LMOGA, API Launch New Educational Partnership in Support of Workforce Development and Diversity

BATON ROUGE, February 22, 2021 – The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association (LMOGA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API) are proud to announce that two new educational institutions have joined API’s Minority Serving Institution (MSI) initiative, which makes API’s best-in-class standards freely accessible to students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

“As the oil and natural gas industry continues to evolve, the API standards seek to advance the safety of industry operations and encourage environmental protection and sustainability across the industry,” LMOGA President and General Counsel Tyler Gray said. “We are proud to work with API to provide these standards as an investment in the next generation of energy workers and the future of the natural gas oil industry.” 

The MSI initiative’s mission is to develop and promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the natural gas and oil industry workforce by providing API’s industry standards catalog, with over 700 standards, to accredited higher education institutions. Today’s announcement welcomes Southern University and A&M College and Grambling State University as official participants in API’s ongoing effort to increase access to API’s standards and prepare the incoming industry workforce. This effort supports API’s commitment to expanding diversity in the vital talent pools that will help meet the industry’s future workforce demands.

“API is proud to make our standards catalog available to Southern and Grambling in support of their work to educate and prepare our nation’s future energy workforce,” said Debra Phillips, senior vice president of API’s Global Industry Services. “A diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce is an essential part of our industry’s future success and API is honored to play a small part in supporting progress toward these students’ bright futures."

Louisiana state Senator Ed Price (D-District 2) and state Representative Ken Brass (D-District 58) advocated for ensuring students at these two schools have first-of-a-kind access to API’s state-of-the-art industry standards. Sen. Price and Rep. Brass are proud graduates from Grambling State University and Southern University A&M, respectively.

“Making the API standards available to the engineering department at no cost truly ensures that the next generation of oilfield workers are properly equipped to have a safe and prosperous energy career. I look forward to continuing to work with the oil and natural gas industry to build a bright future for all Louisianans,” Sen. Ed Price said. “I am thankful for the investment to my alma mater and the continued support for diversity within the industry from LMOGA and API.”

“This partnership between API and both universities will provide our students with an additional resource that can be used to enhance their technical knowledge and prepare them as they move into their careers in engineering,” Rep. Brass said.

API has operated as the global leader in establishing and maintaining standards for the natural gas and oil industry since 1924. API standards help enhance operational safety, environmental protection and sustainability, while working to ensure that industry knowledge is accurately transferred amongst engineers and across organizations.

The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association (LMOGA), founded in 1923, is a trade association exclusively representing all sectors of the oil and gas industry operating in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. LMOGA serves exploration and production, refining, transportation, marketing and mid-stream companies as well as other firms in the fields of law, engineering, environment, financing and government relations.

API represents all segments of America’s natural gas and oil industry, which supports more than ten million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans. Our 600 members produce, process and distribute the majority of the nation’s energy, and participate in API Energy Excellence, which is accelerating environmental and safety progress by fostering new technologies and transparent reporting. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization and has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.