Restoring energy dominance: the path to unleashing American offshore energy

February 11, 2025

Oral Testimony of Williams Senior Vice President and General Counsel T. Lane Wilson

U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy & Mineral Resources on the importance of “Restoring Energy Dominance: The Path to Unleashing American Offshore Energy”

Read Wilson’s written testimony here.

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Good morning, Chairman Stauber, Ranking Member Ansari, and Members of the Subcommittee. My name is Lane Wilson, and I am a Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Williams.

I am honored to be invited to discuss ways we can work together to “unleash American energy.” 

Williams is the largest midstream service provider in the Gulf of America with over 2,500 miles of onshore and offshore gathering and transmission pipelines transporting both crude oil and natural gas in the Gulf Coast area.

We own and operate oil pipelines capable of safely transporting 660,000 barrels per day of oil from offshore to onshore terminals along the Gulf Coast. And we own and operate natural gas gathering lines capable of moving 3.15 bcf/d from offshore production across the Gulf to our processing plants. 

We also own and operate significant assets in the Gulf Coast states. For example, Gulfstream is a interstate natural gas pipeline that safely and reliably transports gas from the Mobile, Ala. area across the Gulf some 745-miles to the Tampa, Fla. area to serve Florida’s rapidly growing residential power generation needs.

Our investment in offshore and associated onshore energy infrastructure creates thousands of direct and indirect jobs, supporting skilled labor and stimulating local economies. And, by enabling natural gas exports through liquified natural gas (LNG) facilities, Williams helps the U.S. capitalize on global energy demand, boosting national wealth and trade surpluses.

Pipelines are Essential, Pipelines Power America.

Pipelines are the safest, cleanest and most cost-efficient means of transporting natural gas – and demand for natural gas is only increasing.

Lower-48 gas demand growth, driven by LNG exports, electrification, data center demand, and overall increases in energy consumption is expected to more than double by 2030, with an additional 13.2 Bcf/d of demand expected from 2024-2030.

Electricity demand is experiencing 10 times faster growth per year this decade than what was seen in previous decades, driven by electrification, the energy needs of artificial intelligence, and the emergence of new, large-load data centers.

U.S. data center power demand is expected to more than double by 2030, requiring as much as 4 Bcf/d of incremental gas demand, if all met by natural gas.

Americans cannot rely on intermittent sources of energy, like wind and solar, to meet demand during peak hours or extended weather events. The U.S. saw record high natural gas demand in 2023, even as wind and solar grew. Reliable natural gas is needed for peak days and to back-up intermittent resources.

America Needs More Pipelines to Meet Growing Demands

The U.S. has the abundant energy resources to meet this need, but a byzantine permitting system coupled with fervent opposition to human advancement from activist groups makes building infrastructure nearly impossible. To ensure America’s long-term competitiveness, Congress must prioritize permitting reform.

America’s permitting system is labyrinthian by any reasonable measure, requiring projects to receive duplicative approvals from dozens of federal and state agencies. Beyond the permitting process, there are also significant litigation risks from groups weaponizing regulatory loopholes and misusing environmental statutes to delay and cancel projects.

There are three key steps to streamlining the regulatory process that Congress can take to help ensure that we have the infrastructure needed to meet growing energy demands:

First, policymakers need to empower FERC and bring the Clean Water Act 401 review into the FERC process;

Second, Congress needs to reform judicial review, empowering the courts to fairly review the actions and decisions of government agencies; and

Lastly — but equally as important — is fixing NEPA to limit litigation to the purpose of the statute.

Pipelines power America, and our country and its citizens have received the benefits of this large-scale infrastructure for years. 

Real permitting reform will put the U.S. on a path to meet the ever-growing need for energy and a path to achieve human flourishing. The changes will cost taxpayers nothing while paying a world of dividends.   

Mr. Chairman, Madam Ranking Member and distinguished Members of the Committee, this concludes my prepared statement. I welcome your questions. Thank you.