Justin Williams, Author at NOIA

Hoeven: Highway bill can help lift crude oil export ban

November 10, 2015 by Justin Williams

The Dickinson Press | Friday, November 6, 2015 | Sen. John Hoeven

Washington, D.C.-- Lifting the U.S. ban on crude oil exports is a smart move that will benefit not only North Dakota, but also our nation and our allies. That’s why I am working to include legislation lifting the ban in the new highway bill that Congress is on track to pass shortly. It is must-pass legislation, which means it will be hard for the president to veto, and the benefits of allowing crude oil exports are multiple.

When taken together, they make a powerful case for allowing our producers to market their product on the world market. Doing so would enhance domestic production, increase the global supply of crude oil, grow our economy, create good-paying jobs for our people and make our nation more secure. Let’s look at the benefits one by one:

First and foremost, crude oil exports will benefit American consumers. The price of oil is based on supply and demand — the more oil on the market, the lower the price. The volatility in the global price of crude oil is felt right down to the consumer level. More global supply means lower prices for gasoline and other fuels and more money in consumers’ pockets. Those facts are backed up by studies at both the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the nonpartisan Brookings Institute.

Read the full editorial here

WSJ Editorial Board: Lift The Ban

November 9, 2015 by Justin Williams

Wall Street Journal | Friday, November 6, 2015 | Editorial Board

A funny thing happened in Washington as oil prices have fallen by more than half since the summer of 2014: Nothing. No calls to hang speculators. No pleas to stop layoffs or help drillers in danger of bankruptcy. No Rose Garden speeches, like the one in April 2012 in which President Obama said he had unleashed his law enforcers “to make sure that acts of manipulation, fraud or other illegal activity are not behind increases in the price that consumers pay at the pump.”

This year the White House has been silent on prices. And as far as we can tell, in the nearly 17 months when the price of U.S. crude oil has slid from $107 per barrel to a recent $45, Mr. Obama hasn’t advanced a single conspiracy theory to explain this decline.

This is political progress of a kind, since businesses are paying for their missed bets with their own money. But it’s worth noting the financial carnage sweeping the oil industry, as well as the contrasting political reaction when prices abruptly fall compared to when they rise.

Read the full editorial here

Keystone Decision is Ill-timed and Illogical

November 6, 2015 by Justin Williams

For Immediate Release: Friday, November 6, 2015
Contact: Nicolette Nye, (202) 465-8463, nicolette@nullnoia.org

Washington, D.C. – NOIA President Randall Luthi issued the following statement on the Obama Administration’s rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline today:

"In yet another freakish Friday announcement, the Obama administration today continued a pattern of concerning energy decisions by rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline. America will continue to need more energy from diverse sources, and while these sources will include renewables such as offshore wind, oil and natural gas will be needed to meet the majority of our energy needs for decades forward. Coming just weeks after the Administration cancelled two previously scheduled Arctic lease sales and denied Arctic lease extensions; today's decision is both ill-timed and illogical."

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ABOUT NOIA

NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf. NOIA’s mission is to secure reliable access and a fair regulatory and economic environment for the companies that develop the nation’s valuable offshore energy resources in an environmentally responsible manner. The NOIA membership comprises about 300 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance, and renewable energy.

NOIA Applauds PARC Act’s Commitment to American Offshore Energy

November 5, 2015 by Justin Williams

For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 5, 2015
Contact: Nicolette Nye, (202) 465-8463, nicolette@nullnoia.org

Washington, D.C. – NOIA President Randall Luthi issued the following statement on legislation introduced today by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT):

“The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) applauds Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and the House Natural Resources Committee for their bold action on this legislation, specifically the bill's sections dealing with investments in energy exploration and production on our nation's outer continental shelf (OCS). America's OCS, mainly the Gulf of Mexico, is the source of about 20 percent of our domestically produced oil and natural gas, and it is imperative we ensure efficient permitting of the activities that produce the valuable commodities that fuel our vehicles and economy and power our homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and more. The important investments in technological innovation and Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) education included in this legislation will also further strengthen America's energy security. The Protecting America’s Recreation and Conservation (PARC) Act wisely seeks to sustain the primary source of funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), America’s offshore oil and natural gas production.”

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ABOUT NOIA

NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf. NOIA’s mission is to secure reliable access and a fair regulatory and economic environment for the companies that develop the nation’s valuable offshore energy resources in an environmentally responsible manner. The NOIA membership comprises nearly 300 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance, and renewable energy.

Rep. Kevin Cramer: The US oil export vote- Learning from history and supporting our allies

November 4, 2015 by Justin Williams

The Hill | Wednesday, November 4, 2015 | Rep. Kevin Cramer

Much has been said and written by me and other supporters of lifting the crude export ban, focused mainly on how lifting the ban will create jobs and stimulate economic growth across the country. While each of those benefits is reason alone to repeal the ban, little is known about how the ban came into existence in the 1970s as well as its profound effect on the geo-political structure of the Middle East and the rest of the world.

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it:” A timeless lesson that applies to the House of Representatives’ strong bipartisan vote to pass H.R. 702, lifting the current U.S. oil export ban.

The vote comes 42 years after the Yom Kippur War, which ushered in long lines at gas stations as a result of OPEC’s embargo against the U.S. in retaliation for supporting Israel as they were fighting for their very existence against their Arab neighbors.

Read full editorial here

Kevin Cramer (R) has been North Dakota’s at-large representative since 2013. He sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee.