LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – The American Petroleum Institute was founded in 1919 and represents all segments of America’s natural gas and oil industry, supporting nearly 11 million U.S. jobs and backed by millions of Americans. It’s approximately 600 members produce, process, and distribute the majority of the nation’s energy.

The Gulf Coast Region Director of API, Gifford Briggs, tells me their members, including many in the Gulf of America are prepared for this hurricane season and what mother nature could bring. He’s a native of south Louisiana and tells me Louisiana is vital to the country’s energy dominance.

“The energy that’s provided for this great country comes through the Gulf of America and Lafayette, Louisiana and through the arteries of Louisiana and through the many refineries as they pump the fuel across the nation,” said Briggs.

With hurricanes affecting the Gulf each year, it’s important for all of these companies stationed in the Gulf, or along the Gulf coast, to have a game plan, especially in terms of evacuating workers. These plans usually occur in steps.

“Non-essential personnel may be moved out a little bit earlier the essential personnel may stay a little bit later,” said Briggs.

Briggs stresses the importance of safety, saying it’s API’s top priority.

“Many of our employees are people that work right here in Acadiana, so getting them to safety and off the platform is one thing, but they have families they need to take care of as well and we want to make sure our employees have every opportunity to do that as well,” added Briggs.

These evacuations have an economic impact as production slows. The Gulf supplies nearly 17% of the nation’s crude oil and 5% of the natural gas production. This means the next step is to get production moving as quickly as possible.

“We go through the steps we need to take to ensure the safety of the environment and safety of our employees and as soon as we can get back out to our facilities, we will do that in a safe manner,” explained Briggs.

This is especially true if the Gulf is not the hardest hit area, as the Oil & Gas industry is crucial to helping our affected neighbors.

“We need to make sure we’re making the fuel that’s going to be needed as people prepare for the storm, but also helps people recover from the storm and our industry plays a critical role in ensuring a strong recovery for any storm affected area,” says Briggs.

48% of total U.S. Petroleum refining and 51% of U.S. natural gas processing is located along the Gulf coast.

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