East Texas energy producers discuss hopes for next presidential administration

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Depending on who wins the presidential election, the future of energy policy in America may impact producers across the Lone Star State, including in East Texas.

For instance, if elected, former President Donald Trump has said he would exit the Paris Climate Agreement. If Vice President Kamala Harris secures the White House, the United States is expected to remain in the agreement. Trump said he will continue to invest in fossil fuels, while Harris says her administration will invest in clean energy.

Speaking at an oil fracking location at his ranch near Carthage, President of the East Texas Gas Producers Association, Cliff Todd, said "If we see one president coming in, we're gonna see 'drill baby, drill' happen again." Trump has used the phrase over the course of the campaign.

Under the Biden administration, America has reached record levels of oil production , averaging 12.9 million barrels of crude oil per day last year. That follows President Joe Biden's decision to revoke permits for the Keystone XL pipeline shortly after entering office. The project would have carried oil nearly 1,200 miles from Alberta to Nebraska.

"After the board rooms of the large oil and gas companies started picking up on, 'well this is the way they're going,' I think it hurt a lot of future investments," said Todd.

"Under the Trump administration he relieved policies," said Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian. "I'm against many of the additional policies instead of restricting the government or restricting unfair competition."

Jeff Harris, General Manager of the Delek US Tyler Refinery, said he wants the federal government to allow more oil and gas exploration in Texas and increase fuel transportation using pipelines. He hopes more environmental regulations are not put in place.

"We're probably at the point, however, where the clean air and the clean water folks, anything we add to that to now is going to be extraordinarily expensive for the industry and may put people out of business," Harris said. "It will require significant amounts of capital investment for the refineries in the United States to meet substantially increased regulation." According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration , there were "132 operable petroleum refineries in the United States" on Jan. 1 of this year.

Rhetoric is another concern for Harris and Todd.

"It is harder to hire in our industry when the federal government treats our industry as an enemy," Harris added. "Using terms like 'Big Oil' and things like that is not very helpful to us."

"There's a lot of rhetoric about anti-frack," Todd added. "We don't need those types of talk and slowing down the oil and gas industry."

On the other side of oil and gas are renewable energy solutions, including solar. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association , Texas ranked first in solar capacities installed last year. Texas' solar energy is projected to grow by over 50 gigawatts over the next five years, which is similarly ranked number one.

Owner of EasTex Solar, Cal Morton, said he does not want much from the federal government, with his concern being on a state level, such as imposing limits on solar energy.

"I didn't think we would be at this stage this soon, that in 2024, 2025 that we could install a solar system for the price that we can do that nowadays, namely on the back of solar panel prices being so much less today than they were 10 years ago, 15 years ago," Morton said. "We're in a good place."

"I think we will have more wind, solar, I hope we have more nuclear," Jeff Harris said. "I think it's just the way we're evolving. Fossil fuels may or may not last forever, you've got to have an alternative."