Responsible Domestic Energy Development

The Western Caucus believes America needs to increase its energy independence through environmentally responsible development of our huge untapped domestic energy resources. We do our nation and the world a disservice when we continue to rely on foreign sources of oil. Based on the statements of President Obama and the record of the newly expanded Senate Democratic Majority, the prospects of increased domestic energy production in the near future are bleak. This effort to reduce domestic energy production – from all sources – is shortsighted and not in the long-term interest of the public.

Members of the Western Caucus support policies that increase, diversify, and facilitate the production and delivery of reliable and affordable energy supplies from all domestic sources. For the past ten years in the United States, energy demand increased by more than 12 percent while domestic production increased by less than one percent. Western Caucus introduced more than 40 bills in the 112^th Congress to meet this growing need for more energy sources.  Our energy proposals include:

• Support Domestic Energy Resources Such as Oil Shale
  It is estimated that more than 2 trillion barrels of oil are held in oil shale deposits most of which is found in the Green River formation in Northeastern Utah, Northwestern Colorado, and Southwestern Wyoming. These deposits contain more oil than all of the countries in the Middle East combined, and could eventually produce 10 million barrels per day—more than the double the amount imported from all OPEC nations each day.  The federal government owns more than 80 percent of the land where the richest and most easily recoverable deposits are currently found.  The Western Caucus supports the environmentally responsible development of these deposits into usable fuel for energy independence.
• Responsible Energy Development in ANWR
  Most geologists agree that the potential of recoverable oil and gas on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) may rival the initial reserves at Prudhoe Bay. In 1980, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the Coastal Plain could contain up to 17 billion barrels of oil and 34 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. However, before oil and gas development in ANWR can proceed, Congress and the President must authorize leasing and development. Should leasing be permitted and subsequent commercial discoveries be made, it will be an estimated 15 years or more before oil and gas production from ANWR reaches market. That production will then be urgently needed to help meet domestic demand, so taking advantage of this key resource is critical to our national energy security.
• Promoting Renewable Energy
  With domestic energy demands on the rise, renewable energy sources are becoming an increasingly important contributor to the nation's fuel mix. However, renewable energy constitutes just one element of a truly balanced fuel portfolio: clean coal, natural gas, nuclear and hydroelectric are all necessary components as well. Regulatory reform is imperative because many of the renewable resources in the nation are located in public lands, and a streamlined NEPA process would reduce the costs associated with permitting new renewable generation.
  
  In recent years, renewable energy proponents have become aggressive in pursuing state and federal purchase mandates. Such mandates remove the flexibility that providers need to ensure they can reliably supply energy to consumers at the lowest price. There are a variety of policies besides rigid mandates that can be adopted to effectively promote renewable energy production, such as production incentives. The market, not government mandates, should decide what renewable resources are available.
• Support the Environmentally-Sound Energy Development of the Outer Continental Shelf
  The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is estimated to hold nearly 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 90 billion barrels of oil. This is enough natural gas to heat 100 million homes for 60 years or enough oil to replace current Persian Gulf imports for 59 years. Until 2008, over 80 percent of the nation’s oil and natural gas resources on the OCS were completely off -limits to energy exploration and production due to Congressional moratoria and administrative withdrawals, despite a proven record of safety and environmental responsibility. Fortunately, President Bush and Congress ended these shortsighted moratoria. In 2010, President Obama established a new moratorium in the Bristol Bay area of Alaska.
• Maintain Accessibility to Clean Coal
  As our most abundant and stable source of affordable electricity, coal continues to be the main source of energy for American homes, businesses, and manufacturing.  The United States boasts enormous recoverable coal reserves, so much so that U.S. coal producers can meet domestic demand and export thousands of tons to help bring electricity to the estimated 1.3 billion people in the world who currently live with no electricity at all.  New technologies to convert coal to liquid fuel and to gasify deep coal seams promise to bring clean-coal resources to the market.  Instead of marginalizing coal production through regulatory strangulation, the United States should support the affordability and reliability of coal as an energy source.

Reject Counterproductive Taxes on U.S. Energy Producers
More than 60 percent of the oil used in the United States is imported. In the next 20 years, if American oil dependence is allowed to continue as it has in the past and the price of oil continues to increase as expected, more than three trillion dollars will be transferred from the United States economy to foreign countries for imported oil, many of whom do not have American interests at heart. Energy independence is a critical matter of national security, and we should treat it as such. The oil and gas industry is of crucial importance to our economy, contributing billions of dollars to our GDP, and employing 1.5 million Americans. Additionally, the royalties from oil and gas leases produce millions of dollars in revenues at the federal and state levels, helping to finance necessary public services. The last thing we need to do is discourage domestic energy production.