Local energy workers jammed Verizon Theater in downtown Houston today to protest Cap and Trade (H.R. 2454) legislation that the U.S. Senate will take up in the coming weeks.
The Energy Citizens rally, put on by API (American Petroleum Institute), is the first of several events planned in 19 states in the coming weeks.
There was standing room only as more than 3,500 people, 1,500 more than expected, filed into the facility, many wearing yellow T-shirts that were being handed out that read “I’m an energy citizen.” Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr. was the keynote speaker.
Organizers of the event have publicly stated that the legislation the U.S. House passed last spring will destroy millions of U.S. jobs and raise costs without reducing greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change. A study shows that a Keynote speaker, McLane, stated, “The Energy sector is still strong in a weak economy. One of the many things Houstonians have to brag about is that Houston is the Energy Capital of the world. As citizens of Houston, we need to get concerned about this bill and get involved – we need every single person in this industry to get involved and contact all 100 senators and tell them to vote “no” to preserve this great industry.
www.energycitizens.org or text JOBS to 363749 (ENERGY).
