E ne r g y P o l i c y
PMAA: Obama administration should recognize primacy of fossil fuels
The energy options of the U.S. have altered now that hydraulic
fracturing, or "fracking," for natural gas has also resulted in the
discovery of unexpected domestic reserves of crude oil, noted
Dan Gilligan, the president of PMAA. "We've had it beat into our
heads forever that the U.S. is an energy poor country, dependent
on the rest of the world," Gilligan said. Now, he said, "We're
finding out we're pretty energy rich."
Of the boom in domestic production of natural gas and
crude, Gilligan said, "It's the greatest opportunity to grow our
economy. I think that the Obama administration has already
recognized it's going to have to be more tolerant of fossil fuel
growth in the U.S."
The president's nominations for Energy Secretary and head of
the EPA appear to reflect that, Gilligan said.
"In the case of Gina McCarthy, our New England marketers
are sending letters in on her behalf," Gilligan said. McCarthy
was the head of the EPA in Connecticut. "They felt she was a
very practical person to work with," Gilligan said. "They always
thought she was accessible. She was always willing to sit down and
listen. They didn't always agree with what her ultimate decision
was, but they felt she was approachable and practical, and not the
rigid ideologue that sometimes shows up at EPA."
While acknowledging that McCarthy would set the tone as the
head of the EPA, Gilligan did not anticipate that PMAA would
have much in the way of direct dealings with her. "We always
meet in the office of the air quality chief or the water quality
chief," Gilligan said, where the subject is SPCC (Spill Prevention,
Control and Countermeasure).
As for Moniz, Gilligan said, "Our members up in New England
that have dealt with Moniz say he's a very practical person. He
believes that nuclear is going to play a significant role, and that
this new-found natural gas and oil is a good thing."
Gilligan said, "I think with these appointments we are seeing
Obama show a shift to the practical side of things. They were in
campaign mode the last couple years and they had to be very
aggressive to keep the environmental groups on the team and
working hard for Obama's reelection. I think now that he's reelected he has to think about governing. He can't pursue things
strictly from an ideological standpoint because that will never get
anything done. I think we'll see more focus on what's practical what can practically be done." l F O N
www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | April 2013
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