Blog
Posted by
Jamie Hennigan
on
February 14, 2013
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) memo released this week shows that wages for workers in oil and gas extraction have increased over 23% since 2007. During a time period in which the U.S. has faced dire unemployment rates, rampant job loss, and near economic collapse, workers in the oil and gas industry have continued to see above average increases in earnings.
The oil and natural gas industry supports over 9.2 million jobs, boasts an average annual salary of over $96,000.00, and plays a vital role in supporting almost every sector of the U.S. economy. A recent study showed that opening currently restricted federal lands and waters to energy production would create nearly 2 million jobs annually over the next 30 years. If President Obama wants to see true economic development and support small business, he should work with House Republicans to approve an all-of-the-above energy strategy that will unlock our energy potential and create millions of high-paying American jobs.
Posted by
Jamie Hennigan
on
February 14, 2013
Today, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell sent a letter to Interior Secretary Nominee Sally Jewell asking for a re-examination of the Administration’s policies towards energy exploration and production on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The Administration has continually blocked access to energy resources in Atlantic waters, and even canceled a previously approved lease sale off the coast of Virginia. According to the letter, energy production from the Atlantic OCS could create more than 140,000 new jobs within the next 20 years.
Click here to see more information on Obama Administration Energy Roadblocks.
"The average U.S. household paid an estimated $2,912 for gasoline last year, sucking up nearly 4% of the average household income before taxes, according to government data out Monday. That is the highest percentage in three decades, with the exception of 2008, when the rate was nearly identical."
Posted by @NealKirby on February 12, 2013 Gasoline Costs Hit Families' Finances Gasoline prices took a big bite out of Americans' pocketbooks in 2012. The average U.S. household paid an estimated $2,912 for gasoline last year, sucking up nearly 4% of the average household income before taxes, according to government data out Monday. That is the highest percentage in three decades, with the exception of 2008, when the rate was nearly identical. Many people are trying to cut down on fuel costs as they crunch the numbers on other family expenses. At an Exxon station just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol, where a gallon of regular gas cost $4.49, car owners said they often waited to fill up their tank at cheaper stations and had started to calculate the shortest routes to conserve fuel. Anne McKenna, a lawyer based in Baltimore, said she and her husband were saving for college for their three children. With a weekly gasoline bill that can reach $150, they take turns using the family's most fuel-efficient car, depending on who has a longer drive to make on any given day. "It's just the kind of thing you're aware of," Ms. McKenna said. The nation's average price of gasoline is $3.52 a gallon, up 17 cents from a week ago, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge. The single largest determining factor in the price of gasoline is the price of crude oil, which recently traded at about $96 a barrel. The flip side of higher prices: The U.S. is using slightly less gasoline, thanks to thrifty drivers and more fuel-efficient cars. As of November, the U.S. was using about 8.7 million barrels of gasoline a day, down from nine million barrels a day in 2010, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Posted by
Jamie Hennigan
on
February 08, 2013
Manufacturers of computer chips, fiber-optic cables, semi-conductors, life-saving medical imaging devices, and other advanced technologies are already calling for passage of H.R. 527, The Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act. This bipartisan legislation, introduced this week by Chairman Doc Hastings, would prevent the closure of the Federal Helium Reserve, which by law is scheduled to close later this year resulting in a 30 percent reduction in the global helium supply. The legislation applies free-market reforms to the sale of helium from the Reserve, ensuring its continued operation while providing American taxpayers with a fair return on the public’s resources.
What They’re Saying about H.R. 527: Information Technology Industry Council
Posted by
@maevemurph
on
January 31, 2013
Posted by
NealKirby
on
January 22, 2013
Posted by
Rep. Scott Tipton
on
January 14, 2013
Wildfire prevention is 1st priority in new Congress As we begin the 113th Congress, I'm incredibly honored to have earned the trust of the people of the 3rd Congressional District and to serve as their representative for a second term.
Posted by
spencerpederson
on
January 14, 2013
Great CNN Money article today on the potential for an energy boom in California that would create jobs, boost the economy and bring much needed revenue to the state.
"California is sitting on a massive amount of shale oil and could become the next oil boom state…Running from Los Angeles to San Francisco, California's Monterey Shale is thought to contain more oil than North Dakota's Bakken and Texas's Eagle Ford -- both scenes of an oil boom that's created thousands of jobs and boosted U.S. oil production to the highest rate in over a decade…In fact, the Monterey is thought to hold over 400 billion barrels of oil, according to IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. That's nearly half the conventional oil in all of Saudi Arabia. The United States consumes about 19 million barrels of oil a day."
Posted by
Crystal Feldman
on
December 20, 2012
During the height of this year’s record-breaking fire season, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a legislative hearing on bills to address forest health and reduce the risk of catastrophic forest fire. Following a Forest Service report on the need for restoration on 65-82 million acres of National Forest land, the Forest Service testified that it had restored 3.7 million acres in 2011. Restoration is the process of assisting recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Following the hearing, we submitted a series of questions to get further detail on what methods the agency used to “restore” these lands. In its response, the Forest Service explained that of those 3.7 million acres, over 1.4 million – nearly 40% of the total – were “restored” through a combination of prescribed fire (fire intentionally set and monitored by the agency) and wildland-use fire (fire allowed to burn to achieve resource objectives). Meanwhile, commercial harvest was only allowed on 195,477 acres - 5% of the total work for 2011 and only .1% of the 193 million acres managed by the Forest Service. In short, the Forest Service “restored” seven times more land by the use of wildfire than by management to produce merchantable wood products, support jobs, or generate economy activity and revenue for our rural forest communities and schools. The 195,000 acres treated this year produced 2.4 billion board feet of timber – down 80% over the last twenty years. This decline in forest management has resulted in millions of acres of unhealthy forests caused by insect and disease infestation and overgrowth, an ever growing threat of catastrophic wildfire, and significant damage to local economies. This data shows that there is tremendous opportunity to restore active management of our forests that will create jobs and foster economic development.
Posted by
Jamie Hennigan
on
December 17, 2012
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), sent a letter to the Obama administration today requesting the withdrawal of a rule proposed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that would regulate hydraulic fracturing on federal and Indian lands. The letter was a follow-up to a previous RGA/RAGA letter expressing concern over the rule and its impact on energy production and economic growth.
The rule, announced by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in May 2012, was met with strong opposition by States, Tribal leaders, job creators, and other concerned citizens. Hydraulic fracturing has been effectively regulated by the States for over 60 years and is currently responsible for 30 percent of our domestic oil and natural gas production. With States like North Dakota seeing oil production increase by 500% in the last few years due to hydraulic fracturing, this technology represents one of the greatest opportunities for strengthening our Nation’s energy security and spurring economic growth. According to a recent IHS Global Insight study, shale oil and natural gas activity will contribute over 1.7 million jobs in 2012 and increase by over 45% to almost 2.5 million jobs in 2015. Over the past year, the Natural Resources Committee has held multiple oversight hearings to discuss the rule and its impact on the economy. At a May field hearing in Denver, CO, witnesses representing Western energy producers, public policy experts and local businesses testified about the harm to job creation, local economies and America's energy production that could result from the regulations. In April, the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs held an oversight hearing to examine the impact of the regulations on Indian Tribal energy development. Indian Tribal lands hold a significant amount of oil and natural gas that could help Tribes create jobs, spur economic development and help improve education, health and infrastructure. Unfortunately, many Tribes are concerned that they were left out of the rulemaking process and that the rule could greatly impede Tribes’ ability to develop their own energy resources. To learn more about how the Obama Administration has blocked, delayed and hindered American energy production, visit http://naturalresources.house.gov/roadblocks |