Much of the following comes from  The American Energy Society . To begin. Retrospective: 5 hot topics from 5 years ago (2018) 1. The US surpasses Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world's largest oil producer.   2. Coal barely holds on as top source for generated electricity in the US (the last year).   3. President Trump makes clear that the US opposes the development of the proposed Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.   4. President Trump's cabinet instability (Pruitt resigns and Wheeler takes over as Director of the EPA, US Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke fights to save his job, etc.)   5. Arnold Schwarzenegger — f ormer Terminator and California governor — sues the oil and gas industry for "First Degree Murder."  ******************************************** 2023 : January :  The National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab initiates a fusion reaction that produces more energy than it took to ignite it. This is the