Perry: Texas an energy state

Sep 2 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Mary Meaux The Port Arthur News, Texas

Texas is a great place, just ask Gov. Rick Perry.

The air in Texas is cleaner than it was a decade ago and the state may one day lead the nation in the production of jobs, he said.

But there are a few issues that bother the governor right now -- cap and trade, border protection and the drilling moratorium.

Fresh from a speaking engagement at the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Perry spent a few minutes with media at the Industrial Safety Training Council before participating in a roundtable discussion with Beaumont area plant managers Wednesday.

Cap and trade means devastation for Texas and is a threat to the state's energy industry and economy, he said.

Under the cap and trade system, government establishes a ceiling on the total amount of greenhouse emissions that can be emitted. More efficient companies have the opportunity to buy or sell permits to those not able to make reductions easily.

Border security

On the subject of border security, Perry turned down a meeting with the secretary of Homeland Security and a top adviser to the president on Tuesday. The governor had hoped to speak to the president directly regarding border patrol.

Mexico, just across the river from El Paso, is one of the most violent areas in the world and the president need to see that, he said. Perry urges the federal government to approve his request for National Guardsmen to support civilian law enforcement.

Offshore drilling

"Texans understand we want to know what happened with the Deepwater Horizon incident," he said. "At the same time, to place a moratorium on all offshore drilling is ridiculous. It's like shutting down all air traffic because of one accident."

Texas is one of the nation's leaders in supplying petroleum products.

"This is a knee jerk reaction and shows poor leadership on how the petroleum industry works," he added.

Following the brief meeting with media, Perry spent time at the Southeast Texas Plant Managers Forum to discuss Texas' economy and the role of the state's petrochemical industry in fueling the nation.

"This industry creates jobs and generates products and services that have helped our economy lead the nation," Perry said in a press release issued after the meeting. "We will continue to create the economic climate in Texas where these businesses can not only survive, but thrive. We will also continue to fight an increasingly activist EPA that threatens industries like this one to ensure they can continue driving Texas' economic engine."

Texas' energy industry supplies 20 percent of the nation's oil production, more than 30 percent of the nation's natural gas production, a quarter of the nation's refining capacity, and nearly 60 percent of the nation's chemical manufacturing. Texas' energy industry employs 200,000 to 300,000 Texans, earning $35 billion in total wages.

mmeaux@panews.com