Executive Director Charlie Burd announces the Board of Directors of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia (IOGA) is formally endorsing the campaigns for the re-election of Governor Jim Justice and President Donald J. Trump in the upcoming November 3, West Virginia 2020 General Election.

In his announcement, Mr. Burd cited that IOGA’s endorsement of Governor Justice and President Trump’s re-elections is a testimony to their administrations’ dedication to the advancement of oil and natural gas exploration and production.

Under Governor Justice’s leadership, West Virginia continues to be a state steeped in its 150-year history of drilling and producing oil and natural gas. The Governor’s actions to promote investments in drilling, storage of natural gas liquids, develop critical pipeline infrastructure, and to create downstream petrochemical and manufacturing opportunities using West Virginia produced oil and natural gas have been clearly demonstrated through signing into law legislation that:

  1. Created enhanced tax policy for marginal well production while generating funding for the plugging of abandoned and orphaned wells to improve environmental conditions in the WV landscape;
  2. Promoted NGL storage and transportation and investment in manufacturing that uses natural gas and creates jobs;
  3. Allows for expedited permitting and modified the rules in the drilling of horizontal wells;
  4. Incentivized the future drilling and cost recovery on wells drilled to serve consumers in underserved areas of West Virginia with natural gas service; and
  5. Allow producers to provided direct natural gas service to end users of natural gas in specific large volumes to encourage use of WV produced natural gas in WV.

Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States has become the world’s number one producer of oil and continues to maintain its position as the number one producer of natural gas. Under the Trump Administration:

  1. The President signed several Executive Orders designed to accelerate energy infrastructure development that has unleashed the shale gas revolution here in West Virginia, the Appalachian Basin, and other parts of the U.S.
  2. Recent innovations in shale production has resulted in extraordinary increases in natural gas and oil production.
  3. Improvements in energy productivity has reduced the domestic price of natural gas by 63 percent and led to substantial decreases in the wholesale price of electricity.
  4. This unprecedented growth in production has resulted in savings to the U.S. consumer over $200 billion annually through lower energy prices.
  5. The President signed permits for crucial interstate pipeline developments and openly supported the construction of pipelines to move large volumes of natural gas produced in the Appalachian Basin to markets along the U.S. Atlantic Coast where natural gas is desperately needed.
  6. President Trump has led the way to ease regulatory burdens thus allowing exports of liquified natural gas (LNG) to increase nearly five-fold.
  7. President Trump has also issued 20 long-term authorizations for LNG exports.

Burd states, “There is much at stake in this election.  At the forefront of that discussion is our national safety and security; our individual freedoms; our thriving and growing economy; continued job and business growth; and the preservation of our American way of life.   Without question, Governor Jim Justice and President Donald Trump have worked in unison to “Keep America Great”  through their efforts to provide West Virginia and all citizens, growing economies that raise the hopes for our state and nation.”  “IOGA firmly stands with Governor Jim Justice and President Trump on their commitment to advance policies that protect, promote, and benefit hard working West Virginian citizens while retaining the position of the United States as the energy producing leader of the world.”