Mike Sommers
Credentials
- BA, Political Science and Government, Miami University (1997).1โMike Sommers,โ LinkedIn. Accessed May 1, 2018.
Background
Mike Sommers has been the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute (API) since May 2018, taking over from Jack Gerard. Before API, Sommers was president and CEO of the American Investment Council (AIC), previously known as the Private Equity Growth Capital Council (PEGCC), which he led since February 2016.2โOil lobby expected to tap Beltway veteran for top role,โ Axios, April 30, 2018. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/fvtmL 3โMIKE SOMMERS NAMED NEW API PRESIDENT AND CEO,โ API. May 2, 2018. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/TUNg4
Sommers has been a top aide to former House Speaker John Boehner. He previously worked as Boehnerโs deputy chief of staff, policy director, legislative director, and press secretary. In 2005, Sommers left the Hill to work as a special assistant to President George W. Bush at the National Economic Council where he advised Bush on agriculture and trade policy. He returned to work for Boehner at Capitol Hill in early 2006.4โMike Sommers,โ American Investment Council. Archived May 1, 2018. 5โDapper duo commits to recommit strategy โ and to peace within the Republican ranks,โ Politico. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/ZrLfC
According to his profile at AIC, โSommers has been at the center of every major policy dispute in the last decade and successfully negotiated bipartisan compromises on landmark legislation, including the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in 2008, the resolution of the fiscal cliff in 2013, the Bipartisan Budget Agreement of 2015 and trade promotion authority in 2015.โ6โMike Sommers,โ American Investment Council. Archived May 1, 2018.
Bloomberg reported Sommers played a large role in fighting for the carried interest tax rule that worked to benefit large hedge fund managers. While working as chief strategist for Boehner, Sommers was also involved in congressional fights with the Obama administration over spending.7Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Ari Natter. โFormer Boehner Aide Eyed for Oil Trade Group CEO,โ Bloomberg, April 30, 2018. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/ffVGK
Sommers is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce โAssociation Committee of 100 (C100),โ a group of CEOs that โenhance Chamber lobbying and coalition work, recommend programming, and strengthen outreach to the business and association communities.โ8โU.S. Chamberโs Association Committee of 100 Welcomes Six New Members,โ U.S. Chamber of Commerce, November 15, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/eAWBQ
His wife, Jill Sommers, is a former Commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).9โMike Sommers,โ American Investment Council. Archived May 1, 2018.
Stance on Climate Change
The American Petroleum Institute has historically spread doubt about the science surrounding climate change, and has promoted natural gas use as the best way to reduce CO2 emissions.10โDenial and Deception: A Chronicle of ExxonMobilโs Efforts to Corrupt the Debate on Global Warmingโ (PDF) Greenpeace, May, 2007. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 11โClimate and Energy,โ API, May 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
January 2020
API, while Sommers was heading the group, started changing its terminology. E&E News reported:12Timothy Cama. โAn end to โoil and gasโ? Industry rebrands in climate push,โ E&E News, January 8, 2020. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/paR8M
โโOil and gas,โ the long-standing terminology used by industry, finance, government and others, is out. Instead, the American Petroleum Institute has largely switched to โnatural gas and oil,โ putting the low-carbon fuel front and center.โ13Timothy Cama. โAn end to โoil and gasโ? Industry rebrands in climate push,โ E&E News, January 8, 2020. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/paR8M
โThe global benefits of American natural gas and oil on the international stage are compelling,โ Mike Sommers said in a speech at APIโs State of American Energy event.14Timothy Cama. โAn end to โoil and gasโ? Industry rebrands in climate push,โ E&E News, January 8, 2020. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/paR8M
June 27, 2019
In an API article titled โAddressing the Risks of Climate Change,โ Sommers claimed more natural gas production was the key to reducing CO2 emissions:15โAddressing the Risks of Climate Change,โ API, June 27, 2019. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/Zsfj8
โNo discussion about the need to reduce carbon emissions is complete without acknowledging the key role that natural gas has played and will continue to play going forward. America is leading the world in reducing carbon emissions largely because of clean natural gas. In fact, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that natural gas is responsible for more CO2 emissions reductions in electricity generation than renewables.โ
Key Quotes
January 30, 2018
On the Trump Presidency, Sommers told Politico:16โBIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Investment Council and former Boehner COS,โ Politico, January 30, 2018. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/sKElI
โThis administration has been defined so far by historic legislative, regulatory and foreign policy accomplishments interrupted by unfortunate distractions.โ
September 30, 2016
โOne of the great parts of serving for speaker Boehner was that I really was at the intersection of public policy and politics. [โฆ] One of the things that attracted me to the American Investment Council and the private equity industry is that I believe that this job, and this association, really stands at a different intersection but a very similar intersection. It stands at the intersection of public policy and the free enterprise system,โ Sommers said in an interview with Pensions & Investments.17โFace to Face with the American Investment Councilโs Mike Sommers,โ Pensions and Investments. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.
May 17, 2016
โIt would be discriminatory and ill-advised to recharacterize carried interest from a long-held capital asset as anything other than a long-term capital gain for private-equity fund managers. Lawmakers are smart to avoid doing so,โ Somers wrote in an Op-Ed at The Washington Post.18โCarried interest is a launchpad for entrepreneurial risk-taking,โ The Washington Post, May 17, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/kT54l
March 9, 2016
Regarding his work in the private equity industry, Sommers told The Hill:19โEx-Boehnerland chief lands in private equity,โ The Hill, March 9, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/If5Iu
โItโs no secret that most of the support that the PEGCC and the private equity industry gets is on the Republican side, but we have a lot of Democrats in this industry,โ said Sommers. โWe are an organization thatโs focused on policy, not on politics.โ
Undated
While working with House Speaker John Boehner, Sommers was among several minority staffers who were in charge of motions to recommit. Politico reported their goal was to โhighlight divisions among the Democrats or lure some vulnerable lawmakers into casting a bad vote.โ20โDapper duo commits to recommit strategy โ and to peace within the Republican ranks,โ Politico. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/ZrLfC
โItโs like cooking a frog,โ Sommers said. โFirst, you put him in the water, and then you turn the heat up.โ
Key Deeds
August 23, 2019
Mike Sommers appeared on the radio program Politics Inside Out with Chris Frates. On the show he responded to a question of โWhy should the oil and gas industry be trusted with what it says itโs doing to help the environment?โ21โWhy should the oil and gas industry be trusted with what it says its doing to help the environment?โ Politics Inside Out on SiriusXM, August 23, 2019. Archived mp3 on file at DeSmog.
May 3, 2018
Sommers became the president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, a group representing fossil fuel interests that has worked to promote โuncertaintyโ around climate change in the past. Sources first reported the American Petroleum Institute (API) planned to name Sommers as its next president and CEO in April 2018, Axios reported.22โOil lobby expected to tap Beltway veteran for top role,โ Axios, April 30, 2018. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/fvtmL 23โMIKE SOMMERS NAMED NEW API PRESIDENT AND CEO,โ API. May 2, 2018. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/TUNg4
January 2017
Sommersโ American Investment Council became a client of the all-Republican lobbying firm CGCN, Politico reported. CGCN Group, LLC (Formerly Clark Geduldig Cranford & Nielsen, LLC) would lobby on tax treatment of partnerships and tax reform. CCGN also added power company Nextra Energy to its list of clients at the time.24Isaac Arnsdorf. โJim Murphy to BakerHostetler,โ Politico, January 6, 2017. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/0lkG7
May 17, 2016
Sommers defended the carried interest loophole, a rule that would benefit rich Hedge Fund Managers, in a Washington Post Op-Ed. Sommersโ American Investment Council has been at the forefront of fighting for the rule, which some have said is โcrafted for theโฆsuper wealthy.โ25โCarried interest is a launchpad for entrepreneurial risk-taking,โ The Washington Post, May 17, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/kT54l 26Erica Payne. โBoehner Right-Hand Man Mike Sommers Carries (Industry) Interest on Carried Interest,โ Patriotic Millionaires, February 3, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/ykdpJ
Affiliations
- American Petroleum Institute (API) โ President and CEO since May 2018.27โOil lobby expected to tap Beltway veteran for top role,โ Axios, April 30, 2018. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/fvtmL 28โMIKE SOMMERS NAMED NEW API PRESIDENT AND CEO,โ API. May 2, 2018. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/TUNg4
- American Investment Council โ President and CEO (Since February 2016.29โMike Sommers,โ LinkedIn. Accessed May 1, 2018.
- U.S. House of Representatives โ Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House (Since June 2012.)30โMike Sommers,โ LinkedIn. Accessed May 1, 2018.
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce โ Member, Association Committee of 100 (C100).31โU.S. Chamberโs Association Committee of 100 Welcomes Six New Members,โ U.S. Chamber of Commerce, November 15, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/eAWBQ
Social Media
- Mike Sommers on LinkedIn
- @mj_sommers on Twitter
- Mike Sommers on Facebook
Publications
- Carried interest is a launchpad for entrepreneurial risk-taking,โ The Washington Post, May 17, 2016.
Other Resources
Resources
- 1โMike Sommers,โ LinkedIn. Accessed May 1, 2018.
- 2โOil lobby expected to tap Beltway veteran for top role,โ Axios, April 30, 2018. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/fvtmL
- 3โMIKE SOMMERS NAMED NEW API PRESIDENT AND CEO,โ API. May 2, 2018. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/TUNg4
- 4โMike Sommers,โ American Investment Council. Archived May 1, 2018.
- 5โDapper duo commits to recommit strategy โ and to peace within the Republican ranks,โ Politico. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/ZrLfC
- 6โMike Sommers,โ American Investment Council. Archived May 1, 2018.
- 7Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Ari Natter. โFormer Boehner Aide Eyed for Oil Trade Group CEO,โ Bloomberg, April 30, 2018. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/ffVGK
- 8โU.S. Chamberโs Association Committee of 100 Welcomes Six New Members,โ U.S. Chamber of Commerce, November 15, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/eAWBQ
- 9โMike Sommers,โ American Investment Council. Archived May 1, 2018.
- 10โDenial and Deception: A Chronicle of ExxonMobilโs Efforts to Corrupt the Debate on Global Warmingโ (PDF) Greenpeace, May, 2007. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 11โClimate and Energy,โ API, May 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 12Timothy Cama. โAn end to โoil and gasโ? Industry rebrands in climate push,โ E&E News, January 8, 2020. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/paR8M
- 13Timothy Cama. โAn end to โoil and gasโ? Industry rebrands in climate push,โ E&E News, January 8, 2020. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/paR8M
- 14Timothy Cama. โAn end to โoil and gasโ? Industry rebrands in climate push,โ E&E News, January 8, 2020. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/paR8M
- 15โAddressing the Risks of Climate Change,โ API, June 27, 2019. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/Zsfj8
- 16โBIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Investment Council and former Boehner COS,โ Politico, January 30, 2018. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/sKElI
- 17โFace to Face with the American Investment Councilโs Mike Sommers,โ Pensions and Investments. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.
- 18โCarried interest is a launchpad for entrepreneurial risk-taking,โ The Washington Post, May 17, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/kT54l
- 19โEx-Boehnerland chief lands in private equity,โ The Hill, March 9, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/If5Iu
- 20โDapper duo commits to recommit strategy โ and to peace within the Republican ranks,โ Politico. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/ZrLfC
- 21โWhy should the oil and gas industry be trusted with what it says its doing to help the environment?โ Politics Inside Out on SiriusXM, August 23, 2019. Archived mp3 on file at DeSmog.
- 22โOil lobby expected to tap Beltway veteran for top role,โ Axios, April 30, 2018. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/fvtmL
- 23โMIKE SOMMERS NAMED NEW API PRESIDENT AND CEO,โ API. May 2, 2018. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/TUNg4
- 24Isaac Arnsdorf. โJim Murphy to BakerHostetler,โ Politico, January 6, 2017. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/0lkG7
- 25โCarried interest is a launchpad for entrepreneurial risk-taking,โ The Washington Post, May 17, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/kT54l
- 26Erica Payne. โBoehner Right-Hand Man Mike Sommers Carries (Industry) Interest on Carried Interest,โ Patriotic Millionaires, February 3, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/ykdpJ
- 27โOil lobby expected to tap Beltway veteran for top role,โ Axios, April 30, 2018. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/fvtmL
- 28โMIKE SOMMERS NAMED NEW API PRESIDENT AND CEO,โ API. May 2, 2018. Archived January 13, 2020. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.ph/TUNg4
- 29โMike Sommers,โ LinkedIn. Accessed May 1, 2018.
- 30โMike Sommers,โ LinkedIn. Accessed May 1, 2018.
- 31โU.S. Chamberโs Association Committee of 100 Welcomes Six New Members,โ U.S. Chamber of Commerce, November 15, 2016. Archived May 1, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/eAWBQ