Putting Americans Back to Work in The Gulf Should be Part of Obama’s Jobs Agenda

 For Immediate Release:                          Contact:  Nicolette Nye

Thursday, September 8, 2011                             (202) 347-6900          

 

  Putting Americans Back to Work in The Gulf Should be Part of Obama’s Jobs Agenda

 

Washington, D.C. As President Obama prepares to announce a new jobs agenda to assist in our nation’s economic recovery, the offshore energy industry stands ready to create jobs now.  Yesterday, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) was among several organizations that signed a letter to President Obama urging him to make putting Americans back to work in the Gulf of Mexico a priority of his jobs agenda.

“Americans need and want jobs now, and the offshore energy industry is an obvious solution to the problem,” said NOIA President Randall Luthi.  He added, “The benefit is not only more American jobs, but also increased Federal and state revenue along with increased energy security and reliability.”

Several recent studies of the economic impacts of the offshore energy industry have all reached the same conclusion – offshore oil and gas development supports hundreds of thousands of jobs nationwide, and could create even more, if the pace of permit reviews in the Gulf of Mexico were to return to historic levels.   One of those studies, conducted by Quest Offshore Resources Inc., concluded that the Gulf of Mexico offshore industry could help create an additional 190,000 jobs by 2013 for a total of more than 400,000 industry supported jobs in the next two years across the United States if exploration and development permitting return to historic levels. 

“In 2010, the offshore oil and gas industry provided 240,000 jobs across the country and we are capable of creating hundreds of thousands of new American jobs over the next two years, not only in the Gulf region, but across the United States,” continued Luthi.   “All we need is the go-ahead and commitment from the federal government to do so.  I urge the administration to work with the offshore oil and natural gas industry to make more permits available now, so that they can get Americans back to work.” 

The complete study, including a state by state breakdown of industry supported jobs, can be found on NOIA’s website at www.noia.org

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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 more than 270 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.

National Ocean Industries Association
1120 G Street, NW • Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005

Phone: 202.347.6900 | Email: media@nullnoia.org