Cathy Landry | 202.682.8122 | landryc@api.org
WASHINGTON, July 15, 2010 — The House Energy and Commerce’s Blowout Prevention Act (HR 5626), which was marked up today, remains problematic despite constructive bipartisan efforts to improve the legislation, according to a statement by American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard:
“America’s oil and natural gas industry fully supports efforts to ensure safe and environmentally responsible operations, and we are committed to being part of the solution. But we cannot forget that oil and natural gas demand is growing and that it is critical to every sector of our economy. Any policy changes must bear that in mind. We can protect the environment without jeopardizing our economic security.
“While we continue to have issues with this bill, we appreciate the efforts made to improve the legislation as it moved through the process. We look forward to working with lawmakers to further improve the bill.”