Vets4Energy National Liaison Speaks at Legion Event in NC

March 24, 2016

Vets4Energy National Liaison, Rear Admiral Don Loren, USN (ret.) joined North Carolina Director of Veterans Affairs, Ilario Pantano, to address the State of Energy Security in the Mid-Atlantic and the State of North Carolina’s Veterans Affairs, respectively. 

** Earlier in the day, Rear Admiral Loren was interviewed by Tyler Cralle, a radio show host on WAAV radio (Loren's segment begins at 20:50).

The luncheon was hosted by American Legion Post 10 and Wilmington Navy League, with more than 200 veterans, local elected officials, and business leaders in attendance in Wilmington, NC.  

Rear Adm. Don Loren’s message was very clear to attendees, "energy security is critical to our nation’s security."  He continued by saying:

• "This energy revolution has generated thousands of jobs and billions in revenue to contribute to our GDP."
• "It has shielded us from instability and reduced our imports, and thus our reliance on those who do not share our values."
• "The increased use of natural gas has helped us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and this trend can continue."
• Our strong energy production has also given us the economic and military independence to ensure we are safe from the threats from adversarial nations, from terrorist groups such as ISIS, and from economic and political coercion."
• "And now, with the ability to export both oil and natural gas, we also have a valuable diplomatic tool to support our allies."

In addition to national security, Admiral Loren talked about the economic advantages of domestic energy production, highlighting the jobs that could be created for veterans. 

• “To assist with matching military skills to oil and gas jobs, Vets4Energy and the American Petroleum Institute recently launched a website called the Veterans Energy Pipeline that can serve as an invaluable tool in matching critical military specialties and skill, to energy industry job opportunity.”