Paula Dittrick
Senior Staff Writer
SANTA FE, NM -- Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry assumed the chairmanship of the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission by calling upon US lawmakers to work together toward providing policies to ensure stable, sustainable energy supplies.
"It's more critical now than ever before that we work together in a bipartisan manner," Henry said in addressing the IOGCC annual meeting Nov. 17 in Santa Fe, NM. He took over the chairman job as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's term as IOGCC chair ended. Palin, formerly the Republican vice-presidential candidate, did not attend the meeting.
Henry noted how public clamor about energy dies when oil and gasoline prices decline as they have in recent weeks. But he said energy still needs to be a national priority, and that energy-producing states should help steer the direction of energy policy.
"Nearly 70% of our nation's oil comes from foreign sources," Henry said. "The goal of energy independence is too complex to believe that renewables alone will be the solution."
Marathon Oil Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Clarence Cazalot said the world faces an energy transition in learning how to deal with the long-term fundamentals of growing global energy demand in the face of constrained energy supplies.
Cazalot called for the US to develop "a comprehensive, fact-based energy plan integrated with climate change" concerns. "All energy sources are going to become increasingly important components of any energy plan," Cazalot said. Nonetheless, he said fossil fuels will dominate world energy supplies through 2030.
The energy plan needs to include efficiency and conservation, diversified energy supply, and the development of new technology, he said.
Contact Paula Dittrick at [email protected].
