Terry Everett, June 21, 2004

The current record high gas prices which directly affect us all in the pocketbook may be slowly easing, but their cause is an issue which will not go away - an increased dependence on foreign oil and a lack of domestic alternatives. The U.S. House took action last week by voting to allow new oil and gas exploration at home while encouraging renewable energy use. This was our second attempt to pass a badly-needed new national energy policy.

In May, gasoline topped $2.00 a gallon in Alabama and much higher in places like California and the Northeast. The reasons for the price surge were blamed on a complicated mixture of increased demand, market-related terrorism fears, reduced production abroad, and limited refinery capacity. These factors, and others, not only combined to hurt drivers, but also business. Whenever fuel costs rise, so does the cost of doing business and these increased expenses are passed along to the consumer.

Frankly, higher gas prices are but one painful symptom of America's addiction to foreign oil. This dependence is costing our economy, killing jobs, and even threatens national security. Here are the facts. In 1973, the United States got 30 percent of its oil overseas. Thirty one years later, that amount has doubled. Today, we send more than $100 billion a year to other oil producing countries. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, we lose 12,389 jobs for every billion we spend on imports (including oil). That means America could be forfeiting 1.7 million jobs a year just because of our dependence upon foreign oil.

Our thirst for foreign energy not only threatens our economy, but our national security. Think about it. Foreign oil supply has been increasingly unreliable. Turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere, coupled with foreign political agendas often hostile to our interests, can and will quickly impact gas prices and availability at home. Our strategic oil reserve is in place for a national emergency, but cannot be relied upon indefinitely. It is simply unwise for our nation to be so reliant upon outside sources for its vital energy needs.

The U.S. House realized urgency to address this flaw in our national energy policy by passing legislation last November. The House Energy bill (HR 6) encouraged new domestic oil and gas exploration and drilling and also the use of alternative fuels. Unfortunately, this important legislation never saw a vote in the U.S. Senate. In fact, seven months later the Senate still has not taken action. Last week, to drive home that point, the House voted again on our energy bill (relabeled as HR 4503).

The House energy bill not only taps domestic fuel sources for our use, but the lower energy prices and construction which would result should stimulate the economy. It has been estimated that over 600,000 new jobs would be created. The energy bill also promotes environmentally-friendly fuel sources such as clean coal technology.

America cannot continue on its path of foreign oil dependence (estimated to climb to 75 percent of our oil consumption by the year 2010). We cannot risk potential upheaval in our economy and political blackmail from hostile fuel producing nations. Hopefully, the Senate will soon agree that America's interests should come first and pass the energy bill.

Congressman Terry Everett, a Republican, represents Alabama's Second Congressional District, which includes the state capitol, Montgomery.