Domestic oil and gas exploration faces the greatest crisis in a generation, even without prejudice concerning foreign imports. Petroleum economist S. B. Jurenev has correctly analyzed the exploration end of operations as the crap game of oil and gas organizations.

This gamble with its built-in speculative factor requires daring and imaginative and creative thinking of the non-conformist individual. Such persons must be given proper incentive and have a management willing to live with and benefit from a certain number of dry holes.

Responsibility rests with authority. More authority must be developed along decentralized lines down to the division and district level before better results can be achieved in the future. Parallel task forces of practical oil-finding personnel and research groups must combine their points of view to find oil at a profit. This requires better human relations and communications inside a company and across corporate fences with other companies.

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