Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson today said the Deepwater Horizon tarballs washing up on Texas shores underscore the need for the Gulf Project, a public-private coalition of energy and environmental experts organized by Governor Rick Perry to promote research and development of safer offshore drilling.
“Offshore exploration and production is essential to not only our state’s economy but to our national security, and Texans know that,” Patterson said. “The Gulf Project will bring some Texas know-how tothe table in an effort to make offshore drilling safer for all.”
Patterson, who oversees the state’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program at the Texas General Land Office, notes that most technology for responding to oil spills hasn’t advanced in 30 years.
“The Gulf Project will kick-start the research and development that’s needed to improve our ability to respond when there’s a problem,” Patterson said.
The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, the University of Houston, Rice University, Texas Tech University, Southern Methodist University, the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America, the Texas General Land Office and the Railroad Commission of Texas are participating in the effort, and other experts and institutions of higher education may join later.
Texas’ energy industry continues to fuel the nation, supplying 20 percent of the nation’s oil production, 25 percent of its natural gas production, 25 percent of its refining capacity, and nearly 60 percent of the nation’s chemical manufacturing. Additionally, Texas’ energy industry employs 200,000 to 300,000 Texans, with $35 billion in total wages.
“Texans are practical – they know we must continue to drill offshore – but they also expect that everything possible is being done to protect our environment,” Patterson said. “The Gulf Project will help us continue to do both.”By: Jim Suydam,Press Sec.
