Washington, Jun 30 - When I was first elected 14 years ago one of the many issues I began to work on was the critical issue of energy supply.  America’s economy was growing and with it was the demand for fuel.

Also nations like China and India were throwing off the shackles of Socialism.  As they prospered global demand for fuel rose even more.  Today, with $4 a gallon gas American families and businesses are suffering while Middle Eastern dictators get richer.

Some will try to tell you this was inevitable and the days of cheap oil were going to end sooner or later.  Don’t believe them.  We still have a lot of oil and natural gas here in America.  If the American people can rise up and silence the anti-energy chicken littles in Congress we can get off our dependence on foreign energy.

One of things that frustrates me most in Congress is that those who do the most to reduce supply often voice the greatest outrage about high prices. Congress has placed bans on three important areas of exploration that should be lifted immediately. They are:

ANWR: It is estimated that there is so much oil in ANWR that it would expand our known reserves by 50%, which is equal to 30 years worth of imports from Hugo Chavez.  And the drilling footprint required is small. If ANWR were the size of a basketball court, the drilling site would be no bigger than a business card.

10 years ago Congress passed just such a bill but President Clinton vetoed it. Today, we have a president willing to sign such a provision but a Congress unwilling to bring up the bill.

Drilling: The next thing we need to do is lift the ban on exploration off our coasts where right now 85% is off-limits and where lies enough oil to fuel 60 million cars in the United States for 60 years and enough natural gas to heat 60 million homes for 160 years.  Rigs can be placed over the horizon where we can’t see them.  Katrina plowed through a large area of oil and gas rigs on the gulf coast without a major spill.  The oil companies today know how to do it safely.

I know there are many Floridians opposed to this idea, but China and Cuba are talking about doing this. Castro is working with the Chinese to begin oil exploration off the Coast of Cuba.  Drilling technology allows the drills to go sideways under the ground.  So, we would be effectively allowing our oil to be sucked away by Castro and sent to China.

Oil Shale: The U.S is the Saudi Arabia of oil shale. To put this in perspective the world has used 1 trillion barrels of oil since that first rig in Pennsylvania in 1859. America is endowed with more than 2 trillion barrels of oil in its shale. But of the 700 million acres of federally owned land only 6% is being leased for any exploration and in 2007 the Democrat Majority, for environmental reasons, attached a rider on an Appropriations bill that placed this huge domestic resource off-limits. Estonia—a country half the size of Maine—produces vastly more oil shale than we do.

We also need to start building nuclear power facilities to augment our coal and natural gas plants.  We can do it safely, freeing up oil for our cars and businesses instead of using it to generate electricity.

Yes, we need conservation and development of geothermal, solar and wind sources.  But these sources currently supply only 7% of our power needs.  Ignoring the supply-side of this crisis is a dangerous gamble with America’s future.  It’s time to tell Congress, drill here, drill safely, drill now.




WHAT IS DRIVING THE HIGH OIL PRICES?
THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION

"A perfect storm of demand and supply factors is driving the high oil prices.  Goldman Sachs predicts oil will reach $200 per barrel by the end of the year -- exactly where Osama bin Laden said it should be back in 2001," writes Ariel Cohen and Owen Graham with The Heritage Foundation.  Click here to read the rest of the article: What is Driving the High Oil Prices?




CONGRESS= OPEC?
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

"What do the Democratic-led Congress and OPEC have in common? Both sit on vast amounts of oil, and are content to leave it in the ground and let prices soar.  Fortunately, Americans are catching on," writes Investor's Business Daily.  Click here to read the article: Congress= OPEC?




ENERGY MYTHS
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

"Many in Congress seem either disconnected from reality or intentionally disingenuous about our energy crunch. They have well-honed negative responses to common-sense ideas about solving our energy crisis, particularly drilling for more oil," writes Investor's Business Daily. Click here to read the article: Energy Myths