API-PA: Administration’s energy infrastructure plan will help deliver clean, affordable American energy to more families and businesses

HARRISBURG, April 10, 2019—The Associated Petroleum Industries of Pennsylvania, a division of the American Petroleum Institute, released the following statement regarding a new Executive Order that will help relieve the backlog of pipeline projects and move America’s energy revolution forward, enabling the energy industry to provide clean and affordable fuels to more working families.

“We applaud the Administration for their commitment to America’s energy infrastructure – which will help ensure that Pennsylvania’s consumers have continued access to reliable and affordable energy. To date, unnecessary barriers have hindered the construction of critical pipelines across the U.S. that are necessary to prevent energy inequality. As pipelines are one of the most environmentally friendly ways to transport energy, this Executive Order will help the rest of the country enjoy the abundant, clean natural gas that has provided countless benefits, like more affordable electricity, to Pennsylvanians,” said API-PA’s Executive Director, Stephanie Catarino Wissman.

“Pipelines are the safest, most environmentally sound way to transport natural gas and oil to American consumers, and API supports a robust permitting process for moving pipeline and other critical infrastructure projects forward,” said API President and CEO Mike Sommers. “Bureaucratic barriers have crippled an otherwise strong regulatory regime, preventing the construction of essential infrastructure and unnecessarily contributing to an energy disparity in America. We applaud the Administration for their commitment to building America’s pipeline infrastructure, enabling the safe delivery of energy and creating the jobs that working families and businesses rely on each and every day.”

The new Executive Orders direct the Environmental Protection Agency to review the guidance for Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, which governs what state agencies should review in applications for water quality permits. These permits are often needed for pipeline construction projects crossing bodies of water. It also clarifies the guidance for Presidential Permits on cross-border pipelines. Projects that receive a Presidential Permit issued by the President do not require a National Environmental Protection Act review because they have been deemed to be so necessary to the public interest.

The United States has produced more natural gas and oil each month in 2018 and 2019 than any other nation in the world. At the same time, U.S. energy companies have driven CO2 emissions to their lowest levels in a generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The Associated Petroleum Industries of Pennsylvania is a division of API, which represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 600 members produce, process, and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry supports 10.3 million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 47 million Americans. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization. In its first 100 years, API has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.

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