Read Mary's
Energy Policy: Fact Check
America is currently facing an energy crisis that threatens both our economic and national security. Increasing demand for oil and natural gas has driven energy prices through the roof and strained our family budgets. While Americans struggle with the rising cost of living and working, the U.S. is becoming increasingly dependent on oil from foreign nations, some of which are openly anti-American. This dependence on hostile oil regimes represents a significant threat to national security, just as skyrocketing gas prices represent a threat to our economic wellbeing.
I believe the only way to reduce these threats and to ensure a robust energy future is to pursue an “all of the above” energy strategy. What I mean by “all of the above” is simple –I support every realistic strategy for fighting rising gas prices and weaning this country off foreign energy. I believe the federal government must work with the American people to encourage conservation. It should pursue clean, renewable alternative energies. Finally, it should allow private industry to develop traditional fossil fuels like oil and natural gas by opening up select federal lands to environmentally responsible drilling. That's why I have sponsored H.R.6379, a bill designed to cut through bureaucratic red tape and expedite the exploration and development of oil and gas from Federal lands.
Fossil fuels within the United States are a resource, not an environmental hazard. In instances where they can be responsibly extracted and utilized, they should be. Earlier this year, I was able to travel to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Northern Alaska. What I saw there was empty space, barren land on top of over 10 billion barrels of oil. Of the tens of millions of acres making up ANWR, only 2,000 acres would be developed for energy production. In a region like this, where lifting the ban on drilling could provide U.S. consumers with over a million barrels of oil a day, it simply does not make sense for Congress to continue to stand in the way.
Drilling is an important part of our short term energy future, but as I said before, it is only one aspect of a comprehensive energy policy that includes conservation and alternative energy production. Earlier this year, I cosponsored the American Energy Act, an “all of the above” piece of legislation that lays out a roadmap for our energy future. Instead of voting on this legislation, Democrat leaders sent Congress home for vacation. Several of my colleagues and I are taking a stand, and will continue to push for an up or down vote on this bill until we get one.
One thing is certain as we move toward's the future: Oklahoma will continue to play a leading role in energy production. Biofuels like ethanol and switch-grass are both produced within our borders. We have enormous potential as a provider of wind and solar power and, of course, we continue to play a key role in providing fossil fuels. If we invest in Oklahoma's future today, we can ensure that our sons and daughters inherit a state that remains on the forefront of American energy production.