The American Petroleum Institute just polled voters in the projected seven battleground states of the presidential contest and learned there’s a lot of national support for the energy industry.
Then the Permian Basin Petroleum, Texas Oil & Gas and Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners associations, Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright and the Energy Workforce & Technology Council said they weren’t surprised because energy is everybody’s concern.
The Washington-based API released polling conducted by the Morning Consult Co. “demonstrating widespread support for policies that encourage domestic oil and natural gas production and limit reliance on foreign sources,” it said.
“The poll shows inflation remains a top concern for voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and that an overwhelming majority opposes vehicle mandates,” the API said. “As Congress continues to debate bipartisan permitting reform legislation voters in the battleground states expressed strong support for reforms to streamline the approval process for energy infrastructure projects.”
PBPA President Ben Shepperd said the daily cost of living is a high priority for most Americans.
“The recent polling from Morning Consult goes to show just that,” Shepperd said. “Inflation caused by increases in energy costs hits home for everyone and it doesn’t matter if you live in a blue, red or purple house.
“Permitting reform and support for domestic oil and natural gas production would both be avenues to decrease inflation. People are tired of more and more of their paychecks going to pay for power, shelter and sustenance.”
He said support for domestic oil and gas production and a streamlined permitting process to allow for the growth of infrastructure would drive down the costs of power, housing and food.
TXOGA President Todd Staples said policy can either promote prosperity or hinder it.
“Americans now more than ever understand the importance of a strong and robust oil and gas supply that is domestically produced,” Staples said from Austin. “American energy means local jobs, economic growth and less dependence on foreign countries.
“Energy security is national security and we hope all Americans support American energy leadership and keep the United States as the world’s energy leader.”
TIPRO President Ed Longanecker said domestic oil and gas are critical to securing the national economy and keeping energy prices affordable.
“You don’t have to live in a producing state like Texas to understand that or that energy policies can have direct consequences on jobs and the price of the goods we depend on,” Longanecker said from Austin. “For instance, recent polling shows that 58 percent of the Pennsylvanians surveyed disapprove of the Biden administration’s pause on liquefied natural gas, which is a position that leading Democrats in the state have also vocalized.
“In fact 80 percent of those surveyed in the key swing states, regardless of the levels of production within those states, acknowledge that U.S. natural gas could help lower energy and utility costs here in America.”
Longanecker said American oil and gas producers are delivering innovative, responsible and affordable energy and voters understand that the industry needs a sensible, strategic policy framework that allows them to continue doing so.
Wright said the poll “is confirmation of what Texans have long known.
“The Biden-Harris administration’s war on domestic energy production has resulted in less reliability and higher prices,” Wright said from Austin. “The LNG ban, EPA rules and delaying or canceling needed infrastructure projects are but a few of the many examples of their backwards policies that have real and long-term consequences for American consumers.”
Tim Tarpley, president of the Houston-based Energy Workforce & Technology Council, said energy production is consistently at the forefront of Texans’ minds as they witness the actual production and distribution of energy on a daily basis.
“The swing state polling shows that the rest of the country is paying attention as well and understands the reality that energy production is not just a Texas issue but an American one that is vital to our entire economy, regardless of where we live,” Tarpley said. “This election cycle it’s clear that America’s energy demands are on the minds of voters across the country.
“With rising inflation and constant regulatory threats from Washington that seek to increase costs on everyday Americans, energy production will play a critical role in this election cycle.”
He said polling shows that 8 in 10 voters agree that producing more oil and natural gas in the U.S. could help lower energy and utility costs for American consumers.
“The fact that such a high percentage of Americans recognize this fact should serve as a wake-up call to policymakers around the country,” he said. “Stop supporting policies that hinder, block or increase the costs of U.S. production.
“Clearly the American people are asking for a different path.”
