State of American Energy 2019

Mark Green
Posted January 8, 2019

In many ways, the truest measure of U.S. energy is America itself – the country’s economic health and its security in the world, the individual prosperity of its citizens and the nation's ability to meet significant challenges. Energy, led by natural gas and oil, is driving progress in all of these areas. No less important is the role abundant, secure energy plays in expanding concepts of what's possible, what Americans can achieve.

These themes were highlighted at the State of American Energy event in Washington, D.C., where API’s annual report, “America’s Generation Energy,” was released.

API President and CEO Mike Sommers said this Generation Energy – the generation of Americans with unprecedented opportunity to dream and achieve thanks to plentiful natural gas and oil – is ready to achieve big things:

“[T]his generation, Generation Energy, is making history – reshaping the global energy balance, fueling a manufacturing revival, and leading the world in environmental progress. With the same skill and innovation that made history, Generation Energy is poised to shape the future.”

The annual report tells the stories of 13 women and men of the industry whose careers show the span of innovative technologies at work in natural gas and oil today, as well as industry’s commitment to continue lowering emissions, protect the environment and advance safety.

The event included a panel discussion by industry leaders – Susan Dio, chairman and president of BP America; Gretchen Watkins, Shell Oil president; Dave Hager, Devon Energy president and CEO; and Karen Wright, Ariel Corporation president and CEO – discussing current energy issues, ranging from infrastructure needs and increased access to natural gas and oil reserves to overhauling the Renewable Fuel Standard.

In conjunction with the event, API released findings of new polling on Americans’ views on key energy issues, including:

• 90 percent see personal value in natural gas and oil
• 83 percent see natural gas and oil as important to the future
• 78 percent of voters support increased production of natural gas and oil resources
• 77 percent support energy policies that the natural gas and oil industry advocates: a secure supply of abundant, affordable and available energy
• 75 percent support the role natural gas is playing in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

More from Sommers’ remarks:

America, Energy Superpower: “We are a world away from an era when our entire economy seemed to depend on the changing moods and interests of an oil cartel. … [I]n global energy markets, we’re playing with a very different hand, to the advantage of this country and many others. … They prefer America as the foremost energy power, because they know how that power gets used in other hands.”

U.S. Energy Leadership: “The world is going to rely on traditional fuels far into the future. Here in more developed nations, it can be easy to overlook that nearly a billion people elsewhere still have to get by without consistent, or any, electricity. In those societies, more access to energy is what’s going to make everything else possible – in public health, safety, jobs, mobility, and advancement of just about every kind. … As the world’s leading natural gas and oil producer, our nation is in a position of strength, after decades of feeling captive to faraway events and to the decisions of others.”

Climate Progress: “Generation Energy is succeeding in protecting the environment and achieving cleaner air. … The risks of climate change are real. Industrial activity around the globe impacts the climate. And America’s natural gas and oil industry is meeting the climate challenge head-on. … When it comes to carbon, no nation has reduced emissions more than America has over the last decade. Smart policy explains only part of that progress. The single greatest factor is clean natural gas. Not only has it altered the economic landscape; it makes progress possible in renewable energy as well.”

Smart Regulation: “There are few industries more regulated than ours. … The key to energy regulations is to keep them grounded in common sense and hard science, while letting this industry deliver on the next wave of innovation. Do that, and we’ll continue to meet the challenges of climate change. Do that, and there will be no end to the energy opportunities for this country.”

Energy Drives Economic Growth: “In our own country too, there is no overstating how much today’s energy revolution is changing life for the better. Stable, affordable energy is reviving American manufacturing, restoring jobs we used to hear were gone forever. Manufacturers have saved tens of billions of dollars in energy costs – a lot of capital freed up for investment.”

Industry Technology and Innovation: “Big trends in our industry are touching everyone. And it’s important to remember that trends on this scale don’t happen by themselves and simply carry us along. They are set in motion by the effort and ingenuity of a workforce we support that includes 10 million-plus women and men. We call them Generation Energy, to capture their relentless way of outthinking problems and overcoming technical obstacles of every kind. As much as any industry, we are showing all that can happen when resourceful people meet tough, seemingly intractable challenges.”

Check out the event’s feature video: