Gov. Perry: Energy Industry Helps Our Economy Lead the Nation

Gov. Rick Perry today met with plant managers from the Baytown area at the Southeast Texas Plant Managers Forum to discuss Texas' economy and the role of the state's petrochemical industry in fueling the nation.

"This industry creates jobs and generates products and services that have helped our economy lead the nation," Gov. Perry said. "We will continue to create the economic climate in Texas where these businesses can not only survive, but thrive. We will also continue to fight an increasingly activist EPA that threatens industries like this one to ensure they can continue driving Texas' economic engine."

Texas' energy industry supplies 20 percent of the nation's oil production, more than 30 percent of the nation's natural gas production, a quarter of the nation's refining capacity, and nearly 60 percent of the nation's chemical manufacturing. Texas' energy industry employs 200,000 to 300,000 Texans, earning $35 billion in total wages.

Overall, Texas' economy continues to receive national attention. CNBC recently named Texas America's Top State for Business. Texas was also recently named the "Best State to Do Business" by CEO Magazine for the sixth year in a row, and six of Texas' metro areas were listed as "America's Recovery Capitals" by Forbes and Moody's Economy.

No other state is home to more Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, and Texas is the nation's leading exporting state for the eighth consecutive year. Over the past 10 years, Texas created more private sector jobs than any other state in the nation, with the Texas unemployment rate staying constant at 8.2 percent in July, well below the national average.

The Southeast Texas Plant Managers Forum represents companies that employ 20,000 individuals in the petrochemical industry in Southeast Texas, with $1 billion in annual payroll. These companies refine 60 percent of the nation's aircraft fuel, 11 percent of the nation's natural gas, and almost 40 percent of the nation's liquid natural gas. Plant managers from these companies meet monthly to discuss issues relevant to the petrochemical industry in Southeast Texas.