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Reed elected chairman of Legislature’s Oil and Gas Study Committee

State Sen. Greg Reed has been selected as Alabama state Senate president pro tem.

Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed, R-Jasper, was elected Chairman of the Alabama Legislature’s Oil and Gas Study Committee.

“Alabama is abundant in natural resources, and that includes coal, oil, and natural gas,” Reed said. “I am committed to working with state agencies and private companies to ensure that we have a fair, transparent regulatory system in Alabama that results in more jobs for workers, increased economic growth for the state, and lower costs for the consumer.”

The Oil and Gas Study Committee was created by the State Legislature in 1983. The Oil and Gas Committee is responsible for keeping track of trends in Alabama’s oil and gas industry.

According to a study conducted in 2017 by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Alabama’s oil and natural gas industry supports 86,400 jobs and contributes $8.8 billion to the state’s economy.

The Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives, Victor Gaston, R-Mobile, is the immediate past chairman of the Oil and Gas Study Committee.

Rep. Gaston commended Reed’s leadership as he nominated Reed on Thursday to serve as the new chairman.

“It was my pleasure to recommend Greg Reed as the new chairman,” Gaston said. “Senator Reed is a serious thinker who understands the vital importance of Alabama’s oil and gas industry, and he has the respect of his peers in the State Legislature, on both sides of the aisle.”

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Reed has served as a member of the committee since 2013, said he appreciated the years of service that Gaston has contributed as chairman.

“Speaker Pro Tem Gaston has done a tremendous job in leading this committee, and it is a privilege to follow in his footsteps as chairman,” Reed said.

Greg Reed is the Alabama Senate Majority Leader and represents Senate District 5. SD5 includes all or parts of Winston, Walker, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson, and Fayette counties.

In recent years, the oil and gas industries, as well as coal have come under attack by environmental groups who blame the burning of fossil fuels for a number of environmental concerns, including climate change.

The U.S. is the largest producer of oil and gas in the world.

Brandon Moseley is a former reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter.

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