{"id":17032,"date":"2018-01-17T17:45:37","date_gmt":"2018-01-17T22:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=17032"},"modified":"2025-12-03T15:28:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T20:28:51","slug":"as-api-changes-leaders-it-must-change-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2018\/01\/17\/as-api-changes-leaders-it-must-change-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"As API changes leaders, it must change leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Jack Gerard stepping down as head of the American oil and gas industry\u2019s most powerful trade association, industry has an important opportunity to change with the times.<\/p>\n

The oil and gas industry and its ecosystem are evolving rapidly before our eyes. Technology improvements allow ever more efficient production. Resource discovery in areas like the Permian Basin unlock opportunity and drilling activity that few ever thought possible. But the most profound change is happening above ground\u2014the steadily growing calls for climate action by investors<\/a>, governments, corporate energy users, and society at large.<\/p>\n

The future of industry\u2014its very prospect of surviving, let alone thriving, in a decarbonizing world\u2014depends on its ability to meet society\u2019s demands, not just for energy, but for leadership.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

An unsustainable path<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the path charted by Mr. Gerard has been neither environmentally sound nor economically sustainable. With global temperatures and demands for action on climate reaching record highs, the American Petroleum Institute\u2019s approach to climate action under Mr. Gerard can be summed up in three simple words: \u201cJust say no.\u201d<\/p>\n

A perfect example of this is the trade association\u2019s relentless, multi-year attack<\/a> on sensible safeguards to limit potent methane emissions and other harmful air pollutants from well pads and other facilities. API\u2019s lobbying assault on issues like methane regulation paints the picture of a retrograde industry on a collision course with legitimate social and environmental needs.<\/p>\n

Could there be a new way?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Few would dare hope that a trade association\u2014representing the wants of hundreds of members with diverse views and capabilities\u2014could set the highest possible bar for industry. Negotiation, representation, and consensus building are inherent in the work of a trade association leader. But all too often, the result has been lowest-common-denominator lobbying agendas and activities, which tarnish the reputation of industry, including those more forward thinking members who will increasingly need to distance themselves from their own trade association.<\/p>\n

[Tweet “As API changes leaders, it must change leadership”]<\/p>\n

Therefore, basic qualifications for API\u2019s next leader must be understanding the value to industry of keeping up with the times, and possessing the leadership skills to steward the association to responsible lobbying positions and engagement with governments, NGO\u2019s, and others. It will serve industry\u2019s own license to operate<\/a> to come to the negotiating table in good faith, seeking development of workable rules and regulations that level the playing field.<\/p>\n

In announcing his departure, Gerard reportedly remarked: \u201cWe\u2019re integral to everything, and the ongoing challenge is just to continue articulating that vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

But time\u2019s up on business-as-usual.<\/p>\n

Any industry with a self-interest in keeping up with a dynamic world cannot ignore legitimate social and environmental demands. If API heeds Gerard\u2019s call for business-as-usual with more slick \u201ceducation\u201d campaigns, lackluster voluntary programs, and anti-environmental lobbying, industry may hasten the day when it learns it is not so integral after all.<\/p>\n

I hope there is a day in the not too distant future where API engages constructively to advance climate and environmental safeguards that work for business and the environment. Let\u2019s hope API\u2019s forward thinking members use their influence to hire a leader who responds to the real challenges the industry faces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Resource discovery in areas like the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8086,"featured_media":17035,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[693,324],"tags":[53034],"coauthors":[114095],"class_list":["post-17032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-natural-gas","category-washington-dc","tag-oil-and-gas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAs API changes leaders, it must change leadership - Energy Exchange<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2018\/01\/17\/as-api-changes-leaders-it-must-change-leadership\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"As API changes leaders, it must change leadership - Energy Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With Jack Gerard stepping down as head of the American oil and gas industry\u2019s most powerful trade association, industry has an important opportunity to change with the times. 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