Western Energy Alliance Pres. Kathleen Sgamma quickly agreed that WEA's members were more warmly received than previously in some offices during their 2017 Washington call-up. But the situation began to improve before the Trump administration arrived, she quickly added.
"In our meetings, in general, the attitude was generally good," she told OGJ on May 1. "We have an administration now that is not openly hostile to oil and gas. That's clear. Since the beginning of the Obama administration, the oil and gas industry was looked on as road kill in the rear view mirror. After billions of dollars that were spent on wind and solar, it became obvious that they wouldn't replace oil and gas. The American oil and gas renaissance also helped."
Moving beyond negative attitudes in Washington has been satisfying for WEA and the independent producers who are its members, she said during a telephone conversation from the association's Denver headquarters.
"Congress's attitude changed sooner. We started to get respect and feel less like Rodney Dangerfield around 2010. It's nice to have constructive meetings with both Republicans and Democrats now, and discussing how we're helping contribute to this country's economic prosperity," Sgamma said.
When asked about the delays in filling top posts at federal agencies, she said WEA members have continued to talk with the same career employees they've worked with for years.
"To some extent, with skeletal political staffs, there's still a reorientation to the new agenda that needs to occur at each agency. We're very encouraged that EPA has jumped onto the executive order calling for regulatory reviews and is comprehensively rethinking its executive direction. There's a lot of hard work to do following the executive orders from hydraulic fracturing to methane emissions. We are rolling up our sleeves and engaging in those processes," Sgamma said.
Multiple policy layers
"Having a counselor to the Interior secretary makes sense, giving the administration's emphasis on energy independence," she said. "Developing energy from federal lands is extremely complex. There are multiple layers of policies and regulations companies need to wade through. Someone overseeing federal onshore development needs to understand all those complex layers to bring some sanity to the process."
Fewer WEA members came to the latest Washington call-up than in previous years, but Sgamma said the meetings were more focused. She believes there are ways to develop energy responsibly while protecting the environment, but doing so is incredibly complicated.
"With so much going on every day, all these executive and secretarial orders are great, but they spin off a lot of work. When changes are being made, you have to be engaged. We're very focused," Sgamma said.