\n<p>Prices were recovering when Trump was sworn into office in January 2017, and his pro-drilling policies helped kick off a second drilling boom that slowly faded by mid-2019, as the various shale plays entered their next, more mature development phase of life.<\/p>\n<p>The second overarching driver comes from investor pressure. During 2018 and 2019, major investors made clear to the upstream companies that they had taken on too much debt to fund their drilling frenzies and needed to refocus their strategies on maximizing investor returns.<\/p>\n<p>Even before the COVID pandemic hit the U.S. in early 2020, shale companies were already cutting drilling and exploration budgets in favor of funding stock buybacks and other strategies designed to return a bigger  of profits to their stockholders and lenders. Thus, a boomtime rig count that had approached 2000 active rigs embarked on a years-long decline that endured well into 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The third big driver is the fact that, even with an active rig count that fell below 600, the industry has found itself able to not only sustain overall production levels but continue to regularly set new all-time highs through process improvements and major advancements in technology.<\/p>\n<p>This trend led to a multi-year period of high profitability during times of modest drilling programs, supply chain troubles, and marginal commodity prices, a set of circumstances that has been all too rare throughout the industry&rsquo;s history.<\/p>\n<p>Combine that with the fact that the biggest shale companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Diamondback Energy have succeeded in turning shale into more of a repetitive manufacturing enterprise than the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >high-risk wildcatting operations<\/a> of the past. There is little appetite in the industry for a return to another drilling boom.<\/p>\n<p>To be sure, many of Continental&rsquo;s shale competitors will no doubt also ramp up their own drilling programs in response to a price signal as strong as the current market. So, &ldquo;drill, baby, drill&rdquo; will make a comeback, but it will be a modest one.<\/p>\n<p><em>David Bossie is the president of Citizens United and served as a senior adviser to the Trump-Pence 2020 campaign. In 2016, Bossie served as deputy campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President and deputy executive director for the Trump-Pence Transition Team.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oklahoma\u2019s Continental Resources said it will raise its drilling and production spending in response to the higher oil prices created by the Iran conflict. In a Bloomberg interview, a Continental executive said the increased capital will boost production, making Continental the first major U.S. shale company to pledge growth in output in response to the current price signal. Though this has rekindled talk of a shale \u201cboom,\u201d investors and analysts warn that the industry has changed over the past decade. With Brent and WTI above $100 a barrel, supply will respond, but three main forces are shaping today\u2019s shale dynamics: the maturation of key plays; investor pressure to reduce debt and improve returns; and technology that lets producers achieve more with fewer rigs, effectively making shale more of a repeatable manufacturing process. While other shale peers are likely to ramp up activity as well, any revival of the old boom is expected to be modest rather than a full-scale comeback<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2589922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7512.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3754,11221,9168,4486,4326],"class_list":["post-2589921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-comeback","tag-drill","tag-economy","tag-energy","tag-policy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7512.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2589921"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2589925,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589921\/revisions\/2589925"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2589922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2589921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2589921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2589921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}