State Rep. Parker Moore has been named a founding leadership member of a new bipartisan advisory board bringing together more than 50 state lawmakers from across the country to address energy security, national security and international diplomacy.
Moore (R-Hartselle) is among the founding leaders of the Council for a Secure America’s State Legislative Advisory Board, launched Wednesday with representatives from 19 states.
The board is designed to give state lawmakers a greater role in discussions about how energy production, economic development and international relationships affect national security.
Moore represents House District 4, which includes portions of Limestone, Madison and Morgan counties.
The new appointment adds to Moore’s involvement in national policy discussions. He also serves as a co-chair of Alabama’s bipartisan Future Caucus and is a member of its national task force examining state artificial intelligence policy.
The Council for a Secure America, or CSA, is a nonprofit organization focused on the relationship between American energy security, national security and diplomacy, including the United States’ relationship with Israel.
The advisory board will be chaired by North Dakota State Sen. Dale Patten, with New Mexico State Sen. Craig Brandt serving as vice chair.
Other founding leadership members include lawmakers from Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
The board held its inaugural meeting virtually Wednesday, led by CSA co-chairmen James Tisch of Loews Corporation and Harold Hamm of Continental Resources. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a CSA emeritus member, also delivered recorded remarks.
Hamm emphasized the connection between domestic energy production and national security.
“Energy security is national security,” Hamm said.
He said the bipartisan effort could help strengthen American energy production while connecting lawmakers to broader national and international policy discussions.
Patten said the board’s membership was deliberately expanded beyond states that produce significant amounts of energy.
“When we first started talking about this, our focus started off with the energy-producing states,” Patten said. “And then we made the decision that that is only one half of the equation.”
He said energy-consuming states also need a voice in discussions about supply, reliability and national security.
“If we have the energy-producing states, we actually truly need to have the energy-consuming states as well, sitting at the table,” Patten said.
CSA Executive Director Jennifer Sutton said the initiative recognizes that decisions made in state capitals can have consequences far beyond state borders.
“American leadership does not begin or end in Washington,” Sutton said. “What happens in Bismarck matters in Bahrain and Beirut.”
The organization’s leadership also emphasized its focus on the relationship between the United States and Israel, particularly as Wednesday’s meeting coincided with the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
Wright discussed the role energy development and international commerce can play in strengthening relationships between countries.
“Energy is the way to build bridges that are built around commerce and not conflict,” Wright said.
For Moore, the appointment places a North Alabama legislator among state policymakers participating in those discussions as the board develops its work on energy security and international cooperation.
Got a tip for OTR? Send your tip to [email protected] with related photo/video, your name, phone number, and e-mail address.
