Austin, Texas – Thursday evening brought another lively and informative debate between the front-running presidential candidates, current U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and former Vice President Joe Biden (D). The following statement concerning the final presidential debate can be attributed to Ed Longanecker, president of the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO):
During last night’s final presidential debate, the U.S. oil and natural gas industry was once again a key topic of discussion, and rightly so. The energy industry has been essential in supporting the U.S. economy, national energy security and our allies abroad.
Recent polling indicates that Americans understand the essential role of oil and natural gas in our economy. Two-thirds of those polled in a Morning Consult survey said they are more likely to support candidates who favor access to U.S. produced oil and natural gas. Further, 93 percent of the respondents said it is important for the United States to produce enough energy to eliminate dependence on other countries, with 73 percent expecting oil and natural gas to still meet a significant part of our energy needs in 2040. The majority of voters understand that need for American energy security and will make this a ballot box priority.
As the Texas oil and natural gas industry continues to slowly recover from a historic decline in global demand brought on by COVID-19 and other market factors, our policy leaders will be forced to think long-term when considering measures that could impact the future of domestic production and its unmatched contributions from an economic and geopolitical perspective, as well as its quantifiable success in advancing environmental stewardship throughout the oil and gas value chain.
With ongoing expansion of the global population, fossil fuels will remain a vital source of energy here and abroad for decades to come. We thank the millions of U.S. oil and natural gas workers for their countless contributions to our industry and country, and remind all voters to consider energy matters a priority when hitting the polls for this year’s election.
