The Time to Act on Energy Policy is Now
By: Luke Puckett
Hoosiers are rightfully frustrated as they pay $4 or more for a gallon of gas. Every time they fill up they are painfully reminded of our nation’s excessive dependence on foreign oil. For decades now we’ve heard a lot of talk about energy independence. In 1970 we imported 12% of our annual oil consumption. Last year we imported 66% of oil that we use to fuel our cars, our homes, and our transportation industry.
The rising price of gas should come as no surprise to our leaders. Since 2003 the price of oil has climbed higher and higher and recently it hit a record of $138 a barrel. You can be sure that right now there are some very happy oil producers in the Middle East.
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Fuel and oil prices have risen in part because current oil production levels cannot keep pace with a growing global demand. Countries such as India and China are going through a growth spurt that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
So does all of this mean Americans have to get used to paying higher fuel prices? No! The good news is that we can begin to lower the price at the pump by doing several things. First, we need to rid ourselves of excessive government regulations that hold us hostage to foreign oil. Government regulations stand between us and lower gas prices and energy independence.
From the arctic tundra of ANWR to the cold dark depths of the Gulf Coast seabed and the outer continental shelf, billions upon billions of barrels of oil wait to be tapped into. Why is that we aren’t working to extract the roughly 1.2 trillion barrels of oil in the shale of Colorado and Utah? Why is that the Chinese can drill in the Gulf of Mexico thanks to their Cuban friends but the United States can’t drill in that same Gulf?
The answer is energy companies are prohibited by federal law from tapping into some of our most promising oil fields. Washington has told these companies that they cannot use environmentally friendly drilling technology to bring this oil to the surface and onto the American market. Just last year Rep. Joe Donnelly voted at least 4 times to prevent us from drilling for domestic oil.
In addition to increasing domestic oil production we need to allow for the construction of new oil refineries. It’s been over 30 years since a new refinery was built in our country and if we merely allow for more domestic oil drilling without allowing for new refineries to be built, a bottleneck will be created and Americans will still be paying high gas prices. Congress and the federal government must act to allow more refineries to be built and existing refineries to be expanded. We don’t need the kind of politics that led Rep. Joe Donnelly to vote last July to condemn the expansion of a Midwest oil refinery.
The second thing that we must do to bring down high gas prices is focus on long term alternatives to oil. While our nation has immense oil reserves, we must keep the future in mind and begin working today to provide long term energy solutions. In Germany they have successfully used a process that takes coal and turns it into liquid fuel that can be used by vehicles. We must make sure that American companies are free to forge ahead in the area of coal-to-liquid technology.
Renewable energy sources such as ethanol and fuels made from organic matter must also be a part of our nation’s long-term energy plan. While these fuels still need to be perfected before they are ready to replace our current petroleum fuels, now is the time for the research and development to take place.
If I am elected to be the next Congressman from Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District, I will make energy independence one of my top priorities. It is time for us to be free to drill for our own oil, lower our gas prices, and begin research and development projects that will give us a future fueled by renewable energy resources.
Luke Puckett is the Republican candidate for Congress in Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Nice try, but China isn’t actually drilling there.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/06/8678_gop_claims_chin.html
June 14th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Cheney has admitted that the facts that he was using were not correct, though it was widely reported in 2006 that Cuba and China had come to an agreement to do so.
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/china_starts_oil_drilling.html
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/09/news/cuba.php
http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=19479
Is it really important? The Dems still tell Bush to go to OPEC and get them to increase capacity, but are unwilling to increase domestic capacity. I don’t care if the Chinese (or Cubans) were drilling or not. IT JUST MAKES SENSE FOR US TO DRILL.
But you are complaining about pretty much the smallest point in Mr. Puckett’s argument. Care to take on the larger points of the argument?
By the way: http://www.americansolutions.com is up to almost 3/4 of a million signatures on their petition.
June 14th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
In response to mikeyc252’s assertion that China and Cuba are in fact not collaborating and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, I’d like to point out a few things.
First, the link that they use to back up their information is a link to a leftist rag that passess off liberal talking points from the 1960s and ’70s as serious news and comentary. It’s hardly a credible source.
Secondly, even as recently as this month the respected Investor’s Business Daily (a publication more credible than the one mentioned above) has commented on the alliance between Cuba and China and the off-shore drilling project.
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=297904745555169&kw=China,Cuba,oil
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=297645188487872&kw=China,Cuba,oil
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=296435488187160&kw=China,Cuba,oil
Disclosure, I am the Deputy Communications Director for Luke Puckett for Congress.
June 14th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
CNS News has reported that Cheney is admitting that China is not drilling off the cost. Apparently someone is doing exploration out there, but not drilling. Cheney is still asserting that China has contracts and this is disputed, though I am not sure of anyone’s true source on this.
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200806/NAT20080613b.html
Once again, this is an irrelevant distraction from the real issues out there.
June 15th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Although I agree that our nation should allow itself to drill for oil, anywhere. I am also convinced that this runup to $4.00 gasoline in kicking in a ton of innovation and science in favor of more renewable energy. It seems every day we get another story about another break-thru. I’m with Mr. Puckett though, I’m worried that government will get in the way, and regulate us right back to the dark ages.
One I found today http://nwiconnect.blogspot.com/2008/06/energy-as-next-manhattan-project.html
Just think what enviro wackos like Donnely would do with that kind of project to slow it down, maybe find some wetlands, or an butterfly to protect, or let some trial lawyers sue them out of existence before they can bring the project to profits.