Earlier this week in Lone Star, in the heart of the East Texas Oil Fields, nearly 1,000 people gathered outside a U.S. Steel facility to voice their opinions on a trade case that will be decided in Washington, DC.
That's significant. In a community the size of Lone Star, 1,000 people means more than half of the town showed up. But such a crowd is understandable when you consider the stakes: The decision on that aforementioned case - to be meted out by trade commissioners at the U.S. Department of Commerce next month - could have a serious effect on the economy in Morris County, Texas and half a dozen surrounding rural communities.
But to answer why, we have to first consider the growth of America's domestic energy industry - and whether it will achieve the full economic potential of which it's capable.