America needs a comprehensive approach to developing long-term and a short-term plans for achieving energy independence. The way forward is to move forward simultaneously to develop our nations oil and natural gas resources along with renewable clean energy and nuclear power. As a matter of national security, we must lessen our dependency on other countries for our energy needs. Our economy needs cheap fuel in order to grow, add jobs and raise the capital to develop the new technologies that will power America in the future.

To more rapidly reduce our reliance on foreign oil in the near-term we must expeditiously develop our nation’s oil and natural gas resources. It is estimated that we have 24 billion barrels of recoverable domestic oil. Opening a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil recovery will help us meet some of our needs in the near-term. To put the proposal in perspective: This would involve the development of 2,000 acres (the size of an airport) in an area the size of the state of South Carolina. We should also develop our nation’s natural gas resources. It is estimated that we have 1,190.62 trillion cubic feet of untapped natural gas. We should develop clean coal technologies that would enable us to better use the 300-year supply of coal located right here in the United States. Also, over two trillion barrels of oil shale currently exist in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, which can eventually be used to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Renewable energy is an important part of the energy independence agenda. While we should strive to meet a larger portion of our energy needs with renewable resources, we must recognize that scaling up such projects is expensive and takes many years. It is an important priority that we should advance. I am a strong supporter of the development of solar, wind, biofuels, and advanced battery technology, and I am committed to dedicating the resources needed to grow the portion of our power generation that comes from such sources. I would also add that energy efficiency and conservation should be an important element of our national energy plan.

And, we must move forward with nuclear power. Nuclear power generates no green house gases. Today, 70% of the power generated in France is nuclear power, yet only 20% of the U.S. power comes from nuclear plants. These plants take years to get approved and built, which is why I support streamlining the regulatory process to shorten the amount of time and cost of building nuclear power plants.

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