Good Energy Policy Creates Jobs

Jane Van Ryan
Posted November 17, 2010

In a new interview, API's President and CEO Jack Gerard told Energy Guardian that the administration is pursuing policies that are at odds with the will of the American public. Pointing to the November election, he said, "Americans sent a very strong message to all of their elected officials that they want the focus to be on three top priorities: That's jobs, jobs, jobs."

Jack explained that the oil and natural gas industry can play an important role in job creation "with the right public policies." He said:

• Congress and the administration should not take legislative or regulatory actions that hinder job creation. He added that "some of the proposals being advanced by the EPA, particularly the greenhouse gas proposals, have created significant uncertainty and will potentially stifle the very job creation the public demands...I don't think the public will take too kindly to bureaucrats reorganizing the American economy through a regulatory process."
• The president's past proposals to raise taxes on the oil and natural gas industry "clearly run counter to the will of the public." Jack said rather than raise taxes, the administration should "create an environment that allows the economic activity to continue and thus generate significant revenue and jobs."
• Government experts project "oil and natural gas will continue to be the foundation of our energy economy" for many years to come. With energy demand expected to rise, Jack said the nation needs "to look at forms of energy and bringing it all to the marketplace as soon as we possibly can."
• Natural gas "is a great success story" and development should not be constrained by excessive regulatory or legislative burdens. "I think that is inconsistent with where the public is, inconsistent with sound energy policy," Jack said.

The oil and natural gas industry supports 9.2 million U.S. jobs and could create tens of thousands of additional jobs with the right energy policies.