WASHINGTON, May 15, 2012 – At the National Press Club this morning, President and CEO Jack Gerard presented API’s
Report to the Platform Committees, which lays out the industry’s vision for making the right energy policy choices for our nation. He
told reporters at the event that a comprehensive conversation about energy policy during this presidential election year can help our nation make sound decisions about energy that will create more jobs, increase revenue to the government, and enhance our nation’s energy security:
“The question facing America is not whether we will continue to need oil and natural gas in the decades to come. The question is: where will we get it? Will we use our own vast energy resources or rely on others? It’s true we’ll need energy of all types, but let’s be clear. According to the government’s own projections, oil and natural gas supply most of the energy we use now and will continue to do so for generations. I believe we must acknowledge this energy reality and make the choices that will lead us to a greater energy future – a future with more jobs, more economic growth, higher government revenues and greater energy security.
“Greater access to domestic resources is the cornerstone of our energy future and the first plank in our Report to the Platform Committees. All else rests upon it. Developing our onshore and offshore resources, including Alaska, and strengthening our energy partnership with Canada, could mean 1.4 million new jobs by 2030, with one million of those jobs created in just seven years.
“Energy geopolitics are rebalancing – and the Western Hemisphere, with the U.S., Canada and Brazil, is at the forefront. This is not a vision of America at the mercy of other oil-producing regions, or an America threatened by scarce resources, but of an America that holds the reins to her energy security and future prosperity.”
API represents more than 500 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.