Army Captain McCormick (Ret.) speaks at gas industry leader gathering

September 18, 2015

Speaking at an annual gathering of natural gas industry leaders in Philadelphia, Army Captain James McCormick (Ret.) told the group that America has a unique opportunity to free itself from the entanglements of imported energy.

"We have a chance, right now, to become 100 per cent energy independent," McCormick said," but only if we implement the right policies and allow our private sector to harness the massive resources we have inside our own borders."

McCormick, an Iraq war veteran and a three-time purple heart, bronze and silver star heart recipient was invited to speak at the annual Shale Insight convention which brings together hundreds of companies and individuals that are on the front lines of the country's shale energy revolution. McCormick, who is a full-time organic farmer from West Virginia is also the State Program Director of Vets4Energy a nation-wide group of volunteers that advocate sound and safe energy policies that will move America to energy self-sufficiency in just a few years.

The Shale Insight convention is the pre-eminent gathering of the brightest minds in the natural gas industry. The gathering, sponsored by the Marcellus Shale Coalition, is held each September so industry practitioners can get caught up on the latest technical advances in the field and hear the latest news from experts and government leaders about trends and threats to the natural gas industry.

Captain McCormick's appearance was a departure from some of the routine rhetoric typically heard during trade conference. In McCormick's view, every dollar an American spends on foreign energy is a dollar that could spent purchasing arms that could harm our men and women in uniform. McCormick framed that point of view using his son, just home from a tour of duty in Iraq, as his focal point.

"When my son was overseas, and each time I filled my tank, I wondered how much of the money I used to pay for my gas would spent by a terrorist nation to buy guns that would be used to kill my son?" he asked.

McCormick has spoken to Veteran and business groups all across the country about the need to have America become energy independent. He implored the attendees at the Shale Insight conference to continue their work for purposes beyond just commercial enrichment.

"Every site you drill is taking us closer to energy independence. We, and you, must keep this thing going because it's the patriotic thing to do."

McCormick told the enraptured audience that he personally lost 19 close friends in combat fighting in locations that would not have required an American military presence were it not for the oil reserves we were there to defend.

"We have to honor the sacrifice of thousands of men and women in uniform. Many have paid the ultimate price. The void left in their families can never be filled," he said. "Don't let their sacrifice be in vain."

The Shale Insight conference this year occurs at a time when natural gas prices are at historic lows. In addition, in the state of Pennsylvania, new proposed taxes threaten the future health of the industry just a few short years after it took off.

If nothing else, Captain McCormick's remarks reminded the group that their efforts go beyond the daily cycles of commodity prices and government regulation. The fate of the nation and the lives of the individuals that defend it may also hang in the balance as well.