“With 11 million Americans dedicated to ‘keeping the lights on and fuels flowing,’ President Biden should visit the oil patch and tip his hat–and even throw it in the air with a mighty hurrah in defiance to his handlers who have messed up Energy 101.”
You invited them to the White House, and they came. Now it’s your turn, Mr. President. You are formally invited by letter from 28 leading oil and gas trade associations to visit a refinery, an interstate oil pipeline, and an offshore rig.
Amid the Biden Administration’s clown show, it is fun to see the hydrocarbon sector get a little sassy and ask the President to visit the home team before he jets away to visit the opposition.
“Before you board Air Force One for the Middle East, we hope you will consider taking another look at made-in-America energy,” the American Petroleum Institute et al., wrote. “We would be honored to show you how our industry is involved in every step of the energy process, from fuel pumps to critical product delivery infrastructure to production zones across our vast nation.”
With 11 million Americans dedicated to “keeping the lights on and fuels flowing,” Biden should visit the oil patch and tip his hat–and even throw it in the air with a mighty hurrah in defiance to his handlers who have messed up an old man’s energy 101.
The letter of invitation follows:
Dear Mr. President,
On behalf of millions of Americans working in the U.S. oil and natural gas industry, we wish you every success on your upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia. But before you visit Riyadh, we invite you to visit Reynoldsville, Pa. It’s the heart of the Marcellus Shale in the state where you were born, one of the most prolific natural gas-producing regions in the world.
It’s also one of many places that America, the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas, has a chance to assert new leadership in the face of today’s energy crisis. Before you board Air Force One for the Middle East, we hope you will consider taking another look at made-in-America energy. We would be honored to show you how our industry is involved in every step of the energy process, from fuel pumps to critical product delivery infrastructure to production zones across our vast nation.
First, come tour one of America’s refineries – currently operating at 94% of capacity, among the highest in the world – where the fuels are made to keep America’s 275 million registered vehicles running. America’s 125 refineries are producing more diesel (and renewable diesel), jet fuel, gasoline, and other refined product than at any point on average over the past five years.
Next, come visit Colonial Pipeline’s state-of-the-art command center, which controls the 5,500-mile critical infrastructure that safely carries millions of gallons of fuel products from Gulf Coast refineries through the South and up the East Coast every day.
Finally, join us in one of America’s major energy-producing areas – along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico; in Alaska, the Marcellus, the Permian or the Bakken basins; or even Kern County, Calif. – which together launched the American energy revolution that ended decades of U.S. energy scarcity and growing dependence on foreign governments. In the process, American energy has created millions of good-paying U.S. jobs, worked to shrink our environmental footprint, boosted economic growth, funded conservation in nearly every U.S. county, and transformed entire states – as the Marcellus did, turning Pennsylvania into a powerhouse of natural gas.
U.S. energy reserves – produced to among the highest environmental standards in the world – are the answer in the global quest for reliable energy supplies. American energy bolsters U.S. competitiveness and national security and brings economic opportunity to every corner of America.
America’s oil and natural gas industry stands ready to advance the shared goals of meeting the world’s growing need for energy while also ushering in a lower-carbon future – including making annual investments that rival the federal government in carbon capture, utilization and storage; hydrogen; and other innovations. Your trip to Saudi Arabia next month is important on a number of those fronts, including boosting global energy supply. Yet American-made energy solutions are beneath our feet, and we urge you to reconsider the immense potential of U.S. oil and natural gas resources – that are the envy of the world – to benefit American families, the U.S. economy and our national security.
Signatories of the letter include:
American Petroleum Institute; Alaska Oil and Gas Association; American ; Exploration and Production Council; American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers; Association of Oil Pipe Lines; Colonial Pipeline Company; Colorado Oil and Gas Association; Consumer Energy Alliance; EnerGeo Alliance; Energy Workforce & Technology Council; Independent Petroleum Association of America; Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association; Kentucky Oil & Gas Association; Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association; Marcellus Shale Coalition; New Mexico Business Coalition; New Mexico Oil and Gas Association; North Dakota Petroleum Council; The Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma; Petroleum Association of Wyoming; Permian Basin Petroleum Association; Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association; Texas Oil and Gas Association; Utah Petroleum Association; US Oil and Gas Association; Western Energy Alliance; Western States Petroleum Association