![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090510052618im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas Links
Contact
Kevin Easley (easley.kevin@epa.gov)
Oil and Gas Liaison
202-566-2873
Sector Profile
The oil and gas sector includes the oil and gas extraction industry as well as petroleum refining. The U.S. is the world's third-largest petroleum producer, with more than 500,000 producing wells and approximately 4,000 oil and natural gas platforms operating in U.S. waters. Together, oil and gas supply 65 percent of U.S. energy. The nation's 144 refineries process more than 17 million barrels of crude oil every day. Oil and gas production facilities include 16,000 establishments with a value of shipments of $134B.
Industries in the oil and gas extraction industry operate and/or develop oil and gas field properties. Such activities may include exploration for crude petroleum and natural gas; drilling, completing, and equipping wells; operating separators, emulsion breakers, desilting equipment, and field gathering lines for crude petroleum and natural gas; and all other activities in the preparation of oil and gas up to the point of shipment from the producing property. The petroleum refining industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in refining crude petroleum into refined petroleum. Petroleum refining involves one or more of the following activities:
- fractionation;
- straight distillation of crude oil; and
- cracking.
Working with the Industry
The oil and gas exploration and refining industry has agreed to work with EPA's Sector Strategies Program on new ways to improve its environmental performance. Through this program, EPA works with major manufacturing and service sectors of the U.S. economy to address challenging environmental problems, reduce major performance barriers, and prompt environmental stewardship on a broad scale. Given that population growth and energy consumption continues to increase US activities in exploration, development and production of US petroleum and natural gas reserves, exploring opportunities with the oil and gas industry provides the Program with the potential to assist in the facilitation of new energy production while strengthening the industry's environmental sustainability.
Trade Associations
EPA will work with the American Petroleum Institute (API), the American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC), and the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA). Collectively, these organizations represent the full spectrum of oil and gas operations - from exploration and production to refining and distribution.
American Petroleum Institute 
API is a national trade association representing all aspects of America's oil and natural gas industry. API's 400 corporate members, from the largest major oil company to the smallest of independents, come from all segments of the industry. They are producers, refiners, suppliers, pipeline operators and marine transporters, as well as service and supply companies that support all segments of the industry.
Representative:
Khary Cauthen (cauthenk@api.org), Washington Representative
1220 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005-4070
202-682-8209
American Exploration and Production Council
AXPC is a national trade association representing 24 of the largest United States independent natural gas and crude oil exploration and production companies. AXPC members are "independent" in the sense that that they do not have petroleum refining or retail marketing operations and therefore are not "integrated". They are generally publicly-traded corporations. The AXPC companies as a group produce more than 40% of the natural gas in the United States, and account for more about one-fifth of the country's domestic oil production.
Representative:
William F. Whitsitt (wfwhitsitt@aol.com), President
101 Constitution Ave., NW
Suite 800 West
Washington, DC 20001-2133
202-742-4300
Independent Petroleum Association of America
IPAA is a national trade association that has represented independent oil and natural gas producers for three-quarters of a century. Today, IPAA represents the thousands of independent oil and natural gas producers and service companies across the United States. Independent producers develop 90 percent of domestic oil and gas wells, produce 68 percent of domestic oil and produce 82 percent of domestic natural gas. IPAA also operates in close cooperation with 44 unaffiliated independent national, state and regional associations, which together represent thousands of royalty owners and the companies which provide services and supplies to the domestic industry.
Representative:
Lee Fuller (lfuller@ipaa.org), Vice President of Government Relations
1201 15th Street, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
202-857-4799
![[cover] An Assessment of the Environmental Implications of Oil and Gas Production: A Regional Case Study](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090510052618im_/http://www.epa.gov/ispd/images/oil-gas-report-img.gif)
Rocky Mountain Region Oil & Gas Case Study
An Assessment of the Environmental Implications of Oil and Gas Production: A Regional Case Study is a working draft that provides an overview of emerging oil and gas exploration and production issues in the Mountain West. Released in 2008, this report is a resource for agency and industry decision makers charged with assessing, responding to, and preventing oil and gas sector impacts. In addition, the report addresses several state, regional, and national initiatives to advance responsible oil and gas production.
View or download the Oil and Gas Report (Working Draft) (PDF) (115 pp, 2.3MB, About PDF)