By EDWARD CROSS
Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association

The next generation of Americans will be challenged to expand and maintain our nation’s energy abundance and global energy leadership. Currently, America’s oil and natural gas industry is meeting record consumer demand and leading the world in production, all while driving emissions to their lowest level in nearly seven decades.

Today, oil and natural gas supply nearly 65% of all U.S. energy. Oil supplies 97% of U.S. transport needs and natural gas supplies 34% of U.S. electricity. Oil and natural gas support over 10.3 million jobs in the U.S. including over 118,000 Kansas jobs. In addition, the latest EPA data shows total U.S. CO2 emissions decreased nearly 14%, while methane emissions were reduced by 4% since 2005. Meanwhile, U.S. oil and natural gas production increased more than 80% and 51% respectively. The oil and natural gas industry has proven that over the long-term, it is possible to lead in energy production and environmental stewardship.

We applaud President Trump’s commitment to America’s energy leadership, which has the power to unify Republicans and Democrats in a divided Congress to put up some major wins for the American people.

Debate continues across the country on our nation’s energy future. Few doubt that energy has improved lives and enabled human progress. Yet one of the biggest challenges facing the world is the polarized debate over the future of energy. Facts and economics are too often replaced with assertions and emotions. Discussion about fossil fuels and alternative energy sources often degenerate into a battle to delegitimize the other side. This is a recipe for inaction. And it keeps billions of people trapped in energy poverty. The world expects and deserves better.

A new energy poll released earlier this year indicates what Americans think about U.S. oil and natural gas. Key poll results include:

• 83% see oil and natural gas as important to the future
• 78% of voters support increased production of oil and natural gas resources
• 84% support increased development of the country’s energy infrastructure
• 77% support energy policies that the oil and natural gas industry advocates: a secure supply of abundant, affordable, available energy.
• 75% support the role that natural gas are playing in reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• 90% see personal value in oil and natural gas

Clearly, Americans support developing domestic energy resources and believe that can be done in a way protective of our environment. Policymakers at all levels should pursue energy policies that drives economic growth, lower costs for consumers, protects the environment, increases American competitiveness, and uses our considerable energy resources as a way to lift people up.

The U.S. currently has a better, more sensible approach to energy development than any other country in the world, both short-term and long-term. Where government policy has been absent, free markets have filled the void with great success.

The energy policy choices our nation makes today are among the most important and far-reaching policy decisions we will make in the 21st century. If we are to continue our nation’s positive energy trends, we must implement energy policies based on current reality and our potential as an energy leader. Too often, energy policy discussions are dominated by the ill-informed whose contributions to the discussions do little to educate and much to misinform.

As the oil and gas industry has shown, there is a better way. Just a few years ago, no one would have imagined the U.S. could increase production of oil and natural gas while cutting greenhouse emissions, which are now near 25-year lows. By focusing on more efficient use of energy, it is possible to lower emissions without imposing even more environmental restrictions.

An American energy policy that values innovation over regulation can turn energy policy challenges into great opportunities for economic growth and energy security. This approach is not just good business, it’s good stewardship and a much better strategy for improving the quality of life for all.

The key going forward is to avoid placing unnecessary political or legal obstacles in the way of innovation and expansion. That’s a prescription for economic prosperity and a cleaner environment.

We should set aside the acrimony and division that has marked too much of past national energy policy discussions and work together as one nation on a positive forward-looking energy future. American energy policy should focus on what’s important: American jobs, American energy security, and American global energy leadership. We need a national energy policy based on science, the free market, and entrepreneurial spirit. Those who act on our behalf at all levels of government should use those principles as the foundation for their energy policy decisions.

Let’s take a flight on Air Force One. Look at the fine cabinetry and furniture. The craftsman who worked on those furnishings is now putting his skills to work with his partner in creating beautiful customized wood products in rural Kansas. These are master craftsmen working in wood.

Jerry Rumbaugh and Dan O’Neal are partners in this business called Studio 57, which produces customized wood products near Junction City.

Jerry Rumbaugh grew up in Junction City and attended Southern Nazarene University where he met his wife. Jerry was always skilled in working with wood. He did roofing, framing, and finish carpenter work in his parents’ construction company. For almost 20 years before retiring, he worked in the wood shop at New Horizons RV, building cabinets for recreational vehicles.

Dan O’Neal got a degree in music education at K-State but there were no teaching jobs open when he graduated. He went to work in L. W. Wilson’s cabinet shop near Manhattan and found he really enjoyed it. His career in carpentry and woodworking took him to Wichita where he worked on the furnishings on Air Force One.

Eventually he moved back to the Junction City area and worked at New Horizons RV where he met Jerry. He worked in the wood shop at New Horizons for 11 years before retiring. Dan and his wife live at Wakefield, so he crosses the Milford Lake bridge when he goes to work. “It’s a gorgeous drive,” Dan said.

The two friends worked on wood projects together at New Horizons. “Jerry was wood shop supervisor,” Dan said. “The exceptional quality of his work was instrumental in making the company No. 1 in the nation.”

When they retired, they decided to go into business together. They set up shop at Jerry’s place, which is in a rural setting along Highway 57 between Junction City and the rural community of Dwight, population 252 people. Now, that’s rural.
Because Highway 57 is where the shop is located, they called their business Studio 57. Their specialty is high quality, customized wood products. They have CNC equipment which enables them to do remarkable digitally-controlled designs.

The company makes signs, headboards, lithophanes, engraved photos, ash boxes, custom lettering, CNC carvings, and more. A lithophane, by the way, is a type of back-lit etching. When their former boss at New Horizons passed away, his family asked them to make an ash box as the final resting place for the cremains, which they did.

These two craftsmen created a sign for their business which is especially eye-catching. It’s an engraved acrylic sign with built-in lighting on a gorgeous cherry wood base. They can also cut out designs in Corian countertop material that can be inset in a wooden sheet.

Studio 57 produces carved photos which are like works of art. In fact, their picture of a boat was displayed at what is now the Strecker Nelson West Gallery in Manhattan.

Using a software program, the photos are superimposed onto a piece of wood which is grooved in a way that displays the design. Up close, one can feel the grooves. Step back, and it looks like a black and white photo. The grooves or lines can be cut at any width and any angle.

When asked what kind of wood they use, the answer is “Yes.” In other words, they can use any and all types of wood. Maple, cherry and oak would be the most common.

Jerry and Dan use the phrase “Woodwork Re-Imagined” to describe their work. The quality and diversity of products which they can produce is remarkable. The company’s market is growing through word of mouth.

For more information, visit Studio 57 Junction City on Facebook.

It’s time to leave Air Force One, where we’ve admired the handiwork of the craftsman who made these fine wood products. Now that craftsmanship can be found in rural Kansas. We commend Jerry Rumbaugh and Dan O’Neal for making a difference with their skills and creative abilities. If there is a wood product that can be designed, you can be sure that these guys would.