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Scott Sheffield, CEO of Pioneer Resources, speaks during CERAWeek in 2015
Opinion
US Corporate Politics
Philip K. Verleger
14 May 2024
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Letter from the US: OPEC+ and the trillion-dollar mistake?

The former CEO of Pioneer, Scott Sheffield, has opened a can of worms through his association with OPEC+ and its market management strategy

US oil companies, and potentially many oil-exporting countries, are in big trouble thanks to Scott Sheffield, the former CEO of US independent Pioneer Natural Resources. Beginning around 2017, Sheffield went from supporting open markets and aggressive exploration to pushing market management and allegedly working with oil-exporting nations and potentially US producers to limit output and support prices. The hundreds of emails and WhatsApp messages to and from Sheffield and others in the industry expose oil-exporting countries and some independent firms to potential criminal and/or private litigation for conspiracy. The damages awarded from such litigation could be astronomical. In late 2017,

Also in this section
Trump’s energy report card
11 August 2025
The administration is pushing for deregulation and streamline permitting for natural gas, while tightening requirements and stripping away subsidies from renewables
OPEC+ off-target in July
8 August 2025
The producers’ group missed its output increase target for the month and may soon face a critical test of its strategy
The great OPEC+ reset
7 August 2025
The quick, unified and decisive strategy to return all the barrels from the hefty tranche of cuts from the eight producers involved in voluntary curbs signals a shift and sets the tone for the path ahead
Latest EU sanctions largely toothless
7 August 2025
Without US backing, the EU’s newest sanctions package against Russia—though not painless—is unlikely to have a significant impact on the country’s oil and gas revenues or its broader economy

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