SC ENERGY FORUM BREAKFAST MAKES THE CASE
FOR INCREASED ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
January 16, 2012 - Myrtle Beach, SC - Before a packed house of approximately 500 business leaders, elected officials and GOP stalwarts, the South Carolina Energy Forum hosted a breakfast this morning with national and state officeholders to discuss the 2012 State of American Energy.
Speakers addressed vital issues such as the Keystone XL Pipeline, how natural gas can play a more prominent role in our future and how best to utilize our domestic energy resources – both offshore and onshore – in order to improve our energy security and economic security.
API President and CEO Jack Gerard was the keynote speaker and noted that the 2012 GOP Experience Weekend in Myrtle Beach was the perfect opportunity to raise awareness regarding these issues and used it as a platform to discuss API’s new “Vote 4 Energy” campaign, the industry’s new non-partisan, voter education initiative. “Vote 4 Energy will inform and mobilize millions of voters to make energy a ballot box issue in 2012, by encouraging Americans to learn about the energy policies of the candidates and to choose the person that will help us secure our energy future, stimulate economic growth and create jobs,” Gerard stated.
Gerard said that efforts were being made across the country to educate and engage the public and officeholders on the energy issues affecting our country. “In South Carolina the discussion centers around the jobs and economic growth that offshore exploration will create. The Pennsylvania Keystone Energy Forum is focused on the energy potential that is made possible by advancements in hydraulic fracturing. And members of Energy Forums in numerous states are urging the White House to finally approve the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that will create 20,000 new construction-related jobs immediately, and make possible another half-million new jobs by 2035,” he explained.
Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-2) defended the oil and gas industry, saying “Oil and gas aren’t addicting, they are liberating.” He then argued for the XL Pipeline, pointing out that at least a dozen businesses located in South Carolina provide materials, equipment, engineering support and supplies to the effort. “I’ve been to Alberta and seen first-hand the services and supplies South Carolina based companies provide to the proposed pipeline. I challenge anyone to say this much needed project doesn’t impact our state positively,” Wilson stated.
Former Canadian Ambassador David Wilkins echoed those sentiments, saying, “Approving a pipeline that ships oil from Canada - a trusted ally and a steadfast partner in our pursuit of economic and energy security – should be a ‘no-brainer.’ Yet it has fallen victim to the worst kind of partisan politics in Washington, D.C.” Continuing, Wilkins stated, “It unfortunately shows what we all know – that the U.S. is sorely lacking a comprehensive energy strategy. That is why events like this are so important.”
Congressman Jeff Duncan (SC-3) and Congressman Mick Mulvaney (SC-5) both stressed that the United States is an energy-rich nation with an abundance of domestic resources available. Rep. Duncan stated, “Most Americans are surprised to learn that America’s fossil fuel resources – which includes oil, natural gas and coal – are larger than the energy reserves of Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Venezuela, and larger even than the combined resources of Iran, Iraq, Libya and Kuwait. We can – and should – focus on utilizing more of our domestic resources in order to become more energy independent.”
“The oil and gas industry is ready and willing to invest in areas that are currently off-limits. If we were to open those areas up and implement some common-sense regulatory reforms that expedite the permitting process, over a million new jobs could be created in the next seven years,” Rep. Mulvaney argued.
Offshore exploration was also addressed as presenters highlighted the fact that the administration’s moratorium on Gulf of Mexico drilling has forced 11 rigs and $21.4 billion in capital investment to move to other areas around the world. They also cited federal data in arguing that there is enough offshore oil to power 10 million cars for 348 years and enough natural gas to heat 10 million homes for 656 years.
SC Energy Forum Chairman Tom Marchant summed up the State of Energy event, concluding, “We are confident that initiatives like the Vote 4 Energy campaign will succeed in helping our 2012 Agenda for a Stronger Economy get passed. This agenda includes: halting new job-killing energy taxes; expanding onshore and offshore oil and natural gas exploration/production; building the Keystone XL Pipeline; stopping EPA regulations that stifle our economy; and pursuing all sources of energy.”
The South Carolina Energy Forum is a growing community of concerned citizens and partners committed to improving the public's understanding and support of the many opportunities presented by domestic energy access, thereby broadening voters’ understanding of energy policy and in turn, helping influence future energy policy.
For more information on the SC Energy Forum, visit www.scenergyforum.com or contact Tony Denny at 803-315-9648.
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