Former Congressman J.C. Watts Joins The Domestic Energy Producers Alliance

Online, February 7, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The Domestic Energy Producers Alliance (DEPA) Board of Directors announced today that former Congressman J.C. Watts is now part of a unique bipartisan alliance devoted to the survival of U.S. crude oil and natural gas exploration and production.

Watts, an Oklahoma Republican, will join current DEPA consultant former Congressman Martin Frost, a Democrat from Texas, to represent the interests of the domestic energy industry in Washington, D.C.

"We are very excited to have J.C. join the team. He will be able to work side-by-side with Martin in a solid coalition which will only boost the success we've had on both sides of the Congressional aisle," said DEPA Chairman Harold Hamm.

DEPA President Mike Cantrell agreed.

"Bipartisanship is the cornerstone of our organization," Cantrell said. "With the addition of former Congressman Watts to the team, we're better able to protect the small businessmen and women of the energy industry from the heavy hand of government. Having served in an oil and gas regulatory body and having served in Congress, he has keen insight into our industry."

Together with its bipartisan advocacy, DEPA's alliance of producers, royalty owners, oilfield service companies, and state and national independent oil and gas associations will speak for the interests of the domestic oil and gas industry in an effective and distinctive way, he said.

DEPA's collaborating partners include the National Association of Royalty Owners, Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association and the National Stripper Well Association, as well as hundreds of American energy industry producers and service providers.

Watts represented Oklahoma's 4th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives from 1995 through to 2002. He was elected Chairman of the House Republican Conference in 1998. In addition to serving the Armed Services, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Banking, Watts served on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, which he authored legislation to create and co-authored the American Community Renewal and New Markets Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 2000.

Watts is the Chairman of the J.C. Watts Companies, which provide customers and clients with assistance in government relations, market development and strategic communications. He has served as a corporate advisor or director for several major U.S. corporations, including John Deere, Wells Fargo, NASCAR, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Clear Channel Communications, Dillard's Department Stores and Terex Corporation. Watts has appeared regularly on major news shows and is frequently heard on national radio shows. He also writes a biweekly column published in more than a dozen newspapers.