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For Immediate Release
March 12, 2010

America's independent oil, gas producers join 100 other groups,
20 bipartisan governors in letters to Congress

Meanwhile, Natural Gas Council Writes to Senate Energy Chairman:
Natural Gas Should be Included in any Clean Energy Standard

WASHINGTON - This week, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) - the voice of those responsible for producing 9 out of 10 oil and gas wells nationwide - joined a broad coalition of nearly 100 other associations in a letter urging Congress to prevent the EPA from enacting job-killing greenhouse gas regulations.

But this diverse group was not alone in their ongoing fight to ensure that harmful, top-down policies that would affect the price and availability of energy for every American consumer is not carried out by unelected EPA bureaucrats. A bipartisan group of 20 governors also wrote congressional leaders this week, urging support for action to halt the EPA from advancing economically devastating greenhouse gas regulations.

Here are key excerpts from the group's letter, signed by IPAA, calling on Congress to pass a bipartisan resolution offered by Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Blanche Lincoln:

• In the near future, the Senate will take up consideration of S. J. Res. 26, a resolution to disapprove EPA's proposal to regulate greenhouse gases. Our organizations, representing millions of workers in every state of the nation, in every walk of life, across a broad spectrum of the economy from rural communities to the largest cities, urge you to vote in favor of this resolution.
  
  
• Members from both sides of the aisle have said throughout the climate change debate that this matter should be decided by Congress, not by the EPA. We agree. ...While we respect proposals to amend the underlying statute and are prepared to work with members on both sides of the aisle on a permanent solution that may build upon those legislative initiatives, the undersigned organizations, all of whom face regulation by EPA, cannot wait.

America's oil and gas industry provides more than 9 million jobs across the country. And independent oil and gas producers, who on average employ only 12 workers, understand that far-reaching, misguided EPA regulations - without input from elected leaders in Congress - is bad policy and could not only cost jobs, but it could also lead to significant energy price increases across the board.

The Oil & Gas Journal reports this under the headline "Governors, business groups back Murkowski's EPA resolution":

• Twenty US governors and 107 business groups, including 12 national and regional oil and gas associations and 24 state petroleum councils and associations, separately expressed support on Mar. 10 for US Sen. Lisa Murkowski's (R-Alas.) expected US Environmental Protection Agency disapproval resolution.
  
  
• "EPA's proposal will only result in energy costing more and Americans having fewer energy options," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), who signed the governors' letter with 19 other states and territories' chief executives. "We should be trying to create more affordable American energy and avoid actions that will increase the cost of electricity, gasoline, and other goods for families and businesses. EPA's proposal is bad for the US economy and should be stopped."
  
  
• Oil and gas associations signing the business groups' letter ranged from the American Petroleum Institute, Independent Petroleum Association of America, Natural Gas Supply Association, and other national organizations to petroleum councils and associations in Wisconsin, Ohio, Montana, Illinois, Alabama, and 19 other states.

Newspapers agree with the commonsense recommendations laid out by this broad coalition of interests, as well as the bipartisan group of governors. In an editorial today, the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail writes this under the headline "Congress should listen to states on the EPA":

• The governors, in a letter to congressional leaders, cited the failure of the administration to weigh the economic fallout of EPA's intention to regulate greenhouse gases. "As governors, we have the responsibility to protect jobs, promote economic growth and mitigate any threats to financial stability in our states," said the statement. "We oppose EPA regulation of greenhouse gases that fails to account for these responsibilities."
   
• Today, the cry should be no regulation without representation. The governors speak for their people's interests and from their experiences in the real world. Congressmen need to stand up as well, or constituents will find new people who do.

So what is the Administration doing to create jobs and put America on a path toward long-term energy security? Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, not much. In an editorial yesterday, the paper writes that "The Administration is still hostile to oil drilling," adding this:

• Instead of acknowledging this, Mr. Salazar last week informed Congress he was scrapping the Bush plan and that leasing will not begin for at least another two years. ...The Administration failed to meet a deadline last month for submitting a court-ordered analysis of the environmental impact of new leases off the Alaskan coast. And in January, Mr. Salazar rebuffed Virginia's request-endorsed by its governor and legislature-to allow drilling offshore. Sensing a pattern?
  
  
• Onshore, meanwhile, Interior canceled oil and gas leases on 77 parcels of federal land in Utah (a handful have since been reinstated). Mr. Salazar also yanked eight parcels from a lease sale in Wyoming. Several weeks ago a leaked Interior Department memo disclosed plans to have Mr. Obama use executive power-under the Antiquities Act-to designate 10 million acres of western land as "monuments," putting them off-limits to energy development as well as current timber or mining work.
   
• The President says he wants new supplies of home-grown energy, but the government's actions suggest continuing hostility to oil drilling.

And in a separate letter today, IPAA joined the Natural Gas Supply Association, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, and the American Gas Association in sending a strong message to Senator Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, that "natural gas will be essential to meeting the nation's greenhouse gas reduction goals."

Here are key highlights from the letter, which advocates for natural gas to be included in any Clean Energy Standard (CES): 

• Natural gas located in abundance in shale formations in more than 20 states has led to a 39 percent increase in natural gas supply. This has transformed the ability of the industry to respond more rapidly, with more flexibility and on a larger scale than ever before, enabling greater use of this domestic energy resource. Assuming continued access to our vast resource base, natural gas can and should be used in the power sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and clean energy policies developed by Congress should employ natural gas as a solution.