BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — With President Trump declaring a 'National Energy Emergency' in his inaugural address, what does that mean for those invested in Kern County's oil and gas industry?
- President Trump declared a national energy emergency during his inauguration speech.
- Chad Hathaway, owner of Hathaway LLC Petroleum, supports the move, hoping it will revitalize the oil and gas industry.
- Steve Montgomery from the Sierra Club is concerned about the environmental impact and advocates for renewable energy.
- Hathaway believes legislators should focus on working with the industry to create cleaner fossil fuel use, instead of fighting against it.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It's no secret that oil and gas are big here in Kern County, I'm Sam Hoyle your neighborhood reporter. During his inauguration speech, now President Trump declared a national energy emergency and it raises the question, what do those here in Kern County feel it will do to the industry?
For Chad Hathaway, owner of Hathaway LLC, a petroleum company, the hope is that a Trump presidency will revitalize the industry across the state and increase access to affordable energy, by removing some of the regulatory hurdles to drilling for oil on federal land.
"I think that with declaring a state of emergency with energy, you're basically saying that we want to push through leasing, we want to push through drilling and try to get rid of the regulatory loopholes at least predominantly on federal properties that the government controls," said Hathaway.
Hathaway also noted that he's happy to see 'high energy IQ' picks in Christ Wright and Doug Burgum for Secretary of Energy and the Interior respectively.
However, Steve Montgomery, chair of the Kern-Kaweah Chapter of the Sierra Club, an environmental group, believes that stripping away regulations that limit drilling will have a drastic environmental impact and that California should continue to focus on renewable energy sources like wind and solar energy.
"We appreciate the fact that it's a lot of jobs, but we're concerned about what's happening to the environment and the continued use of fossil fuels, the damage that continued use of fossil fuels is having on the atmosphere. Carbon has been increasing in the atmosphere steadily since the beginning of the industrial revolution, and it's reached a point where it's actually affecting the climate."
Hathaway did say there are negatives associated with burning fossil fuels, but in his mind, the pros outweigh the cons, and instead of fighting against oil, the focus should be on creating a cleaner way to use fossil fuels.
"Let's just figure out how we can get cleaner. Isn't it that simple? Reduce pollution, that makes a lot of sense, right? We can reduce pollution, we've already done it, and we continue to do it. Reduce your impact on the environment, we've done that. We continue to do that better than anywhere in the world," said Hathaway.
Now, there's been a lot said about what could happen, very little is set in stone at this point and we'll keep you updated as this story progresses. In Bakersfield, Sam Hoyle, your neighborhood reporter.
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