Gerard urges President Obama to put consumers first and support energy renaissance

Gerard urges President Obama to put consumers first and support energy renaissance

WASHINGTON, January 12, 2015 – Ahead of the State of the Union, API president and CEO Jack Gerard called on the president to put consumers first and not disrupt America’s energy renaissance with unnecessary, duplicative and costly regulations. 

“The energy revolution has created a proven model to improve the environment while creating jobs and strengthening our national security and lowering consumer costs. We call it the U.S. model, and it can be achieved without overregulating.

“Over the past year, the oil and gas industry has had to address nearly 100 regulations impacting all aspects of our business. The administration needs to take a close look at them and ask two questions: ‘Are they necessary?’ And, ‘What will the cost be to consumers?’

“Instead of pursuing a barrage of job-crushing new regulations – many of which are duplicative and unnecessary – President Obama has the opportunity to seize the initiative and embrace policies that recognize the value of the energy resurgence and acknowledge that the goals of environmental progress and energy production are not mutually exclusive.

“By looking to science and real-world proven results to guide the policy choices during his final year in office, the president can ensure that America’s energy resurgence continues to provide economic growth, environmental progress and security benefits.”

API is the only national trade association representing all facets of the oil and natural gas industry, which supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy. API’s more than 650 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 30 million Americans.