Governor Kay Ivey has been selected as chairwoman of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Governors Coalition, a body that plays a crucial role in advancing American energy independence.

Fellow Coalition governors elected Ivey on Wednesday to serve a two-year term as chair of the important group.

The Coalition, formed in 2011, is a bipartisan effort to further safe offshore energy development through responsible resource management, as part of a comprehensive national energy policy. The Coalition has been a leader on state and federal discussions and coordination for offshore energy issues and environmental protection.

“I’m thrilled to become the next chairwoman of the OCS Governors Coalition,” Ivey said in a press release. “Alabama and the nation benefit when we are all working together to ensure we can meet our energy needs now and well into the future. I look forward to working with my fellow governors at a time when U.S. energy production is transforming our economy here at home and changing political calculations around the world.”

The group brings together a cross-section of coastal governors to share information and speak collectively to federal officials about the best ways to manage the nation’s abundant offshore resources – from wind to wave to oil and natural gas.

Energy development in the Gulf of Mexico is a major economic driver for the state of Alabama. With the new federal leasing program expected in early 2019, members of the Coalition will work together to advance offshore leasing for wind and oil and natural gas for the Eastern, Central and Western Gulf.

The Coalition is currently comprised of the governors of Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi and Texas.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn