White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy met with oil and gas executives Monday to talk about shared priorities for addressing climate change and related issues.
Ms. McCarthy "emphasized President Biden's commitment to bringing the voices and perspectives of all stakeholders to the table when tackling climate change," according to a White House readout of the virtual meeting.
"She made clear that the administration is not fighting the oil and gas sector, but fighting to create union jobs, deploy emission reduction technologies, strengthen American manufacturing, and fuel the American economy," the White House said.
During the meeting, oil and gas industry representatives were asked about their commitments and ideas for addressing the climate crisis and reducing emissions while supporting local economies and job creation.
Oil executives expressed support for carbon pricing in the meeting, and their trade group the American Petroleum Institute said it would soon have a new policy on climate change. Mike Sommers, president and CEO of API, said in a statement after the meeting that its members are committed to working with the White House on government policies that help meet the ambitions of the Paris Agreement.
API official Lem Smith said in a recent blogpost that the group "shares the administration's ambitions for economic recovery and emissions reductions," and that its member companies are actively investing in new technologies including carbon capture.
On Tuesday, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry joined a virtual climate conference chaired by his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, and attended by officials from Europe and Canada. The annual Ministerial on Climate Action meeting was created by China, the European Union and Canada after the U.S. withdrew from the Paris Agreement.
The Biden administration will also hear from industry officials on Thursday at a public forum hosted by the Interior Department to revisit oil and gas production on federal lands.
On April 22, the U.S. will host a climate summit at which it is expected to recommit to the Paris Agreement.
