API's Gerard: Help economy by making right choices on energy

American Petroleum Institute ^ | January 18, 2012 | Bill Bush

[thackney]

anuary 18, 2012 – API President and CEO Jack Gerard called on the administration and Congress to start making the right choices on energy if they want to put the nation on track for more economic growth and job creation.

"While we have abundant resources – and the ability to access those resources safely, responsibly, and with care for the environment – the U.S. seems to lack one thing: the political will to act," Gerard said in remarks delivered today at the U.S. Energy Association's 8th annual State of the Energy Industry Forum in Washington, D.C. "When it comes to domestic resources, what we hear and what we see from the current administration are often two different things.

Instead of encouraging production of more of the nation's energy, putting people to work and raising revenue, administration decisions on access and permitting are taking us down the wrong track, Gerard said.These decisions are discouraging oil and natural gas development, including development of the nation's vast shale gas reserves.The administration has also put the brakes on the nation's biggest shovel-ready project – the Keystone XL pipeline – which could create 20,000 jobs in two years and connect U.S. refineries to increased supplies of secure Canadian crude oil, he said.

Gerard said that API will encourage voters to "make energy a ballot box issue" this election year through its "Vote4Energy" campaign.The campaign will include advertising, activation of API's 10-million-strong-plus grassroots organizations, meetings with union and other groups, rallies, and speaking with thought leaders and policy makers.

"If we have the political will to access more domestic oil and natural gas, there will be more jobs (one million of them in just seven years), and more revenue for all levels of government," Gerard said."In our national poll of registered voters conducted last month, 70 percent agreed that some in Washington are delaying development of domestic oil and natural gas, which could hurt our economy and lead to higher energy costs for consumers."

Here are links to Gerard's remarks and to API's latest public poll on domestic oil and natural gas development.

API represents more than 490 oil and natural gas companies, leaders of a technology-driven industry that supplies most of America's energy, supports 9.2 million U.S. jobs and 7.7 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers more than $86 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested more than $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.

[thackney]

US Energy Association Jack Gerard, API President and CEO January 18, 2012 http://api.org/Newsroom/testimony/upload/JG-USEA-speech.pdf

[Question Liberal Authority]

How many arbitrary deadlines has the president given to congress?

[Roninf5-1]

API President and CEO Jack Gerard called on the administration and Congress to start making the right choices on energy if they want to put the nation on track for more economic growth and job creation.

What makes this guy think CONgress wants job creation and economic growth? People without the means to provide for themselves are so much easier to loot and lord over.