OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — All eyes are on the State Capitol as Gov. Kevin Stitt fills a major vacancy in Washington.
Stitt announced Alan Armstrong to take over the seat held by Sen. Markwayne Mullin.
WATCH: NEW SENATOR: Gov. Stitt names Alan Armstrong to replace Sen. Mullin
63-year-old Alan Armstrong, the former CEO and chairman of the Tulsa-based natural gas company Williams, was named Oklahoma’s newest U.S. senator.
Stitt said he worked with President Trump to find the right person for the job. Both Stitt and Trump have made permitting reform a priority.
WATCH: Who is Alan Armstrong?
Stitt said he had Armstrong on his mind early on.
“And so to me it was just it was a non-political pick. It was the pick that I thought was going to serve our country the best, serve Oklahoma the best, at a critical time when we need to get this through,” Stitt said.
Armstrong said his non-political background and experience in the natural gas industry will help him push for permitting reform in the Senate. He said permitting delays are making it harder to build critical infrastructure across the country.
“The truth is, it's gotten very, very hard to build. Large-scale infrastructure is so critical to our country's competitiveness in the long term,” Armstrong said.
“One of the solutions in the current bills that are being passed is a shot clock… doesn't really solve anything if they also have the latitude of saying that your application isn't complete. So those kinds of details of being on the other side of that effort are the kind of things that I can really bring, I think, to the Senate,” Armstrong said.
“So the state is very special to me, and the last thing I would want to do is be sitting around complaining about what other people are not willing to step up and do and try to make our country great,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong did not hesitate when asked when he was ready to get to work.
“Today,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong will fill former Sen. Markwayne Mullin's seat until January 2027.
FULL ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Senate approved Markwayne Mullin for the position in a 54 to 45 vote largely along party lines.
The two-term senator immediately submitted his resignation. Stitt announced his replacement for Mullin is Alan Armstrong.
Who is Alan Armstrong?
Armstrong is a Tulsan and worked more than 30 years at Williams. Here's a look at his career as detailed on his LinkedIn:
Alan Armstrong began his career at Williams as an engineer more than 30 years ago.
Today, as president and chief executive officer, Alan leads a dedicated team of nearly 5,000 employees that handle 30% of the natural gas in the United States used every day to heat our homes, cook our food and generate our electricity. Williams works closely with customers to provide the necessary infrastructure to serve growing markets and safely deliver natural gas products to reliably fuel the clean energy economy.
Under his leadership, Williams’ natural gas-focused strategy has driven significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, lowered consumers’ utility bills and paved the way for investments in renewable energy. As one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in the U.S., Williams has led the midstream space in meeting the growing demand for American-made energy while outlining practical and immediate steps toward a clean energy future by setting a goal of 56% absolute reduction in company-wide GHG emissions by 2030.
Alan is a well-known speaker and respected panelist at energy conferences and seminars, as well as philanthropic and corporate events. He serves on the board of directors of the American Petroleum Institute and is a member of the National Petroleum Council, where he most recently chaired the Council’s 2019 Energy Infrastructure Study. He is also a member of the Business Roundtable.
Armstrong serves on the boards of the American Petroleum Institute and the Energy Infrastructure Council, where he co-chaired a working group to develop the first-ever Midstream Company ESG Reporting Template. He serves as Chair of the National Petroleum Council and, in 2019, chaired the Council’s Energy Infrastructure Study on Changing Dynamics of Oil & Gas Infrastructure. Armstrong is a member of the Business Roundtable and serves on the Board of Directors of BOK Financial Corporation.
Additionally, Armstrong serves on the boards of several education-focused organizations, including Chair of the Board for Junior Achievement, USA, 3DE, and the Board of Trustees for The University of Oklahoma Foundation. Armstrong is also a member of the boards of The Williams Foundation and Gilcrease Museum. He is a member of the Distinguished Graduates Society of the Gallogly College of Engineering, University of Oklahoma.
Alan lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is a proud Sooner with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Oklahoma.
Williams released a statement about Armstrong's appointment, "Governor Stitt’s appointment of Alan Armstrong to the U.S. Senate is a proud moment for Williams and a testament to Alan’s four decades of principled leadership. We are grateful for his service to Oklahoma and to our nation. We know that Alan will bring incredible leadership to the Senate and will continue to champion American energy and prosperity.”
Sen. James Lankford also celebrated Armstrong's appointment:
"Congratulations to my friend Alan Armstrong on his appointment to serve our state in the United States Senate. I am grateful he and his family are willing to sacrifice their time to serve. Markwayne leaves large boots to fill, but with Alan’s strong background in energy and an understanding of what powers our economy, he brings real-world experience at a critical time for the American economy. I look forward to working with him to support Oklahoma workers, strengthen our energy independence, and keep costs low for families."
2 News Oklahoma streamed the news conference on all digital platforms.
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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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