API Responds to House Oversight Ranking Member

Calls for More American Energy and Less Political Gamesmanship

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2024 — The American Petroleum Institute (API) today called on members of Congress to abandon misleading election year rhetoric and focus on solving real energy challenges facing the American people. In a response letter to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Ranking Member Jamie Raskin on behalf of API and its members, API President and CEO Mike Sommers highlights the U.S. oil and natural gas industry’s responsibility to meet with policymakers to advocate for sound energy policies that will help meet growing demand for energy.

“At a time of persistent inflation and geopolitical instability, our nation needs more American energy and less political gamesmanship,” the letter states. “As the largest association representing the oil and natural gas industry, API unapologetically has and will continue to advocate for pro-American energy policies with elected officials, policymakers, and candidates from across the political spectrum to ensure the energy needs of tomorrow are met.”

In the letter, Sommers reiterates API’s well-documented history of advocating for policies that strengthen the American energy workforce - policies that API discussed in a meeting with former President Trump - and called for a similar discussion with President Biden.

“API and the other industry participants discussed our major policy priorities – all of which have been articulated publicly on API’s website, in speeches, in regulatory filings, in press statements and at events,” the letter continues. “Although API itself does not contribute to candidates at the presidential level, it does support congressional candidates of both political parties who have pro-energy records. …Any assertion that policy discussions with a candidate are somehow inappropriate because that candidate may also be seeking a group’s electoral support is simply an attempt by political opponents to chill protected First Amendment speech with which they disagree.”

Today’s letter follows an invitation API’s Sommers sent to President Biden last week inviting him to meet with the U.S. oil and natural gas industry to discuss shared objectives of addressing inflation and strengthening energy security.

Read the letter to House Oversight Ranking Member Raskin here.

API represents all segments of America’s natural gas and oil industry, which supports nearly 11 million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans. Our approximately 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 800 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.

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