Joe Pitts, August 25, 2006

The world’s second largest oil company announced recently that it will have to significantly curtail production in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska - the single largest source of domestic oil - in order to replace 16 miles of worn-out pipeline. Company officials said the fix could take months.

The announcement is bad news to consumers already paying upwards of three dollars or more for a gallon of gas. Crude prices spiked as a result of the news and analysts predicted the weakened supply will be felt by consumers at the pump.

By adapting our energy policies to meet changing needs, we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil and lessen the impact of setbacks like the one in Prudhoe Bay. The Republican-led House of Representatives has kept energy policy at the top of the priority list this year by passing meaningful legislation to meet our long-term energy needs.

In a recent editorial, USA Today pointed out that, “while the lower 48 states are surrounded by billions of barrels of oil offshore, energy companies have been prevented from drilling for it, except in portions of the Gulf Coast.” The House passed legislation in June to do something about this. The Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act would allow environmentally responsible access to the huge reserves known to exist offshore in the outer-continental shelf.

In May, the House passed the American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act. This legislation would allow access to billions of barrels of oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). In fact, estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey show that there is more oil in ANWR than in the entire state of Texas. Environmental concerns are taken into consideration in this legislation as well. Though ANWR is roughly the size of South Carolina, the area designated for energy exploration is smaller than the Philadelphia Airport.

Another contributor to the rising cost of gas is our limited ability to refine crude oil into gasoline domestically. There hasn’t been a new oil refinery built in the U.S. in 30 years. And as we saw last year, all it takes is one major storm in the hurricane-prone Gulf Coast to greatly weaken our already limited refining capacity.

In early June, the House passed legislation to streamline the process for building new refineries in America. The bill would cut red tape and bureaucratic hurdles. It also includes a provision I authored directing the President to select three closed military bases as potential sites for new refineries.

Last July, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act. Among other things, this bill sought to promote the use of alternative energy sources domestically. It’s now been in effect for slightly more than a year, and the results are showing.

Twenty-seven new ethanol plants have broken ground, and 500 million gallons of new annual ethanol production has been brought online. Plans have been made for 25 new nuclear power plants with the potential to power 15 million households. Nearly half a million homes are now able to be powered by new wind power production, with many more expected in the future. There’s been a 30 percent increase nationwide in solar power panel installations, and new efficiency standards for large appliances are saving significant amounts of energy every day.

In order to keep up with skyrocketing demand for oil worldwide, including exponential growth in China and India, we must continue to adapt our energy policies. This affects prices at the pump for the American consumer, and the long-term strength of our economy as a whole. But it also affects our national security.

We import more than half of the oil we consume. That means sending an enormous amount of money overseas to countries that are often hostile to America’s interests. Reducing our dependence on foreign oil means increasing our safety here at home.

The recent setback in Prudhoe Bay should serve as a wakeup call to lawmakers. We must continue to make energy independence a top priority if we are to secure a safe and prosperous future for America. In today’s global environment, we simply can’t afford to do otherwise.

Congressman Joe Pitts, a Republican, represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District, which includes Lancaster County and parts of Chester County and Berks County.