American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2024 - 30

" We have a new governor, and he is extremely
supportive of oil and gas. "
Longanecker says the same is true for
Lone Star State. " That is because our
policymakers understand and support the
important role of the oil and gas industry
from an economic and energy security
perspective, " he suggests.
Although it may be no surprise if prooil-and-gas
candidates win majorities in
states such as Texas and North Dakota, a
couple of measures on ballots in two
ognize the harm that such policies can
do by limiting energy and making it more
costly, and Californians in particular are
already struggling with that. "
Washington's referendum, Initiative
2066, also prevailed in territories where
Democrats typically win. " The measure
repeals provisions of a state law that
was designed to force Puget Sound Energy
to speed up its transition away from
natural gas, " Bryce details. " The initiative,
which was backed by a host of business
" EPA's current leadership has said pursuing
nonattainment in the Permian Basin is not a matter of if,
but when. That would be massively impactful to our
industry. Under new leadership, I do not think
nonattainment will be on the table any longer. "
Ed Longanecker
TIPRO President
West Coast states have raised some eyebrows.
Or as author, podcaster and filmmaker
Robert Bryce put it in a post-election
article, " ballot initiatives on taxing
or restricting natural gas use-one in
Washington state and the other in Berkeley,
Ca.-lost decisively. "
The Berkeley vote rejects industry opponents'
new strategy, which followed a
federal appeals court ruling from early
this year that struck down the city's erstwhile
ban on new natural gas connections.
" In Berkeley, one of the most liberal
cities in America, Initiative CG, which
would have levied a massive tax on buildings
that use natural gas, was rejected by
a whopping margin of 69%-31%, " Bryce
explains. " Berkeley, of course, is part of
Alameda County, where Harris thrashed
Trump by a margin of 72%-25%. Thus,
it's clear that even the most liberal voters
in America want to be able to use the
fuels that they like, and that includes
seeing that familiar blue flame on their
gas stovetops. "
" Berkeley's outcome was a landslide, "
Ingham characterizes. " I was encouraged,
but also a little surprised because it continues
to elect people who put those kinds
of policies in place. Voters seem to rec30
THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER
groups, prohibits cities and counties
from barring or penalizing the use of
gas in homes and business. It passed by
a margin of 51-49, or about 60,000
votes. Again, context is essential. A majority
of voters in Washington said they
want to keep using natural gas. At the
same time, they voted for Harris over
Trump by a margin of 58-39. "
A Green Millstone
Bryce points to the significance of energy
issues in helping to sway voter attitudes
in swing states such as Pennsylvania
and highlights the findings of a YouGov
survey that political analysts Roger Pielke
Jr. and Ruy Teixeira say shows voters are
increasingly skeptical of climate alarmism.
According to Pielke and Teixeria,
" When asked if they would support just
a $1 monthly fee on their electricity
bill to fight climate change, only 47%
say they would, while almost as many
(43%) are opposed. Even at this level,
opposition is greater than support among
working-class voters. When the proposed
fee is increased to $20, overall voter
support plummets to 26% with 60%
opposed. At $40, it is 19% support to
69% opposition; at $75 it is 15% vs.
72%; and at $100 it is 7-to-1 against
(77% to 11%) paying such a fee to
combat climate change. "
Although Harris sought to distance
herself from positions she held earlier
in her political career, Burd muses,
many voters seem to view that as a politically
convenient bait-and-switch.
" From the beginning, she made it very
clear she was against fossil fuels and
hydraulic fracturing, " Burd recalls. " She
changed her position because she saw
it was hurting her in the polls and
creating pushback. "
" When the Biden administration cancelled
the Keystone XL pipeline on day
one, the plan was clear, " Ness muses. " It
made a lot of moves to try to raise the
price of oil and gas to make renewable
energy sources more competitive, while
also tilting the playing field for them
with incentives and mandates. Ultimately,
it inflates costs for everything. "
Burd predicts Harris and the rest of
her party would have fared better with
voters had Biden and other Democrats
heeded the advice of longtime Democratic
Senator Joe Manchin. " All along,
Senator Manchin tried to warn his party
that it had shifted in an irresponsible
direction, " Burd recounts. " Had they
listened to him and moved back to the
political center, it might have changed
the election. "
" It is important to listen to the country, "
Naatz considers. " If you look at voter
surveys, America likes to go to the middle.
The Biden administration's push for a
heavy Washington-down approach was
too much. The states know so much better
about how to regulate oil and gas within
their borders. "
Naatz concludes by expressing hope
that 2024 signals not only a return to
normalcy, but stability. " Even our smallest
members tell us it is a constant problem
when the political pendulum swings back
and forth, " he reports. " These are multimillion
dollar investments put in over a
long period. They need regulatory certainty
and need to know that another election
cycle is not going to completely transform
the regulatory regime. "
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2024

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