THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VII, Issue # 79, April 9, 2005
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
PETROLEUM: FUELING AMERICA'S ECONOMY
By Thomas G. Tancredo
THE INEXTRICABLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE U.S. ECONOMY & AMERICA'S NEED FOR AFFORDABLE ENERGY: RISING
ENERGY COSTS AS THE GREATEST THREAT TO ECONOMIC GROWTH & PROSPERITY -- THE DETERMINATION OF CONGRESSIONAL
OPPONENTS OF COMMON-SENSE DOMESTIC OIL & GAS EXPLORATION & THEIR POLITICAL ALLIES IN THE RADICAL
ENVIRONMENTALIST MOVEMENT TO PREVENT AMERICA'S ENERGY SECTOR FROM CONTRIBUTING TO THE CREATION OF JOBS
FOR AMERICAN WORKERS & THE AVAILABILITY OF LESS EXPENSIVE ENERGY FOR AMERICAN CONSUMERS
FULL STORY:
The economy and the need for affordable energy are inextricably connected. Alan Greenspan recently cited rising energy costs as
the biggest threat to economic growth and prosperity. High energy prices increase costs to businesses and consumers alike, stifling
economic growth, and cramping job creation. At the same time, congressional opponents of common-sense oil and gas exploration
and their friends in the radical environmentalist movement appear hell-bent on hampering the ability of America’s energy sector to
contribute to both the creation of jobs for American workers and the availability of cheaper energy for American consumers.
POLITICAL CONFLICT OVER DOMESTIC ENERGY EXPLORATION
Obviously, the most high-profile front in this battle is the tug-of-war over whether or not to permit energy exploration in the Alaska
National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The case for allowing such development in a tiny fraction of the 19 million acre refuge was
recently bolstered by a report released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The report found that development in
just 2,000 acres of ANWR could increase domestic oil production by nearly 20% – or some 876,000 barrels of oil per day.
That is 876,000 barrels of oil that Americans would not be importing from overseas, and 876,000 barrels per day being produced in
America, by American workers – and not just those in Alaska. One study found that investment in ANWR could create more than
700,000 jobs in 2005, and that most of them would be in other states. Indeed, of the $22.5 billion spent between 1980 and 1984 on
development on Alaska’s North Slope, some 78% was spent outside Alaska. Had responsible development in ANWR not been
vetoed by President Bill Clinton in 1995, that energy – and the jobs it would have created across the country – might be helping to
provide fuel for the American economy today.
ANWR is not the only front in this battle. Environmentalist groups are also working hard to stymie energy exploration in the
National Petroleum Reserve, despite the fact that the area was originally set aside for the express purpose of energy development,
set aside, in 1923, by then-President Warren G. Harding. This raises an interesting question: If Americans can’t get their petroleum
from a “Petroleum Reserve,” where are they supposed to get it?
AMERICAN ENERGY MEANS AMERICAN JOBS
Ironically, many of the loudest voices denouncing domestic energy production are the same voices vehemently criticizing the
movement of American jobs overseas. It is ironic because their largely successful efforts to thwart new domestic energy production
have resulted in Americans spending more than $100 billion annually on imported energy – energy that could be produced safely
right here in America, by American workers.
Energy production and environmental conservation are not mutually exclusive goals. America has, by most accounts, the most
advanced technology, the toughest environmental safeguards, and the best workforce in the world. Utilizing that workforce to make
America more energy self-sufficient will provide a potent remedy for the ailing job market and a solution to higher prices at the pump.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Policy Issues Relating to Energy, Environment,
& Natural Resources
Economic Policy -- Government & the Economy
Thomas G. Tancredo is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the Sixth Congressional District
of Colorado.
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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