GAIN Advisors Discuss U.S. Energy Policy Objectives During Webinar
Last week, advisors for the GAIN coalition gathered on a virtual panel to discuss the current state of U.S. energy policy. The conversation, led by GAIN Spokesperson Craig Stevens, featured Retired Major General Spider Marks, Brigham McCown, and Patrice Douglas.
Panelists Patrice Douglas and Brigham McCown spoke to the need for permitting reform, which would contribute to a growth in the domestic infrastructure necessary to bookend energy production that facilitates energy security. Douglas noted that the average filing for an environmental impact statement on energy projects is 661 pages—before any public comments are added. “It’s hard to produce enough natural gas when you’ve blocked pipelines, when you’ve quit federal drilling, when you allow repeated reviews of pipelines that have been approved by the Corps of Engineers and every state entity,” she said.
Brigham McCown, a former PHMSA administrator, said that pipelines, though subject to attacks from environmentalists, are the safest form of energy transportation. He said, “we spill more gasoline at gas station pumps than we do through pipelines each year.” Modernizing NEPA, as Douglas suggested, to add more pipeline capacity is integral to cementing our energy security, and, thus, national security. Without energy independence, the U.S. will not be able to be a dependable partner to our allies worldwide who rely on our resources.
The experts all agreed that U.S. energy policy should be at the forefront of priorities for Congress and the Biden Administration. Both for the benefit of Americans who deserve affordable energy, and to support our national security objectives.