The National Petroleum Council (NPC) is an American

advisory committee An advisory board is a body that provides non-binding strategic advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation. The informal nature of an advisory board gives greater flexibility in structure and management compared to th ...

representing

oil and natural gas industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The larges ...

views to the

United States Secretary of Energy The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and fifteenth in the United States presidential line of succession, presidential line of succession. The po ...

History

The council was established in 1946 at the request of President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

to represent industry views on any matters relating to oil and natural gas. In 1977, its role was transferred to the new

Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rel ...

, and the council is now formally chartered as

Federal Advisory Committee The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (), is a United States federal law which governs the behavior of federal advisory committees. In particular, it has special emphasis on open meetings, chartering, public involvement, and reporting. The U.S. ...

with private funding.

Committee

The NPC currently has 203 members, organized and appointed by the

Secretary of Energy The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was created on October 1, 1977, when Pr ...

. Individual members serve without compensation as representatives of their industry as a whole, not as lobbyists for specific companies. The committee is organized to reflect the geographic extent of the oil and gas industry while also covering all industry sectors and representing both large and small companies.

Purpose

The purpose of the NPC is "solely to advise, inform, and make recommendations to the

U.S. Secretary of Energy The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was created on October 1, 1977, when Pr ...

with respect to any matter relating to oil and natural gas or to the oil and gas industries submitted to it or approved by the Secretary." The NPC prepares publicly available reports which are the result of studies conducted at the bequest of the Secretary of Energy. Since its inception, the Council has prepared over 200 reports.

References

External links

National Petroleum Council
official website American advisory organizations United States Department of Energy Lobbying in the United States {{poli-org-stub