Some Facts About Hydraulic Fracturing in California
May 16, 2012
Hydraulic fracturing is a hot topic in California these days. As is often the case with highly visible issues, there are more myths about the technology – at least how it is used in California – than there are facts circulating in the public domain. Let’s examine a few of the dominant myths. Myth number 1: Hydraulic fracturing in California is unregulated. Fact: There is almost nothing that takes place at a drilling site in California that isn’t regulated. Worker safety, ai... more
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WSPA Members are Committed to Safety
May 10, 2012
WSPA recently completed a short video (see below) that explores the remarkable commitment to safety embodied in the companies we represent and embraced by the dedicated men and women who work for those companies. I urge you to take a few minutes to view this video and I am certain you too will be impressed. The video also is a wonderful depiction of the amazing array of activit... more
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Petroleum Workers Reach Out to Lawmakers
March 26, 2012
By Jodie Muller Vice President, Government & Regulatory Affairs Every year, WSPA organizes a Legislative Outreach Day for the WSPA Associates program to bring to Sacramento and state lawmakers the voices of hard working men and women whose work supports California’s oil industry. We recently held our 10th annual and largest ever Legislative Outreach Day and hosted some 68 Associates who spent the day visiting their elected representatives in the Capitol. Why is thi... more
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A cascade of new fuel regulations is a disaster-in-the-making
March 10, 2012
The business community in California and the petroleum industry in particular are facing a cascade of regulations in the next few years that will make energy much more costly to produce, job creation much more difficulty to accomplish, and the supply of abundant, reliable and affordable fuel much more perilous. Under the banner of climate change programs, the California Air Resources Board is implementing a series of transforming regulations like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, cap and trade pr... more
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Let's make job growth for all Americans our top priority in 2012!
January 04, 2012
I know it’s customary to start the New Year off with an upbeat assessment of the many blessings and opportunities we share. But with more than 3 million people unemployed in the six states WSPA covers, it’s hard to find much to celebrate. In California alone, 2.1 million men and women who want to work can’t because the economy remains stuck in neutral. It’s good the jobless rate in the WSPA states – California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii – has been inching d... more
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Judge Blocks CA's Low Carbon Fuel Standard
December 30, 2011
U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill has blocked the California Air Resources Board from moving forward with implementation of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard. After a lengthy review of the LCFS, Judge O’Neill concluded the regulation discriminated against crude oil and ethanol produced outside of California and therefore violated the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause. The decision blocks CARB from enforcing the LCFS. While WSPA was not a party to the lawsuit, we are certainly int... more
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New Study Raises Concerns About Low Carbon Fuel Standard
December 14, 2011
The California Air Resources Board recently adopted regulatory amendments to the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), affirming its commitment to the climate-change program. Although WSPA has not opposed the goals of the LCFS, which requires a 10 percent reduction in the carbon intensity of gasoline and diesel fuel by 2020, we have become increasingly concerned about the feasibility of the program and its impact on fuel providers ... more
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Petroleum Industry Creates jobs for Californians
August 15, 2011
WSPA recently hired Purvin & Gertz Inc. to update our petroleum industry economic impact analysis for California. The results are now in and, as expected, the study shows the petroleum industry is a major source of high paying jobs. The petroleum industry is responsible for 332,968 jobs in California that generate $1... more
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Public Pension Funds Gain from Oil Industry Investments
July 16, 2011
A recent study commissioned by API shows California’s two large public employee pension funds have major holdings in oil and natural gas companies and those holdings provide substantial returns to the funds and their beneficiaries. Investments in oil and natural gas companies by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the State Teachers’ Retirement System (STERS) are providing strong returns for teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public pension... more
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Facts about Gas Prices and Earnings
May 03, 2011
As some of the major publicly traded petroleum companies report their first quarter 2011 earnings, we find ourselves once again called upon to explain the large profit numbers being reported at the same time consumers are paying high prices for gasoline. It’s natural to make the assumption that petroleum company profits are being fueled by high gasoline prices. But that assumption is wrong. The high prices we’re seeing at the gas pump are the result of very high crude oil prices. ... more
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