Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed (R-Jasper) on Thursday was elected chairman of the Alabama legislature’s important Oil and Gas Study Committee.
Created by the legislature in 1983, this committee is responsible for keeping track of trends in the state’s oil and gas industry.
According to a study conducted in 2017 by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Alabama’s oil and natural gas industry supports 86,400 jobs and contributes $8.8 billion to the Yellowhammer State’s economy.
House Speaker Pro Tem Victor Gaston (R-Mobile), the immediate past chairman of the committee, nominated Reed to serve as the new chairman.
“It was my pleasure to recommend Greg Reed as the new chairman. 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,” Gaston commented in a statement.
Reed, who has served as a member of the committee since 2013, said that he appreciates 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 remarked.
“Alabama is abundant in natural resources, and that includes coal, oil, and natural gas. 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,” he concluded.
RELATED: Reed: ‘God put’ coal on earth for a reason; Alabama’s miners have strong ‘sense of pride’
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
