The American Products and Power bus tour finished strong in New Mexico on Thursday with a visit to the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico’s annual meeting. The Director of the IPANM, Karin Foster, welcomed the bus tour’s presence at the conference following a speech that highlighted New Mexico’s battle against burdensome regulations that are negatively impacting the energy industry and consumers. As of 2009, more than $7.4 billion dollars of value was added to the economy in New Mexico from the oil and gas industry, and 95% of the state’s electricity supply is supplied by conventional fuels. Given the importance of reliable energy for states like New Mexico and the downstream benefits of a strong refining industry, it is more crucial now than ever that the message of the American Products and Power bus tour is heard in Washington so that economic growth in states like New Mexico is not held hostage by regulations.
On Friday, the bus tour made a stop in Denver where the manager of Bayou Bob’s, Meygan, spoke to the importance of the energy industry and its impact on the local economy. Affordable energy not only allows Meygan and her family to keep the lights on in their restaurant and have a steady customer base, but energy and refined products are also the building blocks for hundreds of manufactured goods like plastics (think about that the next time you reach for the ketchup or hot sauce) used everyday by small business owners. Meygan spoke very poignantly about the importance of energy to her business and family, and the AEA team is very grateful for Bayou Bob’s southern hospitality and delicious food!
The American Products and Power bus tour also bumped into the Keeping Electricity Affordable campaign in Denver, an initiative with an equally strong and important message about the importance of access to energy. For more information on the initiative and the crucial fight to keep electricity affordable, visit their website here.
After meeting some incredible people in Denver on Friday, the American Products and Power tour continued north. On Saturday, the AEA team parked the bus at the Wyoming State Fair and set up shop for an overwhelming volume of foot traffic. It was everything the American Products and Power bus tour could do to keep up with all of the petition signatures and eager activists looking to sign the bus!
The importance of energy was not lost on the crowd in Wyoming. The Powder River Basin in northeastern Wyoming is the largest coal-producing region in the Nation, accounting for approximately 40 percent of all coal mined in the U.S. Not only that, Wyoming’s oil shale deposits contain an estimated 300 billion barrels of oil, equivalent to about one-fourth of the world’s proven oil reserves. These energy resources not only give Wyoming residents jobs and Americans across the country access to reliable energy, but these resources are also inputs for a strong refining and manufacturing industry. Without fuel to put in the truck or safety equipment like Kevlar chaps, Americans wouldn’t be able to haul their horses to the rodeo or safely block up fire wood with a chainsaw.
The bus tour team continues to generate momentum and has rolled into Billings, MT for a rally this evening on the heels of a refinery visit this morning. Continue to look for updates from the road, and send us your own photos and videos at engage.productsandpower.org!