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March 7, 2017

USEA’s Worthington says infrastructure investment is top of mind at CERAWeek

Houston—As IHS Markit CERAWeek kicked off on Monday in Houston, U.S. Energy Association Executive Director, Barry Worthington, said infrastructure expansion and investment in the long cycle to ensure oil and gas supplies meet a growing global demand are issues top of mind among industry leaders.

Worthington said, “Energy production is a cornerstone of economic development. But delivery is crucial. From oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines, to fuel storage, infrastructure expansion and improvement is essential to meet rising global demand.

“A protracted permitting process, much of which has been politically driven, and grassroots opposition has led to unyielding protests that thwart infrastructure expansion, which is necessary to deliver energy to communities across the country, to citizens that rely on those resources to power their homes and vehicles.  

“Recent protests make it clear the industry must do a better job of engagement at the early stages of a project, something Enbridge CEO, Al Monaco, described in his address to CERAWeek. Industry should engage with communities and listen to their concerns early on. This can be a partnership that benefits us all.  

“USEA supports Alaska Senator Sean Sullivan’s plans to introduce the Rebuild America Now Act, a bill that would streamline the infrastructure permitting process to make it more efficient, timely and certain. Improving energy infrastructure would create markets for producers, increase supply and ideally reduce energy costs for consumers.

“USEA works with the U.S. Agency for International Development to help expand energy infrastructure in developing countries. We see first-hand the impact that aging infrastructure has on communities and on the daily lives of citizens.

“In 2015, the U.S. Energy Department under Former President Obama assessed the state of energy infrastructure and found it inadequate. That threatens our energy delivery, but it also threatens our national security. I believe expanding our energy infrastructure is essential to meeting our national energy objectives, including managing American energy resources in the best way possible.

“Most economies want to be energy self-sufficient. The more that we can produce, deliver and inject abundant and affordable U.S. energy resources into the world market, the more we can use our energy security as a diplomatic tool.”

If you would like to speak with Barry Worthington, please reach out to Dipka Bhambhani at [email protected]. Please follow USEA on Twitter: @USEnergyAssn