Mission
The sole purpose of the National Petroleum Council is to advise the U.S. Secretary of Energy on matters related to oil and natural gas, or the oil and natural gas industries. The Council membership of about 200 persons is appointed by the Secretary of Energy. Individual members serve without compensation as representatives of their industry or associated interests as a whole, not as representatives of their particular companies or affiliations. Established in 1946 at the request of President Truman, the Council originally reported to the U.S. Department of the Interior, and was transferred to the U.S. Department of Energy in 1977. Today, the Council is chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972.