UPDATE (3/10/13 1:15 pm ET)

This week was the 66th annual Ohio Oil and Gas Association winter meeting. The entire Energy in Depth team joined over 1,500 guests to talk about energy and natural gas development in Ohio. One of the guests was U.S. Congressman Bill Johnson, (R-Marietta) from eastern Ohio’s 6th District. The congressman gave the keynote address talking about his role on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

While addressing the crowd, Congressman Johnson talked about the committee’s oversight on the EPA as they conduct their long-term study on hydraulic fracturing, and how he and the others on the committee will watch very carefully the actions of EPA.

We can go after this resource, we can harvest it efficiently, we can harvest it effectively , and we can do it in a way that protects the environment, we have proven that. – Congressman Bill Johnson

It is good to see that the hard-working members of Ohio’s congressional delegation are focused on the issues of the day concerning Ohio’s shale development and environment and realize that both can and do happen without impacting each other with negative consequences.

–Original post from December 6, 2012–

If you missed the news last week, Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) announced five new members to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Among the appointees is Ohio’s own Bill Johnson (R-Marietta), who represents Ohio’s 6^th Congressional District.

Rep. Johnson joins Rep. Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) as Ohio’s members on the committee, providing valuable experience and an understanding of how shale development is not only changing the lives of Ohioans, but also how it is influencing the larger, national energy picture.

With the state emerging as a leader in domestic energy production, the appointment comes at a vital time in the early stages of development of our oil and natural gas resources. Congressman Johnson’s district includes Mahoning, Columbiana, Jefferson, Belmont, Monroe, Noble, Washington County, Athens, Meigs, Gallia, Lawrence and Scioto Counties – the heart of eastern Ohio’s Utica Shale formation.

Founded on December 14, 1795  (as the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures), the Energy and Commerce Committee is the oldest standing legislative committee in the House of Representatives. In addition to energy policy, the body is responsible for the nation’s telecommunications, consumer protection, food and drug safety, public health research, environmental quality and interstate and foreign commerce.

The committee is charged with the oversight of multiple cabinet-level Departments and independent agencies, including the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Health and Human Services and the .

Following the appointment, Congressman Johnson released a statement highlighting both the honor of serving on the prestigious committee, and the importance of the body’s scope on eastern and southeastern Ohio:

I am humbled and honored to have been chosen by my colleagues to serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee — the oldest, and one of the most influential, legislative committees in Congress. The Energy and Commerce Committee oversees America’s energy, healthcare, and telecommunications industries that are so vital to the economic growth of Eastern and Southeastern Ohio… Having a seat on Energy and Commerce is a great responsibility and will provide Eastern and Southeastern Ohio with a more prominent voice on important policy issues that affect our lives. – Congressman Bill Johnson (11/30/12)

Last year, in a guest column for Energy in Depth, Congressman Johnson discussed the great potential of eastern Ohio’s Utica Shale as a means to return to American Exceptionalism. This is a notion we see already coming into fruition as the region has seen an increase in revenue and investment, as well as a decline in unemployment rates thanks to the oil and natural gas industry – a fact not lost on the Congressman:

From an energy perspective, we’re sitting on top of virtually all of the coal and natural gas in Ohio, Domestic energy is everything people are talking about in southeast Ohio, and it’s revitalizing our economy. – Congressman Bill Johnson (Johnson Named To Energy Committee, 12/2/12)

Ohio’s role in America’s energy future is prominent. Our oil and natural gas resources in the Utica Shale and shale formations across the country will propel our nation’s economic recovery and drive us to what has been an ambition for every president and congress for the past four decades – energy security.

Congressman Johnson has worked diligently to promote the safe, responsible development of our homegrown energy, and his commitment to both America’s energy policy and eastern Ohio’s economic revitalization make the representative a natural fit for the committee. This was recognized by Chairman Upton in his selection, including recognition of the importance the committee holds in our future prosperity.

I look forward to working with Bill to further our commitment to creating jobs, making America more energy independent, and spurring economic growth.  – E&CC Chairman Fred Upton (11/30/12)

Energy in Depth Ohio would like to congratulate Congressman Johnson for his appointment, and we can all be thankful to have another representative from the Great State of Ohio serving on the House Energy and Commerce Committee at this juncture in our state’s history.

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