The current U.S. record is 10 million barrels per day set in 1970. Last year averaged 9.2 million b/d. Experts believe that record will be reached this spring, if it hasn't already. Can Trump claim credit for the surging production?

President Trump falsely took credit for no consumer passenger jet fatalities in 2017, so undoubtedly he will claim credit for the predicted oil production record. However, it comes down to technology (e.g., use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling) and markets, not his numerous regulation rollbacks, which increase emissions and threaten health and safety (think Deepwater Horizon).
"[It] has nothing to do with who is in office," states Tom Kloza with Oil Price Information Service.
"Prices generally determine when oil companies drill, not presidents," writes (and states in audio version of article) Jeff Brady, energy correspondent for NPR. And "prices for crude oil are nearly double what they were two years ago." In fact, at $60 per barrel, they were at "the highest end-of-year price since 2013," according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a division of the U.S. Department of Energy.
EIA "forecasts total U.S. crude oil production to average 9.2 million b/d for all of 2017 and 10.0 million b/d in 2018, which would mark the highest annual average production, surpassing the previous record of 9.6 million b/d set in 1970," notes their Short Term Energy Outlook of Dec. 12, 2017.
Kloza predicts the new production record will be set this spring, writes Brady. "Others believe the U.S. might already produce 10 million barrels a day."
"We think that during December, that mark was actually reached," states Per Magnus Nysveen, an oil market analyst with the Norwegian firm Rystad Energy.
This disagreement will be settled when official federal production numbers are out at the end of February. After that, Nysveen predicts U.S. crude production will surpass Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Actually, U.S. shale oil producers (which use fracking) have those two nations to thank for the increase in oil prices due to their agreement in November to reduce production through the end of 2018, reports Matt Egan for CNN Money on Jan. 3.
"Production hit 9.58 million barrels per day in May 2015 before prices dropped because of an oil glut," reports Thomas Heath for The Washington Post on December 31, 2017. The oil glut resulted from a November 2014 decision by OPEC to retain market share, and thus not cut back on production as Saudi Arabia had traditionally done.
The booming U.S. oil production is shrinking oil imports, according to Rystad Energy's report, released December 29, 2017:
US oil imports are shrinking to new lows while oil exports are increasing. The petroleum trade deficit in the US [is] at merely 2.5 million barrels per day when looking at all types of petroleum liquids. This deficit has fallen steeply from a peak of 12.5 million barrels per day in 2007.
For those more concerned about reducing emissions than increasing oil production, NPR's Brady reports that "U.S. cars are more fuel-efficient, and overall demand is flat," which is good news for those driving gas and diesel-powered vehicles: "[It's] unlikely there will be any dramatic gas price increases in the near future," he adds.
FULL STORY: Drillers Are Optimistic As U.S. Oil Production Booms

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.

Colorado Lawmakers Move to Protect BRT Funding
In the face of potential federal funding cuts, CDOT leaders reasserted their commitment to planned bus rapid transit projects.

Safe Streets Funding in Jeopardy
The Trump administration is specifically targeting bike infrastructure and other road safety projects in its funding cuts.

Six Reasons Why Housing Is a Human Right
Is housing a human right? A law professor shares six reasons why it should be, from its role in protecting other rights to global recognition and U.S. legal traditions. As public support grows, could housing be the next right written into law?
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland