The nation must live in accord with the coal, oil and natural gas industry, declared Nick DeIuliis, president of Consol Energy Inc., speaking at Hart Energy's Developing Unconventional Gas East conference in Pittsburgh. Consol Energy is one of the largest coal and gas producers in the U.S.

DeIuliis urged the industry not to allow lawmakers and politicians to defame the industry with inflated rhetoric, and cautioned that the energy industry would ignore these issues to its detriment.

DeIuliis' presentation listed what he termed “self-evident truths” of the energy evolution in the U.S., and stressed the importance of perception's effects on future regulations.

Pittsburgh is arguably the energy capital of the U.S., as it sits on a diverse natural gas resource base unlike any other in the country, he said.

“The city has a long, illustrious history, first as a coal mining town, and now a natural gas and oil Mecca,” he said. "The most advanced drilling techniques known to man are being applied here in the Marcellus. The Utica shale is blossoming. The most advanced underground coal-mining techniques in the world are being used here. Midstream infrastructure is being developed right before our eyes.”

Pittsburgh is and always has been the capital of the Appalachian region, and a hub of energy industry activity, he said. Western Pennsylvania has more in common, socially and economically, with upstate New York, West Virginia and eastern and western Ohio than it does with Washington DC, he said.

"Manhattan, DC, and California can talk all day long about the theory and fantasy of the energy policy's effect on jobs. But here in western Pennsylvania, we don’t deal well with theory and fantasy. We never had the luxury, time or patience. We deal with the reality of making it happen. When someone criticizes these energy industries, they wrongly criticize these great men and women."

Also, DeIuliis said it's time for the industry to start “walking the walk, and not just talking the talk” when it comes to safety and compliance. Companies need to “make good on promises” with regard to safety and economic and environmental sensitivity.

"Talk is cheap, but I assure you, if our actions are consistent, these industries are going to thrive. But if the talk is just talk, I can assure you, we are going to fail," he said. "These professions should be considered inherently serious professions, and they can be performed without serious injury."

In addition, DeIuliis noted that the fossil-fuel industries in this region are creating jobs that are “second to none.” People in this industry “don't just make a good wage, they make an awesome wage,” he said. Also, access to electricity is “a basic human right,” and natural gas and coal fuel 75% of today’s power generation.

“The energy industry is under constant attack, not by reasonable regulation or reasonable oversight, but by political smear campaigns. The industry needs to take a stand and put a stop to it.”

Meanwhile, energy producers should work together, be they coal miners or oil and gas producers, he advised. Pitting the natural gas industry against the coal industry is counter-productive.

“The enemies of fossil fuels despise both industries, and it is only a matter of time before both allow themselves to be divided and conquered. Acknowledge these truths, and address them, and the industry will thrive,” he said. “But ignore them and dismiss them, and the industry will fail."

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