Gas prices have spiraled out of control and Northern Californians are feeling the effects.  Unfortunately, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has chosen to ignore the will of the vast majority of Americans and has yet to bring a single bill that would increase U.S. energy supply to the House Floor for a vote.

            Recently, a Democratic Congressional aide admitted that their strategy on gas prices is, “Drive small cars and wait for the wind.”  I don’t believe that we can wait this energy crisis out; we should adopt an ‘all of the above’ policy.  And the American people largely agree.  Recent polls show that 75% of people support increasing American-made energy.

            Republicans in the House are working hard on developing meaningful solutions to our energy crisis.  We have introduced legislation to recover resources in Alaska and the Outer Continental Shelf, and to increase our refinery capacity.  As a longtime supporter of efforts to increase our domestic energy supply, I have signed special petitions to require that these bills be brought to the House Floor for a vote over Speaker Pelosi’s objections.  Sadly, domestic exploration will remain at a standstill as long as Speaker Pelosi refuses to allow any vote that would make the plentiful resources in America available.

Our nation has up to two trillion barrels in energy reserves in Alaska, off our coasts, and in oil shale.  These supplies alone amount to an energy source that could power the United States for two centuries at current consumption levels, and we can develop these resources in an environmentally safe way. 

The energy crisis has national security implications as well.  The longer we remain reliant on foreign countries for the majority of our oil, including the volatile Middle East, the longer we remain at risk to a crippling supply disruption overseas.

            Additionally, as an important and growing part of our energy supply portfolio, I support incentives for developing renewable energy resources.  I am in favor of increasing our use of safe, non-polluting nuclear energy as well.  However, renewable energy constitutes only seven percent of our total energy supply and it will be years before new technologies and alternative fuels can support all of our nation’s energy needs.  Over recent months, Americans have adjusted their behavior by using less gasoline, but there is no substitute for the need to increase our energy production.  Conserving energy must be part of the solution, but it alone cannot solve our problems.