Business

OP-ED: Securing the Opportunities of American Energy

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The natural gas and oil industry supports the jobs of more than 10 million American workers, and reports project an additional 1.9 million job opportunities in America’s natural gas and oil and petrochemicals industries by 2035 – nearly 40 percent of which will be held by African American and Hispanic workers.

Published

6 years ago

January 20, 2019

Oakland Post

By Elia Quintana, Director of Stakeholder Relations, American Petroleum Institute

15 or 20 years ago, there were very few people who could have imagined that the U.S. would again lead the world in the production of natural gas and oil. And even fewer who would have thought that we could reduce carbon emissions faster than any other nation. Today, we are doing both.

The natural gas and oil industry supports the jobs of more than 10 million American workers, and reports project an additional 1.9 million job opportunities in America’s natural gas and oil and petrochemicals industries by 2035 – nearly 40 percent of which will be held by African American and Hispanic workers. The natural gas and oil industry leads all other sectors – including utilities, tech and health care – in compensation for U.S. workers, because as an industry, we take pride in providing well-paying careers and opportunities for individuals and families, offering support for communities and driving local and national economies.

The American energy revolution is changing life for the better. Stable, affordable energy brings economic stability and cleaner air. It is reviving American manufacturing, and restoring jobs we used to hear were gone forever. Advanced technologies, best practices and industry standards allow the natural gas and oil industry to safely and responsibly explore and develop both onshore and offshore, and this development means that the industry can continue leading the way in bringing large economic benefits – including investments and jobs – to communities across the country, as well as affordable and reliable energy.

These benefits are tangible – like newly paved roads, upgraded school buildings and better funded land and water conservation projects. Just last month, onshore lease sales in New Mexico resulted in nearly $500 million in revenue awarded to the state from oil and natural gas production on federal lands. Offshore lease sales are just as beneficial as onshore ones and could bring the same types of much-needed benefits to many states along the Atlantic coast and Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Communities in states from Virginia to Florida could see billions in state revenues, improved infrastructure and thousands of new jobs.

Affordable domestic energy also generates cost savings – savings that can be invested in businesses and jobs. By 2040, natural gas alone will save consumers across the country an estimated $100 billion, or $655 per household, from the increased use of the abundant, affordable fuel throughout our economy – from manufacturing to electricity generation.

Over the course of the past decade, the nation’s natural gas and oil industry has accomplished what many thought impossible. Our industry employed advanced technology and the best of the American entrepreneurial spirit to move the nation from energy scarcity to energy abundance. We have played a leading role in reducing energy costs for American families and businesses, spurred a manufacturing revival and strengthened the nation’s energy security – while leading the world in environmental progress. With the right policies, U.S. energy development can continue to fuel the economy – and our communities – for decades to come.

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Business

Google’s New Deal with California Lawmakers and Publishers Will Fund Newsrooms, Explore AI

Gov. Gavin Newsom, California lawmakers and some newspaper publishers last week finalized a $172 million deal with tech giant Google to support local news outlets and artificial intelligence innovation. This deal, the first of its kind in the nation, aims to invest in local journalism statewide over the next five years. However, the initiative is different from a bill proposed by two legislators, news publishers and media employee unions requiring tech giants Google and Meta to split a percentage of ad revenue generated from news stories with publishers and media outlets.

Published

1 week ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

iStock

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

This deal, the first of its kind in the nation, aims to invest in local journalism statewide over the next five years. However, the initiative is different from a bill proposed by two legislators, news publishers and media employee unions requiring tech giants Google and Meta to split a percentage of ad revenue generated from news stories with publishers and media outlets. Under this new deal, Google will commit $55 million over five years into a new fund administered by the University of California, Berkeley to distribute to local newsrooms. In this partnership, the State is expected to provide $70 over five years toward this initiative. Google also has to pay a lump sum of $10 million annually toward existing grant programs that fund local newsrooms.

The State Legislature and the governor will have to approve the state funds each year. Google has agreed to invest an additional $12.5 million each year in an artificial intelligence program. However, labor advocates are concerned about the threat of job losses as a result of AI being used in newsrooms.

Julie Makinen, board chairperson of the California News Publishers Association, acknowledged that the deal is a sign of progress.

“This is a first step toward what we hope will become a comprehensive program to sustain local news in the long term, and we will push to see it grow in future years,” said Makinen.

However, the deal is “not what we had hoped for when set out, but it is a start and it will begin to provide some help to newsrooms across the state,” she said.

Regina Brown Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media, said the deal is a commendable first step that beats the alternative: litigation, legislation or Google walking from the deal altogether or getting nothing.

“This kind of public-private partnership is unprecedented. California is leading the way by investing in protecting the press and sustaining quality journalism in our state,” said Brown Wilson. “This fund will help news outlets adapt to a changing landscape and provide some relief. This is especially true for ethnic and community media journalists who have strong connections to their communities.”

Although the state partnered with media outlets and publishers to secure the multi-year deal, unions advocating for media workers argued that the news companies and lawmakers were settling for too little.

Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) proposed a bill earlier this year that aimed to hold tech companies accountable for money they made off news articles. But big tech companies pushed back on bills that tried to force them to share profits with media companies.

McGuire continues to back efforts that require tech companies to pay media outlets to help save jobs in the news industry. He argued that this new deal, “lacks sufficient funding for newspapers and local media, and doesn’t fully address the inequities facing the industry.”