American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2021 - 27

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other possibilities. A Bloomberg piece
headlined " Biden's Secret Weapon to
Cleaning Up Energy Is Spelled FERC, "
predicts that the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission " is poised to play a pivotal
role fulfilling Biden's clean-energy ambitions, including his vow to strip greenhouse gas emissions from the power

sector over the next 14 years. FERC
could help Biden deliver on those promises
by fostering carbon prices on electricity,
propelling a massive build-out of highvoltage power lines and making it harder
to build natural gas pipelines. "
The piece goes on to say green advocates " are counting on FERC to make

major changes pushing the nation away
from fossil fuels. Activists have already
briefed Biden officials on how FERC can
impose a climate litmus test to effectively
block future natural gas projects. They
also are urging policies to encourage
state programs rewarding emission-free
renewable and nuclear power. "
❒

Voices Lambast Biden's Green Push
Editor's Note: President Biden's decisions affecting the U.S. oil and gas industry during the initial days of his term
drew fire from many elected officials
and commentators as well as industry
representatives and allies. What follows
is a small sampling of the response.
On the overall impact of Biden's moves:
" We are rooting for President Biden to
lead America out of crisis. As he works
toward that important goal, he faces clear
choices. Energy abundance or foreign
dependence. American jobs or overseas
jobs. Economic revival or small-town
decline. Progress or retreat. Thus far,
President Biden is on the wrong side of
a number of these consequential choices.
Moments after he took the Oath of Office,
we pledged to work with his administration when we can and oppose when we
must. Only eight days into his term, it is
disappointing to report that we find ourselves in a posture of strong opposition. "
-API President and Chief Executive
Officer Mike Sommers
" Now more than ever people cannot afford heightened energy costs. A better
approach would be to support the recovery with sustainable policies that
benefit struggling Americans with affordable, reliable American energy. "
-Mike Moncla, Louisana Oil & Gas
Association
" There are deeply held industry concerns
that President Biden's executive orders
are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg
and that, in their full expression, such
orders may directly impact even private
and state lease development, especially
to the extent that they render more
difficult the building of transportation
systems (i.e. pipelines) to deliver the
hydrocarbons to market.
-Kip Hunter, Hall Estill
On claims " green jobs " will offset hardships faced by oil and gas workers:
" If you have lost a job that is putting

food on your table now, it's cold comfort
to know that years from now, in a different
state, perhaps with different training . . .
there will be another job available. "
-Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La.
" There are ample ways to accomplish
our shared emission reduction goals that
do not include overly restricting American
companies in a way that costs consumers
and eliminates jobs, while pledging employment that does not exist yet. A promise
is no replacement for a steady paycheck. "
-David Holt, Consumer Energy Alliance
On revoking the Keystone XL Permit:
" President Biden's decision to rescind
the presidential permit Trump granted
the Keystone XL pipeline to transport
oil from Canada across the border into
the United States is a misguided action
that will decimate jobs and economic
development in communities across the
country. In its never-ending desire to
placate the environmental community,
the Biden administration is not only
willing to destroy the economies of
many Western states and the Gulf Coast,
but also impact world markets. If you
are really concerned about the environment, getting oil from Canada is much
preferred to getting oil from OPEC and
Russia, which have far less-stringent environmental controls. "
-Edward Cross, Kansas Independent Oil
& Gas Association
" Canadian oil will still travel from Alberta, Canada, to U.S. refineries on the
Gulf Coast, but by railroad. We know
jobs will be lost. The administration
said the pipeline was cancelled to help
the environment, so we ask the questions,
'What is the real impact on our carbon
footprint? What's the impact on overall
CO2 levels?' It's clear politics, not a
commitment to the environment, dictated
the Biden administration's decision to
cancel the Keystone XL pipeline. "
-Toby Mack, Energy Equipment &
Infrastructure Alliance

On the federal leasing and permitting
moratorium:
" This ban will hurt our country, and the
timing could not be worse. In the midst
of a recovery from last year's oil price
crash, any government-imposed setbacks
to the energy sector are expected to
lead to higher electricity prices, job
losses and diminished revenue for government coffers. "
-Ed Longanecker, Texas Independent
Producers & Royalty Owners Association
" This decision is contrary to law and
puts America on a path toward increased
imports from foreign nations that have
been characterized as pollution havens.
Any pause of American energy opportunities will do untold harm towards
American economic, energy and environmental progress. Reducing American
offshore oil and gas development means
lost jobs, increased greenhouse gas emissions and less funding for urban, underprivileged communities. "
-Erik Milito, National Ocean Industries
Association
On the administration's targeting of
oil and gas provisions in the federal
tax code:
" Another way to slow drilling and fracturing is to use the power of government
to deplete the amount of capital available
to fund the operations . . . Thus does
President Biden trot out the tiresome
Obama-Era canard alleging that 'Big
Oil' gets $40 billion in subsidies from
the federal government. "
-David Blackmon, Forbes
On rejoining the Paris Accord:
" Biden's plans to sideline vital energy
infrastructure and bring us into a onesided climate deal that further restricts
our farmers and ranchers will only
serve to push our country down while
we are struggling to recover from a
global pandemic. "
-Congressman Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D.
FEBRUARY 2021 27

American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2021