American Petroleum Institute - Public Advocacy

Public Advocacy

In the second half of 2008, as the US presidential election neared, API began airing a series of television ads where spokeswoman Brooke Alexander encourages people to visit their new website, EnergyTomorrow.org API does not use their own name in the ads but does call themselves "The People of America's Oil and Natural Gas Industry."

In October 2011, during debates on major job-creation bills and the Republican Party nomination race, similar ads aired (heavily on CNN, for instance) promoting a jobs strategy based on oil and tar sands developments such as Keystone XL. This was an attempt to gain approval of that pipeline before its December 2011 deadline by making it politically difficult to oppose.

API allies and supporters including the Koch brothers were also visible in this debate.

In January 2012, the American Petroleum Institute launched the voter education campaign - Vote 4 Energy. The campaign claims that increased domestic energy production can create jobs, increase government revenue, and provide U.S. energy security. The Vote 4 Energy campaign does not promote any specific candidate or party, but rather provides voters with energy information to equip them to evaluate candidates on the federal and local levels and make decisions in favor of domestic energy on Election Day.

The main components of the Vote 4 Energy campaign include the website - Vote4Energy.org - and social media communities, along with a series of advertisements and events around the country.