International Energy Agency

Largely based upon increasing output from shale formations, the United States will surpass Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s top oil producer by 2015, and be close to energy independence in the next two decades, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a Paris-based adviser to 28 energy-consuming nations. And based upon huge increases in CBR (crude by rail) traffic in the past two years—safety and regulatory issues notwithstanding—the railroads will be playing an increasingly important role.