American Energy Freedom Day

One year ago today, the Congressional moratorium placed on drilling of the Outer Continental Shelf and oil-shale formations of the United States expired. We celebrated this occasion as American Energy Freedom Day, with hopes that the end of these moratoriums would allow Americans to access our own energy resources and lead to a new energy policy that enables us to fully develop American sources of oil and natural gas.

On this anniversary, we are no closer to the goal of American energy freedom. Despite the fact the moratorium on most OCS exploration has been lifted for a year, the Obama administration is content on imposing a de facto ban that could last up to another three years, until at least 2012 – and there is no guarantee they will act after then. Knowing how long extensive exploration and production takes, this is something we cannot afford to continue to put off. Along with many lawmakers, Congressman Neugebauer urges Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to open these areas to gas and oil drilling.

Allowing domestic production in the OCS would help to create American jobs, while lowering the cost of gasoline and home heating oil. In fact, according to a recent analysis by the Heritage Foundation, “increasing domestic production by 1 million barrels per day would reduce imported petroleum costs by $123 billion, generate an additional $7.7 billion in economic activity, and cost $25.6 billion in additional oil production costs. The net gain to the economy would be $105 billion. The impact on employment would be an increase of 128,000 jobs.

Congressman Neugebauer believes the only way we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil is by increasing production here at home from all energy sources, using our own resources, improving our efficiencies and conserving when possible while continuing to invest in solutions based on science and not politics.

One way to achieve this is through the American Energy Innovation Act. This all-you-can-create approach will pave the way for a 21st century energy economy by providing incentives to create renewable fuel options, promoting conservation and efficiency, and encouraging responsible production of American energy.

America needs an energy policy that chooses neither winners, nor losers, but recognizes the need for an all-of-the-above strategy without neglecting our traditional sources of fossil fuels.