CEO's Perspective: Focusing on Advocacy

By Leslie Beyer, CEO, Energy Workforce & Technology Council

Members,

This past year has brought a number of significant challenges facing the industry, but Members continue to inspire us to elevate and unify the energy technology and services sector during such demanding times. It’s more important than ever to have a unified sector that provides the energy necessary to meet growing global demand while simultaneously developing technological innovations to reduce emissions.

One of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council’s primary tenets is to advocate for the sector and industry. It is paramount that we tell our sector’s story of innovation and ingenuity to all stakeholders, key among them our government leaders. Our recent work in Washington includes important discussions with members of Congress and the current Administration about the importance of our sector. When policies threaten our businesses, we will always respond and tell the true story of our sector and its critical role in the future of energy.

Energy Workforce has also worked extensively with the current Administration offering the technology and workforce of our sector as an asset and partner in meeting their goal of a lower carbon future. We have pushed back on overreaching policies that overlook the significant benefits of natural gas, and policies that arbitrarily discriminate against fossil fuels. We have had constructive conversations with the Administration highlighting new carbon lowering technology developed by Member Companies and our leading role in technologies such as offshore wind, geothermal and CCUS. These conversations are key to keeping our companies’ contributions in the minds of policymakers.

The Council continues to lead our industry through the preparation of best practices documents used for Member Company operations. The Well Stimulation Committee is currently drafting a well stimulation best practices guidebook that will be the first of its kind in pressure pumping. The Well Services Committee is working to update the Well Servicing best practices document which has been used for decades as the industry gold standard for safety.

I’m optimistic about the future of our industry. We have a seat at the table, a role to play in the energy transition, and alliances with key stakeholders. We will continue to empower our workforce through trainings and certification programs, invest in the future leaders of the industry through our scholarship programs, support efforts towards an inclusive workforce, and offer our resources for business intelligence. The Council tells a compelling story about both the challenges facing the sector and its successes, and we look forward to working with Members to highlight the work of the men and women who bring affordable, reliable energy to the country and the world.