Energy
Powering America with an all-of-the-above energy strategy.
Affordable, reliable and accessible energy is the fundamental building block of a modern society. It allows entrepreneurs to start new ventures and create jobs, children to be educated with modern technology, and hospitals to treat patients with the highest quality care. In America, we are blessed to have bountiful energy resources at our fingertips, and these resources allow us to not think twice when we turn on the light switch.
No energy source is perfect, but the demands of our modern economy require that we pursue the development of all types of energy available to us. West Texas is a great example of the great opportunity America has. Oil production in the Permian Basin is a crucial part of America’s energy mix, producing about 14 percent of the total annual oil production in the country. Hydraulic fracturing has opened up countless new possibilities, reducing the cost of natural gas and truly changing the game in the energy industry in the U.S. Meanwhile, wind production in West Texas is leading the way, showing that renewable energy can truly be economically competitive.
With high unemployment figures, uncertainty in the Middle East, and energy demand continuing to rise, we can’t say no to any form of energy. I believe we must safely develop the energy resources available throughout the United States. It is important that we pursue new opportunities in places like Alaska, the Outer Continental Shelf, and on public and private lands across the country. With the new technologies that have been developed over the last few years, America has a chance to be energy self-sufficient if we decide to let industries continue to innovate and produce. If done correctly, we can pursue these objectives while also protecting the environment.
The Keystone XL Pipeline is a great example. If approved, the pipeline will allow the U.S. to import 4 million barrels of oil from Canada per day by 2020 – twice what is currently imported from the Persian Gulf. It would create thousands of jobs and can be done in an environmentally friendly way. In fact, three reports from the Administration have shown that the environmental risks associated with the Keystone XL Pipeline are acceptable.