Texas Keystone Pipeline Houston 8 PBS Roundtable

Hosted by Houston’s PBS station, this in-depth roundtable discussion features Dr. Michelle Foss, the Chief Energy Economist/Program Manager at the University of Texas At Austin’s Bureau of Economic Geology; Dr. Don Van Nieuwenhuise, the director of the University of Houston’s Petroleum Geo-science Programs; and Dr. Jeffrey Wozniak, a Research Fellow at Sam Houston State University’s Texas Research Institute For Environmental Studies.

Texas Petroleum Production and Refining

The Keystone XL Pipeline would deliver crude oil to Texas refineries, helping to create good, high-paying jobs in Texas. Experts estimate that as many as 20,000 jobs would be created overall. The 27 oil refineries in Texas can process more than 4.7 million barrels of crude oil per day, which equals more than 25% of total U.S. refining capacity.

Texas Oil & Energy Industry Facts

• Oil and gas companies employ more than 315,000 Texans in high-quality, high-paying jobs.
• In Texas, the average annual income for an oil and gas employee is about $97,000. In contrast, the average annual income for workers at other private sector firms is around $44,000.
• Economists estimate that every oil and gas job in Texas creates three more jobs.
• Texas is the top producer of crude oil in the United States.