Your comments about steel pipe preferentially going to China before us sounds like China is trying to purposely outbid us for crucial materials-- using economic leverage to force us into massive energy shortages.

Why would the Chinese even have an interest in causing a deliberate shortage of crucial materials such as steel pipes? If costs go up for oil companies in the US to secure adequate oil supplies, then crude oil prices go up. The US is not going to stop consuming oil just because it went up by 10 $ a barrel. Instead, it will cause a lot of pain in China and to the Chinese govt. Increasing gas shortages and the spectre of public unrest. Whatever the crude oil price is at the given point, the Americans pay that. And the Chinese too. The Chinese would rather see oil for 30 $ a barrel rather than 66.5 $. The Chinese consume a lot of oil too. The cost of higher crude negatively affects the Chinese by diverting money from economic projects to the middle east.