ODESSA, Texas — The future of oil and gas was top of mind as Governor Greg Abbott made a stop in Odessa on Tuesday.
The governor held a roundtable discussion with stakeholders at Champion X. Governor Abbott and those who attended talked about the current issues facing the energy sector, like hostility from certain groups towards the industry. He praised the industry as it provides a vital part of the economy.
"If you go back in time, Texans have been supplying the world with the energy needed to fuel their cars, power their homes, and produce the products that we all need," said Abbott.
Abbott also discussed how Texas can continue to partner with the oil and gas industry to create more jobs and help the industry as a whole. He also talked about developing safer and more clean methods of production for customers and also about new strategies to further increase production.
"Something that is missed in the discussion of the oil and gas sector, it's not just a business, not just a company, there are real people evolved," said Abbott. "It's our responsibility to make sure these families are going to maintain these great paying jobs as they provide energy resources for the future."
Abbott also addressed the ways that he believes Texas has eliminated red tape and cut barriers to production to ensure that the industry remains strong.
"What we do as a state is the reason why Texas has been ranked the number one state as the best state to do business in," said Abbott. "The reason why Texas has been repeatedly ranked number one for economic development is because we operate at the speed of business. We accelerate the permitting process, and we reduce regulations so that businesses can operate more quickly including those in the oil and gas sector."
Overall, the governor hopes the industry continues to thrive in the whole state.
"Fossil fuels are essential for the operation of the entire globe in conjunction with alternatives such as renewables," said Abbott. "What we need to do here in Texas is to increase the amount of oil and gas we are producing to help our fellow Americans, as well as to help our friends across the entire world."
Governor Abbott says he is thankful for companies like Champion X as they offer upstream and midstream oilfield technology solutions, chemistry programs and services that he feels are essential technologies for the oil and gas industry.
You can see the full press conference over on the NewsWest 9 YouTube page.