Oct. 20--AUSTIN -- Executives of the nation's top oil companies huddled in Austin Monday with the industry's top lobbying group, and while the meetings were private, it was clear that a central topic was climate change legislation that could cost the industry billions.

"It's just not the time to be passing legislation that kills jobs in the United States," said Larry Nichols, CEO of Devon Energy and chairman of the American Petroleum Institute, following the trade group's annual meeting at a resort hotel east of the city.

The industry has "a lot of education to do" to highlight its importance to the U.S. economy and the flaws contained in proposed climate change policies, API CEO Jack Gerard said.

The House in June passed a sweeping climate change bill, which aims to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 83 percent by 2050 compared to 2005 levels, and the Senate is mulling its own version.

The industry contends the polices would dramatically increase its costs, resulting in $4 or $5 gasoline prices for U.S. consumers, greater dependence on foreign sources of energy and deep job losses among the ranks of the nation's 9.2 million oil and gas industry workers.

In August, API and other affected trade groups organized protest rallies in Houston and in 19 other U.S. cities that attracted some 12,000 people.

Backers of climate change legislation believe it is vital to halting environmental damage, and would also spur innovation around renewable fuels and create new "green" jobs.

Gerard predicts a bill will emerge from committee in the Senate before year-end so President Barack Obama can show progress at a United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen in December. But he doubts it will come up for a vote until next year.

Among those in attendance at Monday's meeting were Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO Rex Tillerson, BP America President Lamar McKay, ConocoPhillips Chief Operating Officer John Carrig and John Watson, the incoming CEO of Chevron.

Those executives declined to speak with reporters as they emerged from closed-door meetings Monday.

brett.clanton@chron.com

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