Joe Manchin’s Chief of Staff Joins Top US Oil Lobbying Group (1)

Senator Joe Manchin’s chief of staff is joining the American Petroleum Institute, the top US oil and gas lobbying group, as its vice president of affairs.

Lance West will lead the API’s “engagement and advocacy with Congress and federal agencies,” the group said Thursday in a statement.

West joins the Washington-based group at a critical time for the industry, which has repeatedly come under fire from the Biden administration and congressional Democrats after oil and gasoline prices spiked following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. West could be an asset in building connections with Democrats amid simmering tensions between ...