Jack Gerard, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute and the oil industry’s top lobbyist in Washington, will step down from his post in August when his contract expires.
API, the main trade group representing the oil and natural gas industry, announced Gerard’s departure Wednesday morning after he spent a decade as CEO.
Gerard, 60, has been a prominent energy lobbyist in Washington for decades, leading top fossil fuel industry trade associations from coal to chemicals to natural gas and oil. He joined API after leading the National Mining Association and American Chemistry Council.
“Serving the oil and natural gas industry during this historic time, when an American energy renaissance has made the U.S. the world’s leading producer and refiner of oil and natural gas, has been among the most fulfilling professional experiences of my career,” Gerard said in a statement. “We have accomplished what few would have imagined: important public policy victories at all levels of government, and a revitalized association that has expanded globally and added significant strength to its advocacy capabilities.”
Just last week, Gerard delivered API’s “State of American Energy” address, where he touted his group’s role in making the U.S. achieve “energy abundance” while contributing to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the past decade, an influx of cheap natural gas and the rise of renewable energy have transformed the nation’s power grid, reducing wholesale electricity prices and forcing unprofitable coal and nuclear plants to retire.
The U.S. is now the world’s biggest natural gas producer, with an increase of more than 30 percent in production since 2008, thanks to drilling technologies such as fracking and horizontal drilling.
The Energy Department forecasts that between now and 2040, consumption of natural gas will increase more than any other fuel source.
“We are powering positive change in reliability, safety and environmental performance every day through technology and innovation,” Gerard said during his Jan. 9 address. “Industry innovation and technological breakthroughs are why the U.S. is the world’s largest producer of natural gas, oil and refined products.”
Natural gas emits less carbon dioxide than coal. Gerard, however, has acknowledged the challenges of limiting emissions of methane, the main component in natural gas. Methane is more potent than carbon dioxide, although its emissions are relatively short-lived. The Trump administration is trying to repeal Obama-era methane emissions, an effort API supports, but many companies have pledged to take more limited action on their own.
API late last year announced a new program aimed at reducing emissions of methane from oil and natural gas production. Participants include Chevron, BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil. Many climate scientists blame greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels for driving manmade climate change.
