Congressman Steve Russell (R-OK) spoke at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association, the oldest trade organization in the U.S., in Oklahoma City on Friday.
“The oil and gas industry is vital to America’s economy, security and high standard of living,” Russell said. “Because of our energy sector, hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans are able to put food on their table, pay their mortgages and support their families. Rather than be ashamed of something so vital to the human race, we need to shun the critics and embrace what oil and gas provides for billions of people as we refine and improve it.”
Since 1919, the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association (OKOGA) has employed hundreds of thousands of workers in Oklahoma. Nationwide, the oil and gas industry supports over 10 million jobs. Because energy is so intertwined in the American economy, just one job in the energy sector is projected to support two additional jobs elsewhere in the economy.
America is a central player in the global energy system and has largely been aided in maintaining this status through the hard work of the people of Oklahoma, where nearly five percent of the nation’s petroleum is produced each year.
“Congress views the oil and gas industry like much of Oklahoma does: This is an industry which is vital to our state and to our country,” Russell said. “The daily things we often take for granted – like plastics, medicines, asphalt on our roads and heating for our food and homes – are direct results of the tireless work of oil and gas workers. Their labor advances our community each and every day and I am beyond proud to support their industry.”