CEA’s Brydon Ross was interviewed by the Bowling Green Daily News about gas prices during the Thanksgiving travel weekend.
Brydon Ross, vice president of state affairs with Consumer Energy Alliance said the efforts in the United States to become less dependent on foreign oil have contributed to a rise in Americans opting to travel by car.
The Energy Information Administration provided an overview of the proposed and pipeline projects in the Appalachian basin, in addition to projects currently under construction, in order to deliver natural gas to end users.
Over the past several years, natural gas production in the Appalachian basin from the Marcellus and Utica shales has grown significantly. Because pipeline projects often have longer lead times than production projects, transport infrastructure for accessing natural gas demand centers and export locations in the Appalachian Basin has not kept pace with production capability.
Read more – EIA
It’s that time of year again and the holiday season is underway – and there’s something about pumpkin pie, turkey and spending time with friends and family that makes people want to head out on a road-trip. Unlike years prior, gas prices are at an all-time low, making 2017 a great year for a road trip! In fact, this country has not seen gas prices this low since 2008. What that means for you is that you can drive – or fly – wherever you want to go, for less. The savings from gas this year has affected many Americans – in a positive way.
Hitting The Open Road for Less
This year you may want to drive to your destination. If you can avoid the holiday lines at the airport, hitting the open road is a great option. According to AAA, average gas prices are near $2.13 per gallon in much of the country, which is significantly lower than they have been in recent years. This is great news for consumers, as it’s estimated that the average family will be driving 50 miles or more to their Thanksgiving destination along with more than 48.7 million other people on the road this week.
Even if you’re planning to drive further – let’s say 500 miles to see family or friends – and your vehicle gets around 22 miles per gallon, driving will cost you around $47.00. If we look back just four years ago, gas prices over Thanksgiving were $3.43 a gallon on average. This same trip would have cost you $78. With most of the country seeing these savings, now is the time to get behind the wheel and see the country.
The Friendly Sky’s Discount Travel
These lower energy costs are not only affecting those who drive. The airline industry is also greatly affected by lower fuel costs. When the gas prices are down, the costs of a ticket decreases. Did you know that more than 27.3 million people will fly to meet friends and loved ones for the holiday? If you cannot drive to your Thanksgiving destination, then you can take advantage of one of the many airlines savings deals. Now, keep in mind that this late in the game you are going to pay more, but there are still some last-minute deals for you to explore.
You may have seen some airlines offering rock bottom ticket costs to certain areas of the country. Now, it takes some airlines time to drop the prices to match the cost of crude oil, but others are already giving their passengers a break. If you look on Southwest.com, you will find low fares on their homepage. If you live in an area where they fly, you could get a ticket for as low as $26 one way.
Energy Savings at the Right Time
What do these savings during Thanksgiving mean to you? It means you have more money for the season of giving. Whether that’s donating to your favorite charity or buying gifts for loved ones. So, regardless of what method of travel you decide on, the money you save on transportation can be spent better elsewhere. Americans have saved over $28 billion in gasoline costs this year alone – think of all the Thanksgiving dinners that would buy? So no matter how far your relatives are, thanks to the low gas prices, chances are you can afford to go visit.
Houston, TX — Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) President David Holt today issued the following statement following the Interior Department’s release of the Proposed Final 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program:
“Today’s announcement removing yet more areas from consideration for offshore energy leasing over the next five years is a significant step backward that will only harm families and businesses all across the country. Those of us on fixed incomes who depend on affordable, reliable energy to meet their daily needs, and are unable to pay for increased electricity or fuel costs, will be the most impacted. This decision is particularly damaging to the people and State of Alaska that rely upon energy production for their economic livelihood.
On the heels of the decision earlier this year to remove the Atlantic from offshore consideration, and amid recent regulatory actions and uncertainties that have significantly impacted Alaskan offshore energy activity, today’s action unnecessarily harms efforts to protect and grow the nation’s jobs and economy, achieve long-term energy self-sufficiency, and secure a strong economic future for the United States.
“Just saying ‘NO’ is not a strategy – we need to start adopting common-sense approaches that support rational, logical, fact-based dialogue. This decision threatens to undermine and reverse historic economic, societal and environmental gains we’ve made thanks to the U.S. energy revolution. The administration has failed to present a serious offshore leasing plan that will help meet our nation’s long-term energy needs by caving to the demands of anti-development extremists and further restricting offshore leasing through 2022.
“Today’s action, which contradicts the broad support that exists for offshore development in communities throughout Alaska and the nation at large, underscores the need for more common-sense decisions. The next administration will soon have an opportunity to change course by taking a much more responsible approach. The economic well-being and quality of life of the American people and businesses, especially those in Alaska, depend on it.”
Earlier this month, in partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, CEA spearheaded an effort that secured more than 100 consumer, business, and manufacturing group signatories to a letter urging the Obama administration to fully maintain the previously-proposed Gulf of Mexico and Alaska lease sales and not to take any actions that would remove these or other offshore areas from consideration under future leasing programs.
CEA’s Mike Butler was interviewed by Politics PA on the role of energy in the recent election.
“The biggest economic driver here is energy development,” said Mike Butler, a veteran Democratic strategist in the region who is executive director of the Consumer Energy Alliance-Mid Atlantic. “A large part of the Democratic Party seemed hostile to it. How do we get back those voters? We’re not talking to them.”
Read more – Politics PA
CEA’s David Holt discussed the impact banning exploration of the U.S. Arctic will have on consumers and energy users.
The final plan for offshore U.S. oil and gas drilling from 2017 to 2022 focuses primarily on the Gulf of Mexico and excludes the Arctic Ocean. “Today’s announcement removing yet more areas from consideration for offshore energy leasing over the next five years is a significant step backward that will only harm families and businesses across the country,” Consumer Energy Alliance President David Holt said in a press release.
Read more – Houston Business Journal
CEA President David Holt was featured in RealClear Energy discussing the results of the 2016 Presidential Election and its impact on energy policy.
The silent majority, which includes working-class families, union workers, seniors, and households living below the poverty level, want the economic and environmental benefits America’s energy revolution can provide, like jobs, lower electric bills, and cleaner air, not the endless barrage of regulations they’ve seen in recent years.
Read more – RealClear Energy
The Gulf of Mexico has been an energy and economic powerhouse, and its continued development is critical to meeting the essential energy needs of families, small businesses, and citizens throughout the country.
Anti-energy extremists are now determined to undermine the ability just to explore for these resources by pushing to add major restrictions on seismic surveys, which could also impact the ability to develop renewable energy and conduct critical coastal restoration activities.
Unnecessary restrictions on Gulf of Mexico seismic surveys would threaten our nation’s energy, economic, environmental, and national security, and along with it the health and well-being of families, small businesses, and citizens all across the country.
As the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) considers the conditions that should govern Gulf of Mexico seismic surveys, I urge BOEM not to impose new and unnecessary restrictions on such activities and to instead adopt Alternative A of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.
Seismic surveys are critical to the development of Gulf of Mexico energy, a resource that will continue to be vital to meeting the energy needs of families, small businesses, and citizens throughout the country. Seismic surveys help us to better understand the extent and location of our offshore energy resources, and support the development of oil and natural gas, renewables, and sand and gravel, the latter of which supports coastal restoration activities. When development ultimately takes place, survey data helps ensure more effective activity, to the benefit of American energy consumers and the environment alike.
Seismic surveys are also safe and compatible with a healthy Gulf and other uses. As the Interior Department previously acknowledged, seismic surveys have been taking place for decades, including in the Gulf of Mexico, without any evidence of adverse impacts on marine animal populations, commercial fishing, or coastal communities. Furthermore, the proposed restrictions would directly impact the ability to explore for Gulf energy resources, and without any added overall benefits as BOEM’s draft environmental review concluded.
A sensible energy policy that helps ensure access to affordable, reliable domestic energy for years to come must include the ability to effectively and efficiently explore the Gulf’s offshore resources. To ensure our long-term energy, economic, and national security, I therefore urge BOEM not to impose new and unnecessary restrictions on Gulf exploration, and instead to adopt Alternative A.
Sincerely,
CEA’s David Holt was quoted discussing the impact President-elect Donald Trump may have on energy jobs and family budgets.
Environmentalists are panicking that President-elect Donald Trump will trigger an energy jobs disaster by cutting green subsidies, but David Holt, president of the Consumer Energy Alliance, thinks exactly the opposite.
Read more – KBET-AM 790
CEA’s David Holt was interviewed by E&E regarding the future of energy after this Presidential election.
David Holt, president of the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), said in an interview that the level of hostility in the rhetoric used by anti-fossil-fuels groups disturbs him. He worries that the volume won’t be lowered after the election, either.
“There’s this increased rhetoric that’s anti-offshore energy, anti-domestic energy, anti-oil and gas, anti-pipelines. … It’s just not a rational conversation,” he said.
Read more – E&E
