OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma — Political and energy industry leaders are convening for a two-day summit on energy security on Monday in what Sen. James Lankford told attendees is “the center of the energy universe.”, a first-of-its-kind gathering of industry and political leaders hosted by the Hamm Institute for American Energy at Oklahoma State University .
“In just a few hours, dignitaries from around the world and across the nation will converge on the Hamm Institute for American Energy,” Shrum said, opening the ceremony. “We have the most notable thought leaders, decision-makers, and influencers all in the same room to participate in a robust and critically important discussion about energy security and what it means for economic prosperity, national security, and world peace.
Pompeo joked that when Hamm called him to invite him to this event, he was “at home counting the gold bars in my safe” — a jab at Sen. Bob Menendez , who was just indicted for allegedly taking gold bars and significant sums of cash as bribes — prompting laughter and some jeers from the audience and leading Pompeo to wonder aloud if the joke was “too soon.”
Lankford noted that he will smile back at them and then start reciting data to the Democrats, including top members of President Joe Biden’s administration. “You’ve got the political world and you’ve got the data world, and they definitely don’t agree. We’re a part of the data world,” Lankford said. Pompeo lambasted the Biden administration’s electric vehicle policies, too, arguing they are the driving force behind the United Auto Workers’ current strikes.