PAW Responds to Statement from Vice President Biden to Ban Fracking on Federal Lands and End the Oil Industry
Association Calls on Wyoming Candidates to Stand with the Hard Working Men and Women of the Natural Gas and Oil Industry
October 23, 2020
Casper, Wyo. – During the final Presidential Debate last night, former Vice President Biden called for a ban on fracking on federal lands and an end to the oil industry. A recent study released by the Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) and the American Petroleum Institute (API) shows that a ban on fracking and leasing on federal lands would decimate the Wyoming economy with 33,000 jobs lost and more than $641 million in revenues at risk.
“We have to take Vice President Biden at his word that he is willing to sacrifice public lands states like Wyoming for the sake of political expediency. Banning fracking and leasing in Wyoming does nothing to reduce U.S. emissions as production will simply shift to private lands states like North Dakota and Texas,” said PAW President Pete Obermueller. “According to the former Vice President, fracking is fine in Pennsylvania and Ohio because he needs their votes, but it’s not okay in Wyoming. To send a message that his plan is reckless and irresponsible, PAW calls on all Wyoming candidates from any political party to denounce the Vice President’s statements on behalf of the thousands of hard-working Wyomingites that rely on the safe production of natural gas and oil for their livelihood.”
What a federal leasing ban would mean in Wyoming:
- A 31% decrease in oil production
- A 36% decrease in natural gas production
- A 5.5% increase in CO2 emissions nationally by 2030
- According to the WSJ Editorial Board: “The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the oil and gas industry provides an average annual salary of $108,000, nearly twice the private economy average… North America’s Building Trades Unions president Sean McGarvey estimates that many union members would ‘take a 50% or 75% pay cut.’”
About PAW: Representing Wyoming’s primary economic engine, the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, is the voice of the oil and gas industry. Our members produce 90 percent of Wyoming’s oil and gas, generating over $5 billion in economic activity and employing more than 19,000 of Wyoming’s hard-working men and women. PAW strives to foster mutually beneficial relationships with Wyoming’s landowners, businesses, and communities while promoting the sustainable production of Wyoming’s abundant resources.
The Petroleum Association of Wyoming provides a forum for education, interaction, and unified action for members, policymakers, and the public.
API represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Our more than 600 members produce, process and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry supports more than ten million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization. In our first 100 years, API has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.
To learn more about API and the value of oil and natural gas, please visit API.org.