Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The emerging U.S. shale industry has challenged Saudi
Arabia, a report said.

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy asserted that Saudi Arabia
faces a threat from the growing shale energy industry in the United States.

In a report, analyst Simon Henderson cited a letter by Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal that called on King Abdullah to respond to the threat.

“Although Alwaleed could be solely responsible for the controversial letter, there is speculation that he may have been voicing his father’s thoughts or fronting for a group of other princes,” the report, titled “U.S. Shale Poses a Looming Challenge to Saudi Energy Policy,” said.

Henderson said Saudi Arabia has been caught in a dilemma over North
America’s shale industry as well as a reduction in Western oil consumption.
He urged Washington to coordinate with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf oil
producers to accommodate the changes in the energy market.

  King Abdullah, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, Saudis shaken by rapidly-growing U.S. shale industry, Washington Institute for Near East Policy