A $75‑per‑barrel sweet spot could steady markets without gouging consumers, says one Permian CEO.

Oil fields are just as quick to make fortunes as break them. The 1901 Spindletop gusher in Texas jumpstarted the petroleum age, crashing oil prices. A mere two years later, over-extraction drove the field into decline. Sure, today’s industry is far larger and more sophisticated. But even in the mighty Permian Basin, which turned the United States into the world’s biggest oil producer, resources eventually deplete. There are signs that the peak is already at hand.

The Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations had over $25 billion to help companies scale novel low-carbon technologies. Trump is working to erase it.