31-05-2012

AFPM president testifies on the need to develop national resources

The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers President Charles T. Drevna testified before a House Committee today on the need to develop our national resources and to address issues caused by the growing and conflicting federal regulations on refiners.

Drevna said that according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, "The United States has the capacity to become nearly 100 percent energy secure through domestic production and Canadian imports by 2025."   

In testimony to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on the realities of the Obama administration's energy strategy and its continued war on fossil fuels, Drevna said:

"While the Obama administration claims to support an 'all of the above' approach to U.S. energy, its actions do not always match its rhetoric, and its approach would be more aptly characterized as 'all of the above, but nothing below.' The policies of the administration and EPA continue to support a war on fossil fuels that ultimately harms consumers, workers, the economy and our country's national security.

"The United States has the ability to secure its long-term energy security through a combination of ingenuity and the right policy choices. The administration should allow the oil and natural gas industry to fully develop onshore and offshore resources on federal lands, streamline and expedite the leasing and permitting processes, and immediately approve the Keystone XL pipeline.

"The government's role should not be to manage the industry; it should work to provide an environment that facilitates growth while balancing the costs and benefits of proposed regulations. AFPM urges Congress and the administration to consider the cumulative impact of new regulations prior to imposing them, to examine the effectiveness and cost of existing regulations, and to eliminate regulations that hamper American energy producers."