President-elect Trump’s victory showed that Americans are “dissatisfied” with the way the government is working, revealing “an electorate that feels policymakers are out of touch with their daily problems and priorities,” the head of the oil industry’s lead trade group said Wednesday.
Jack Gerard, the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, discussed the election in his first major policy speech of the new year, discussing the industry’s priorities in a new report called “Energy is Everything.”
“Pundits are still analyzing the 2016 election, but one thing is certain: Voters want and expect change and, above all, they want results and a renewed focus on finding positive solutions that improve their lives,” Gerard said in addressing a packed room of industry leaders and lawmakers in Washington.
“Exit polls found that almost 70 percent of voters are dissatisfied with the way the government is working and revealed an electorate that feels policymakers are out of touch with their daily problems and priorities.
“Voters’ clear expectation is that their elected leaders work together to advance common-sense policy that is focused on their needs and their daily reality rather than to continue the perpetual partisanship and government gridlock that has marked recent years,” Gerard said.
Gerard said the next four years should be marked by opposing the Obama administration’s strict regulations on the industry that are stifling job growth.
He also underscored that the rise of U.S. oil and natural gas has led to lower emissions through the increased use of natural gas to provide the bulk of the U.S. electricity.
