Energy Tomorrow Blog
State of American Energy 2021: Ready to Help Build the Future
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Mark Green
Posted January 13, 2021
We’re ready, and we’re able.
After a difficult year in which too many were lost, economic hardship was palpable and creeping doubt dogged the national psyche, Americans are right to look to the future. And America’s natural gas and oil industry is ready and able to help build that future.
It takes energy – affordable, reliable energy – to move people and things, to build, heat, manufacture, innovate and grow today and tomorrow. Natural gas and oil are America’s leading energy sources, by far, and our industry is ready to provide the dependable foundation for the country’s next great chapter.
Like every other business sector, ours took some lumps in 2020, but we proved our resilience, our staying power and capacity, despite significant challenges, to power recovery and drive new opportunity on a nationwide scale.
Those are a few of the key themes from today’s API’s annual State of American Energy event. Emerging from the trials of 2020, all of us can be thankful that the state of American energy – the state of the U.S. natural gas and oil industry – is good, very good.
Spotlight on Progress – Industry-wide Resilience and Opportunities for Growth
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Amanda Eversole
Posted December 18, 2020
Last week, I was honored to participate in the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council’s (WBENC) Energy Week and present at the State of Energy Industry Webinar, alongside a distinguished group of panelists representing every segment of the natural gas and oil industry to discuss the challenges facing the sector, as well as the opportunities for natural gas and oil operators in the year ahead.
This industry, like many others, has navigated the coronavirus pandemic, the nation’s racial reckoning, the election season and the ongoing economic fallout from widespread shutdowns. Across the board, API members have demonstrated unwavering resilience, finding ways to deliver essential energy products while protecting the health and safety of our workers, communities and the environment.
Make Safety the Foundation of Your Home Improvement Project
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Sam Winstel
Posted August 11, 2020
On National 811 Day, we’re reminding DIYers to dial before you dig!
After several months of coronavirus-imposed quarantine, Americans are mastering the art of stay-at-home. With all those extra hours of downtime, people confined to their houses and apartments are cooking, crafting, exercising and, apparently, remodeling.
This spring, sales surged for home improvement equipment and materials at retailers like Lowe’s and Home Depot, and recent polling from Bank of America shows that more than 70% of Americans have decided to tackle a DIY renovation project during the pandemic.
Industry-Led Efforts Improve Pipeline Safety Performance
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Sam Winstel
Posted May 18, 2020
America’s extensive network of pipelines and energy infrastructure safely connects our abundant natural gas and oil resources with refineries, businesses and consumers. The U.S. liquids pipeline system, which stretches more than 218,000 miles, delivered 21.8 billion barrels of crude oil and refined products in 2018 – the essential link between domestic energy and Americans’ daily lives.
The industry’s commitment to safety and sustainability, through industry-led reporting, standards-setting and performance initiatives, has contributed to ongoing improvements in pipeline operations. This month, API and our partner associations released two new reports that show declining pipeline-related incidents and continuous improvement in environmental performance – both enhanced by growing use of safety management systems.
Helping the Community
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Sam Winstel
Posted May 4, 2020
As everyone in government and the private sector works to contain the coronavirus, there’s no shortage of inspiring stories from the front lines of generosity and selflessness as Americans band together to meet the needs of their communities.
We’ve all heard about courageous medical professionals, first responders and essential workers – including grocery store employees, food service workers and delivery drivers – who are leading efforts to safeguard public health and meet priority needs. In this historic pandemic, they’re true American heroes.
Celebrating STEM Education, Empowering Solution Seekers
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Sam Winstel
Posted November 6, 2019
To mark National STEM Day this Friday, API and a group of partners are launching the STEM Careers Coalition that focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the K-12 grades, with an emphasis on equity and access.
API, Discovery Education, Chevron, Boeing, Best Buy, The Manufacturing Institute, and Microsoft are committed to advancing the future of education through 2025 and beyond. The goal is to improve the learning experience for 10 million students in 5,000 schools nationwide – through direct investments in classrooms, connecting industry employees and students and creating an easily accessible career portal. Ultimately, the coalition will work to bridge the STEM workforce skills gap – which may leave 2.4 million positions unfilled between 2018-2028, according to the Manufacturing Institute.
For Public Health, Safe Operations in Colorado – And Everywhere
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Mark Green
Posted October 18, 2019
There’s nothing more important to our industry than protecting health and safety – of our skilled workers and the communities where they are engaged in supplying Americans with affordable energy for every aspect of modern life and economic well-being.
As energy companies, we know that maintaining the public’s trust and the permission to operate hinge on our ability to work safely and responsibly – caring for the environment, reducing our footprint and continually improving technologies and operations to reduce emissions.
This is the context as we consider a new report on the potential public health effects of natural gas and oil operations by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), using 2015 data to model impacts.
Recognizing the Workforce this National Energy Awareness Month
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Sam Winstel
Posted October 15, 2019
Since 1991, October has served as National Energy Awareness Month, recognizing the importance of sustainable resource management and the dedication of the people who enable our energy economy. More recently, this also has highlighted the remarkable role of American resource abundance in strengthening the domestic economy and reducing our dependence on imported energy.
Given that the U.S. is the world’s leading natural gas and oil producer, and is expected to become a net exporter of total energy this year, the story of National Energy Awareness Month is now one of energy security and economic progress – powered, in large part, by innovation and an industrious and tech-savvy workforce.
Energy, Women and the Opportunity to Lead
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Megan Bloomgren
Posted March 9, 2019
To mark International Women’s Day, we have a new video featuring leading women from the natural gas and oil industry, including Susan Dio, chairman and president of BP America; Gretchen Watkins, president and U.S. country chair for Shell; and Stacey Nachbaur, Hess senior operations manager for upstream assets. Of course, the things these women say about the natural gas and oil industry are true every day of the year.
Our industry is high tech and critically important to the economy and powering modern life. Natural gas and oil are center stage in most geopolitical discussions, and natural gas is leading the way in reducing greenhouse emissions.
Industry Commitment to Regulatory Compliance Never Goes on Furlough
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Mark Green
Posted January 28, 2019
The reopening of the federal government is welcome news for everyone. As one of the country’s most regulated sectors, the natural gas and oil industry urged resolution, recognizing the important federal role in our nation’s energy sector – including infrastructure project review, issuing permits and other activities.
That said, we’ll point out that during the shutdown, industry operated safely and efficiently each and every day, providing the natural gas and oil that support economic expansion, deliver valuable benefits to consumers, strengthen U.S. security and help advance progress on climate and environmental goals.
Industry’s commitment to regulatory compliance was unaffected by the shutdown, including regulation by EPA, the Bureau of Land Management, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies – as well as state regulations.