Saudi prince views US shale reserves as an imminent threat

[raketenjagdpanzer]

...to the point that he's urging his country's diversification...

(THIS IS T2k RELEVANT, PROMISE)

Given that the US is going to, according to the T2k timeline, withdraw from the ME completely I would be compelled given this information we now have to say that someone woke up and said "Wait a second, our population is 20% of what it was pre-war, there is no urban and suburban population mobility so cars-as-leisure-purchases are no longer relevant, all we need oil for is lubricant and fuel for military/reconstruction purposes...guys, we've got a ton of shale and some surviving "wet" oil production here in the 'States, there's no reason to keep those guys out on the sharp end anymore."

Yes, yes, I'm aware that the USA per some folks' canon has to be GRIMDARK but regardless, given that there's no EPA to object to fracking, or mining shale wherever it is (aw, this is a national park? Guess what, it's now a national fuel reserve), I could see that as a big part of the US getting back on its feet after 2002 or so.

By 2010 we might even see fully mechanical harvests again.