• Report ignores input of bipartisan governors, disadvantaged communities, and tribes that support federal development
• The Administration continues to ask OPEC+ to produce while making it more difficult for American producers
  
• Interior proposals threaten conservation funding

​DENVER – The Department of the Interior’s report on the federal oil and natural gas program, hidden in a release on Black Friday, provided little information about how the department plans to actually conduct a ”comprehensive review” of the program as ordered by the president back in January. The following is a statement in reaction to the report by Western Energy Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma:
 
"You know there’s something wrong with a policy when it’s released on a Friday, and even more so when it’s a holiday weekend. I could have written this report for Interior in a few weeks, as it’s nothing but the environmental talking points we’ve heard for years. The fact that it took them 10 months almost to the day from the president’s order is interesting, given they knew what they wanted to do even before President Biden was sworn in. I strongly suspect they were waiting for Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act since the House version contained these provisions plus more that would have basically erased federal oil and natural gas development off federal lands.

​DENVER – In response to President Biden’s announcement today that the U.S. Department of the Interior will withdraw a 10-mile zone around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park from oil and natural gas leasing and development for a 20-year period, Western Energy Alliance issued the following statement attributable to association President Kathleen Sgamma:
 
“President Biden is again resorting to executive action by pursuing a 10-mile exclusionary zone around Chaco Canyon to get around Congress. The White House is ignoring the will of the Navajo Nation, which voted overwhelmingly to support a five-mile buffer that would protect the park while enabling Navajo mineral owners to access their prime oil resources.
 
“Oil and natural gas development is already done in a way to protect cultural resources. That’s why the Alliance agrees with the Navajos who live near the park on a balanced compromise. Every year, companies return over $90 million in royalties to Navajo mineral owners, a significant source of income for families in an otherwise impoverished area. A 10-mile buffer would strand Navajo lands among the patchwork of federal lands in the region, thereby making it nearly impossible for them to develop the energy they own and threatening their livelihoods.

DENVER – Western Energy Alliance will honor Bill Armstrong, president and chief executive officer of Denver-based Armstrong Oil & Gas, Inc., with the Wildcatter of the Year award in recognition of his achievements in community service and business, including discovering what is potentially the third-largest oil field in the United States. As the 36th recipient of the Wildcatter award, Armstrong will be formally celebrated by leaders in the oil and natural gas industry at the Wildcatter gala on Saturday, November 6th.
 
“Throughout his career, Bill has built a reputation for succeeding in areas where most others had moved on,” said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Alliance. “In addition to his professional success, Bill was selected for this award by his peers because of his leadership in the community supporting education and the arts. Wildcatter is a perfect description of Bill Armstrong when you consider his discoveries in Alaska and success opening up a new frontier and renewing excitement in the state. But what sets Bill apart is his humble nature and big heart for helping the community. Through the generosity of his wife Liz and him, young ballet dancers in inner-city Denver have an inspiring facility to pursue their dreams, and college students from Alaska to Texas enjoy modern student centers and athletic amenities. These are the qualities we look for while selecting our recipient, and why we’re pleased to honor Bill Armstrong.”

​DENVER –  Western Energy Alliance released this statement following EPA’s announcement today of new and existing source methane rules for the oil and natural gas industry. This statement is attributable to Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma:
 
“The oil and natural gas industry supports balanced efforts to reduce methane emissions, but this rule tips that balance and will suppress American production at the same time the president is asking Russia and OPEC to increase theirs. The industry has a successful track record of reducing methane emissions by 23 percent since 1990, even as oil and natural gas production have increased 49 percent and 71 percent, respectively. Further, fuel switching to natural gas in the electricity sector continues to be the primary reason the United States has reduced more greenhouse gases than any other country.