HOUSTON—Anti-energy groups are spending millions of dollars, galvanizing their followers and often winning the battle of public opinion.

But HBW Resources Managing Partner David Holt challenged the pro-energy groups to speak up and take back the court of public opinion during his 50-minute talk at the Summer NAPE Business Conference on Aug. 15. Holt’s firm provides energy companies with counsel and guidance on governmental and energy industry initiatives.

“Put them on their back feet,” he said. “They don’t have a solution to meeting our energy needs.”

Holt said HBW is tracking 2,000 anti-energy advocacy groups, which are taking on issues such as pipelines, offshore drilling and hydraulic fracturing. He said these active campaign efforts are designed to thwart energy development.

Meanwhile, there are only about 100 organized efforts by the industry promoting energy.

“So this notion of the big bad oil and gas industry outspends, outmaneuvers, out hustles the anti-energy faction, that is not true,” Holt said. “By our reckoning between these 2,000 different groups about $600 million will be spent on anti-energy and related campaigns in 2018.

“The oil and gas and broader energy industry is not spending that much.”

But Holt said it’s about time that the energy fights back with facts like fewer energy regulations means more jobs and more affordable energy for the working class.

Holt said in a perfect world that people in the U.S. should spend 6% to 8% of their monthly income on energy, which is primarily gasoline and electricity. But as you get closer to the poverty level, Holt said he finds that in some areas and some states that people are spending as much as 35% to 40% of their monthly income on energy.

He said that is why it is so important for the pro-energy sector to get out and have their voices heard to influence November’s elections.

“If I’m a Democratic member of Congress and I understand that the demographics of my community are 30% at or below the poverty level opposing sensible energy policy is not something I really want to do,” Holt said. “The fastest way to put disposable income back into someone’s pockets is to keep energy prices low.”

Holt, who predicted that Republicans should either maintain or add seats in the Senate but could lose some ground in the House, said President Trump and his administration have been good for the energy industry. Perhaps it’s been for his own political expedience.

“Trump, who frankly is not a Republican or a Democrat, he’s a Trump,” Holt said. “(He) sees this as a way to create jobs, to create swing voters that support him and his administration and to create economic opportunity. It’s really about those forgotten Americans, that working class, those labor unions and other groups in key states, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. The states that without winning those states Donald Trump would not be President today.

“He is going to continue to promote energy policy that expand our opportunity for all energy, primarily oil and natural gas, but look for ways to get more working class Americans back to work.”

But even still Holt encouraged those in attendance to make sure they are going out armed with the facts and stomping for energy. He told them not to be afraid to debate anti-energy voices and to do so with the facts.

Holt told the audience that anti-energy groups our wrapping their cause into the environmental cause. But he said everyone is for keeping the environment safe and clean.

“That’s a misnomer because there is not a man or woman in this room that doesn’t disagree with that,” he said. “We all think that the environment needs to be protected.

“We all want to do and we actually are doing all that we can to make sure the environment is protected.”

He challenged those in the audience when debating anti-energy people to ask them about their solution to solving the energy issue.

“The discussion needs to be on energy solutions,” Holt said. “What are we doing to meet the needs of this family, of this community, of society at large to create jobs?

“They need to come to the table on energy solutions. If we do that that’s a debate worth having for the nation.”