Bill Bush | 202-682-8069 | bushw@api.org
WASHINGTON, February 2, 2009 – The American Petroleum Institute issued the following statement today from its president Jack Gerard:
“Today, Senator Boxer put forward her thinking on the importance of addressing the risk of climate change. The oil and natural gas industry is ready to participate in the discussion and is already contributing to the national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2000, it has invested $42 billion into zero- and low-carbon research and development, accounting for 45 percent of all spending by U.S. companies and the federal government combined. API members are major players in solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy, biofuels, advanced batteries and carbon capture and sequestration.
We believe Senator Boxer’s and all other climate change proposals should be openly discussed and analyzed in order to arrive at the most transparent and cost-effective solution to global climate change. We also believe that cost-efficiency and success in controlling emissions will best be achieved through a uniform national policy. A patchwork of state and local regulations or the use of the Clean Air Act could hamper efforts to reduce emissions and slow economic growth.”