Hey there!

Here are two things I know: 1. Most people don’t understand our industries, and 2. Kids describing complicated things is cute and funny.

This Thursday, is Bring Your Child to Work Day. So, in the spirit of connecting our kids to the work we do, we want to hear from you! Well, actually, we want to hear from your kids.

Please send us an email telling us what your kid thinks you do for work and we’ll feature the best responses in our next EMPOWER newsletter. Ask your kids or grandkids: “What do I do for work?” Responses can be sent to empower@afpm.org.

-Emily and the AFPM EMPOWER team

Have ideas for content, comments or questions? You can reach us at empower@afpm.org.

What we’re reading this week

Labor & Energy: AFPM's Ericka Perryman and Geoff Moody - The Labor & Energy Show
AFPM fuel nerds Ericka Perryman and Geoff Moody discuss why transportation policy in California matters for the entire country.

Products that reduce emissions - AFPM
While AFPM members continue to produce the traditional fuels and energy essential for our daily lives, they are also at the forefront of creating liquid fuels with lower lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to reduce emissions throughout the transportation sector. Here are some examples:

Plastics are greener than they seem - The Economist
Without plastics the modern world would look decidedly different. Plastic packaging is significantly lighter than other materials—the weight of a one-litre plastic bottle is just 5% that of a glass one; a paper bag is nearly six times heavier than a plastic one (and takes three times as much energy to produce). Using cans or glass bottles for soft drinks results in greenhouse-gas emissions two and three times higher respectively than using plastic, even taking recycling into account.

Oil falls on signs of progress in U.S.-Iran talks amid more market stress - Reuters
Oil prices fell more than 2% on Monday on signs of progress in talks between the U.S. and Iran while investors remained concerned about economic headwinds from tariffs which could curb demand for fuel.

How a trade war could move American EVs out of reach - E&E News
Amid the confusion of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, experts say one thing is clear: Each measure will make electric vehicles less affordable and likely slow their arrival to the American mainstream.

China Plastic Plants Face Closure Risk as Tariffs Hit US Ethane - Bloomberg
Most… crackers in China use naphtha as a feedstock, with processors that solely use ethane as raw material for petrochemicals making up is less than 10% of the total at about 4 million tons, according to Rystad. China is by far the biggest buyer of American supply, according to the US Energy Department.