Lets Drill!

This email just came in from U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz, our representative in Washington D.C. from Pennsylvania’s 13th District. I’ve been meaning to write a post about offshore drilling and I probably still will, but I wanted to share this since I agree with the vast majority of what she has to say.

Dear Friend,

I am writing to update you on my recent efforts in Congress to help lower gas prices. At over $4 per gallon, there is no issue that I hear about more frequently than the price of gasoline. The rising price of gas is putting an undue economic burden on hardworking Americans. It is an issue that demands the full attention of the President and the U.S. Congress.

One way that we can lower prices is by increasing domestic oil production through additional drilling and exploration. Over the years, oil companies have been given the right to drill on 68 million acres federal land. While we are rightfully demanding more domestic oil production, oil companies have allowed these leases to remain idle. That is why on July 17, 2008 I voted for the Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands Act.

This common sense and bipartisan proposal would require oil companies to start using these leases or turn them over to someone else. And I believe that the record windfall profits the oil companies have seen in recent years make it clear they can afford to drill on this available land. This bill would also expedite leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, which holds 10.6 billion barrels of oil. These two actions would almost double the current U.S. oil production and bring much needed energy to the marketplace. Drilling alone is not a silver bullet that will end high oil prices. The reality is even if we started drilling right now it would be ten years before this oil made it to the market.

I believe the fact is the failed energy policies of the Bush administration along with increased demand for oil from nations like China and India have contributed to this crisis. It is very clear that we cannot drill ourselves out of an energy crisis – we have to innovate and lead the way toward new sources of domestic energy.

Over the past year, my Democratic colleagues and I have sought to create a new direction for our national energy policy. These new laws reduce oil consumption through improved efficiency and help our economy transition to sources of renewable energy. These include:

• The first increase of fuel efficiency standards in 32 years (The Energy Security and Independence Act, P.L. 110-140)
• The temporary suspension of oil deliveries to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (The Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension and Consumer Protection Act, P.L. 110-232)
• The expanded use of bio-fuels and improved ability of the federal government to detect energy price manipulation (The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, P.L. 110-234).

These new laws are changing the way that we do business in the United States. In the years ahead they will lessen our dependence on foreign oil. There is more that needs to be done and we are fighting to expand federal investment for passenger rail and mass transit, provide the Federal Trade Commission with the authority to investigate oil companies and how they gouge consumers at the pump, and provide tax incentives for the production and use of renewable energy, and policies to promote energy efficient technologies.

I want to assure you that energy remains an important priority for me and Congress. I will keep working to diversify our sources of energy, make energy more affordable, and our nation more energy independent.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with additional questions or concerns, or if my office can ever be of any assistance.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz