API Outlines Path to Affordable, Reliable and Cleaner Energy Future in Annual State of American Energy Event
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WASHINGTON, January 13, 2021 – The American Petroleum Institute (API) today hosted its annual State of American Energy address, where it outlined actions the natural gas and oil industry is taking to support the nation’s economic recovery and a vision for an affordable, reliable and cleaner energy future. API President and CEO Mike Sommers headlined the event that drew more than 2,000 virtual attendees and featured young professionals and local energy leaders, including a New Mexico teacher and Pennsylvania-based union trade leader.
“President Biden will lead our nation at a time of abundant American energy development, strengthened security, lower household energy costs, and record performance on emissions reductions,” API President and CEO Mike Sommers said. “We stand ready to work together with lawmakers and the administration to usher in policies that accelerate U.S. investment and American job creation, deliver reliable energy and fewer emissions, and support America’s economic recovery.”
“No nation anywhere has reduced annual greenhouse gas emissions more than we have in the United States,” Sommers said. “Over the last decade, our nation achieved the largest-ever decline in energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Change is in motion, and it’s a long arc as the majority of the world’s energy needs are projected to come from natural gas and oil far into the future.”
In addition to API President and CEO Mike Sommers and API Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Amanda Eversole, the event featured Barbara Burger, vice president of innovation and president of technology ventures at Chevron Corporation; National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.; Steamfitters Local 420 Business Manager Jim Snell; Ashley Niman, a 4th grade teacher in Sandoval County, New Mexico; and young professionals from natural gas and oil companies, including Apache, EagleClaw Midstream, Phillips 66, Siemens and TC Energy.
During today’s event, Sommers announced the launch of API Energy Excellence, which establishes benchmarks on safety, security and environmental protection that every API member will be expected to pursue and reach. API Energy Excellence defines superior and ever-improving performance that will unify our industry’s future progress in areas that are critically important to the nation, local communities and to ourselves. Core elements range from safety culture and community engagement to employee training and equipment design and are aimed at accelerating safety and environmental progress through sharing best practices and new technologies as well as through annual progress reporting.
“With this new program, we’re creating a roadmap for accelerating performance across all segments of our industry,” Sommers said. “For nearly a century API’s standards have supported the safe and environmentally responsible development, production and transportation of natural gas and oil operations. API Energy Excellence is the next big step.”
To learn more about API Energy Excellence, view a fact sheet here.
View API’s 2021 State of American Energy digital report here and a copy of Sommers' remarks here.
API represents all segments of America’s natural gas and oil industry, which supports more than ten million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans. Our 600 members produce, process and distribute the majority of the nation’s energy, and participate in API Energy Excellence, which is accelerating environmental and safety progress by fostering new technologies and transparent reporting. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization and has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.