John Boehner, August 25, 2006

For much of the last year, Congress has been working to reform federal policies that have led to high energy prices. Tackling broken policies and taking on those who oppose reform hasn’t been easy, but it’s necessary if we are to achieve our goals of lowering the cost of living for American families and keeping America prosperous.

Each of our efforts has been aimed at decreasing America’s dependence on foreign sources of energy. By bolstering the amount of energy we produce here at home, we can keep costs stable and – in many cases – bring them down.

In May, the House passed the American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act (H.R. 5429) which authorizes environmentally-safe energy production in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The Energy Information Administration says ANWR would produce nearly 1.5 million barrels a day or more, every day, for roughly 30 years.

Opponents of this bill have insisted ANWR reserves possess “an insignificant amount of oil.” But 1.5 million barrels a day is anything but “insignificant,” especially when you consider Prudhoe Bay is one of America’s largest oil fields, and it supplies “only” about 400,000 barrels a day. BP’s recent announcement that it would have to suspend some of the energy production in Prudhoe Bay has had a negative impact on prices at the pump. Imagine the positive impact of ANWR’s 1.5 million new barrels every day.

In June, the House passed the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act (H.R. 4761) which will allow more of America’s massive energy resources to be produced in the deep seas of the outer-continental shelf (OCS). America is the only developed nation in the world that restricts access to its deep ocean energy resources, putting it at an economic and strategic disadvantage as economic growth in China and India pressure global energy markets.

Also in June, the House passed the Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act (H.R. 5254). This bill builds on previous efforts to encourage new refinery capacity in order to increase gasoline supplies and drive down high prices. The devastation that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wreaked on the Gulf Coast demonstrated how critical refinery capacity is to America’s energy supply.

With an eye towards alternative sources of energy, the House approved the H-Prize Act (H.R. 5143) establishing incentives to encourage development of breakthrough hydrogen technologies. And the federal government is working to encourage the development of new nuclear power facilities.

Responsible energy policies have many economic benefits. According to a new study conducted by the National Defense Council Foundation, production of ANWR energy would create more than 1 million new family-wage jobs in the United States. Deep ocean exploration would create many more. Many of America’s unions and labor groups supported these bills for those very reasons. Expanding America’s energy supply is a win-win for American workers and families who will benefit from lower prices and a growing economy.

While opponents of reform haven’t been able to derail our recent efforts, it’s ironic that the very policies they advocate – tax hikes, federal command-and-control of the U.S. energy market – have helped cause the problems we’re facing today. For example, had President Clinton not vetoed a bill authorizing ANWR exploration ten years ago, we’d be enjoying lower prices at the pump today.

After a quarter century of one-size-fits-all policies that made it nearly impossible - if not illegal - for America to develop its own energy, we’re making progress. Congress has been working to establish common sense, flexible energy laws that will help free America from its dependence on foreign sources of energy -- and ultimately lower high energy prices and Americans’ cost of living.

Congressman John Boehner is the House Majority Leader. Boehner, a Republican, represents Ohio's Eighth Congressional District, which includes Miami, Butler, Preble, Darke, and Mercer Counties.