Job summit leaves out business that fuels our economy

Energy Tomorrow:

API's President Jack Gerard and Devon's CEO and Chairman Larry Nichols called the White House Jobs Summit a "missed opportunity" during a conference call with reporters this morning, and wondered why the oil and natural gas industry was not invited.

America's oil and natural industry employs and supports a total of 9.2 million U.S. jobs. It powers most of the energy that heats U.S. homes, fuels factories and offices, and gets people to home and work. It also adds more than $1 trillion to the national economy.

Yet, Larry said today that despite the fact that the industry asked to attend today's Jobs Summit, he was not aware of anyone from an oil and natural gas trade association or a traditional energy company who had been invited.

With more than 15 million Americans unemployed today, the industry can help, Larry said. To cite an example, he pointed to the jobs expected to be generated by Marcellus Shale development in Pennsylvania. According to a Penn State study, natural gas drilling and production could create 175,000 new jobs in Pennsylvania alone during the next ten years.

"We think we could be a very constructive part of the solution to bring the economy back," Jack said, as he called for the federal government to open more onshore and offshore areas to oil and natural gas production.

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Democrats are actually suppressing jobs in the energy sector by strangling domestic production. They are instead hoping that "magic" energy makes its appearance and provide jobs, but those green jobs they have been promising are actually shrinking.

If the Democrats would get out of the way there would by thousands of well paying jobs in the energy business that would grow the economy and also produce royalties to help reduce the deficit.