Empowering America

Welcome back to the Empowering America Podcast!

Episode 9 of the Empowering America podcast features Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. Governor Reynolds and executive director Matt Hammond discuss a wide range of topics including what makes the Iowa energy industry unique, Reynold's opportunity to give the GOP rebuttal to President Biden's State of The Union, and the stark differences between Republican and Democratic leadership and the national and state level.

The Empowering America podcast is a product of The Empowerment Alliance. We are an advocacy organization whose mission is to harness the power of American ingenuity, the tenets of our free market system, and the abundance of our nation’s natural gas supply to forge a more realistic, rational, and effective approach to energy consumption and environmental conservation than the risky scheme known as the “Green New Deal.”

Welcome back to the Empowering America Podcast!

Episode 8 of the Empowering America podcast features West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore. Hosted by executive director Matt Hammond, episode 8 covers Riley Moore's role as state treasurer and how it relates to energy issues. The two discuss WV's decision to stop doing business with Blackrock, regional pipeline constraints, and the impact Biden's energy agenda has had on WV constituents and the state's economy.

The Empowering America podcast is a product of The Empowerment Alliance. We are an advocacy organization whose mission is to harness the power of American ingenuity, the tenets of our free market system, and the abundance of our nation’s natural gas supply to forge a more realistic, rational, and effective approach to energy consumption and environmental conservation than the risky scheme known as the “Green New Deal.”

Welcome back to the Empowering America Podcast!

Episode 7 of the Empowering America podcast features Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH). Representing Ohio's 12 Congressional District, Rep. Balderson joins the show to talk about how important the domestic oil and gas industry is to his constituents. Hosted by executive director Matt Hammond, episode 7 covers Rep. Balderson's thoughts on how the Biden Administration needs to do a better job at communicating the real information about how this industry’s efforts are helping save money, jobs, and additional emissions from dirtier energy sources. 

The Empowering America podcast is a product of The Empowerment Alliance. We are an advocacy organization whose mission is to harness the power of American ingenuity, the tenets of our free market system, and the abundance of our nation’s natural gas supply to forge a more realistic, rational, and effective approach to energy consumption and environmental conservation than the risky scheme known as the “Green New Deal.”

Episode 6 of the Empowering America podcast features our new Executive Director, Matt Hammond. Hammond has worked in the oil and gas industry his entire career, and previously served as the President of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. Hosted by colleague Patrick Snow, episode 6 dives into Matt's industry experience, his plans for TEA as executive director, the Biden administration's energy agenda, and immediate actions that can be taken to restore America's energy independence. Tune in today!

The Empowering America podcast is a product of The Empowerment Alliance. We are an advocacy organization whose mission is to harness the power of American ingenuity, the tenets of our free market system, and the abundance of our nation’s natural gas supply to forge a more realistic, rational, and effective approach to energy consumption and environmental conservation than the risky scheme known as the “Green New Deal.”

Charlie Burd has been the executive director of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia (IOGAWV) since July 2002.   His duties include managing the day-to-day operations of the over 500-member trade association of oil and natural gas operators and those businesses that serve them. Charlie also oversees IOGAWV’s legislative efforts.

As of January 2021, Burd will serve as Executive Director of the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia or GO-WV. This new organization is the merging of IOGAWV and the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association. The two trade associations are joining forces after realizing they were both championing the same causes and feel that, together, they can have a louder voice and a stronger impact. And the timing couldn't be more important.

"Like most industries around the nation, the covid-19 pandemic has certainly impacted business. it has slowed down investment, caused reductions in traditional workforce numbers, but due to drilling efficiencies, how we drill and how efficiently we can hydraulically fracture, and our ability to drill over horizontal laterals and produce tremendous volumes of natural gas from fewer wells has served us well. In 2019, WV produced over 2.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas for our state and for our country and we certainly hope to see those types of volumes continue so we can have an abundant supply."

Washington State Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers highlights how restricting the natural gas industry would have the whole country "looking like California right now."

"Look at what is going on in California right now, they are having rolling blackouts, 7:00 at night and you're not sure if the lights are actually going to come on. That is the future right now if we do not continue to focus on American energy that is based on natural resources," McMorris Rodgers said.

GOP candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General Heather Heidelbaugh joins the Empowering America podcast to talk about how the natural gas industry is leading the way in job creation and economic prosperity for residents of Pennsylvania. A longtime trial attorney and litigator, Heidelbaugh shares how enduring one winter without heat as a child left a permanent reminder of how important affordable, abundant energy is for all Americans.

"When I was 8 or 9 years old, it was before the oil crisis in America. I have experienced in my life, what feels like to it's like to live in a place with no heat. I know what it feels like to be cold... We had ice on the inside of our windows. I remember a time when there wasn't enough energy to go around and if you were poor, there weren't a lot of alternatives, especially if you lived in an urban area. So abundant energy that is affordable is a real thing and until you've lived a life where it wasn't possible then I'm not sure that you fully understand it. "

This week, we welcomed Republican Whip Steve Scalise on the podcast to talk about the importance of natural gas to America's energy independence and the way forward for a thriving energy economy that is clean, low cost, and focused on American jobs.