Terry Everett, October 23, 2006

Over the last two months, gasoline prices have plummeted across the nation. In some cases, falling by as much as 75 cents a gallon - the fastest such decline on record. This relief in pain at the pump for American drivers and businesses is welcome, but not likely to last. It cannot and will not distract Congress from its ongoing efforts to secure a sound energy policy to help the nation meet future needs.

Just as a number of factors combined earlier this year to tighten international oil supplies and drive up the price of gasoline here at home, such pressure on global petroleum has eased for the moment. Demand both here and abroad for oil and gas seems to have dipped and the absence of an active hurricane season and political storms in foreign oil producing countries lay at the heart of the current downturn in gas prices. As we have seen, gas prices rise and fall with the season and at the mercy of the market. It is for that very reason that America needs stability in our energy supply.

Roller coaster energy prices not only inflict great pain to the average driver, but they also stifle business growth and lead to higher prices for goods and services. The whole economy is impacted. Not surprisingly, everyone does better in times of lower energy prices. Congress has been working to pass legislation aimed at promoting greater energy independence at home.

Realizing that America needed a new strategy to cope with anticipated future shortfalls, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a comprehensive energy plan four times from August 2001 to July 2005 before the Senate finally secured the votes to pass such legislation. Accordingly, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act (HR 6) into law in August, 2005. This new policy encourages more energy production, both from fossil fuel and alternative sources, but due to Democrat objections, this law did not address several critical issues, among them an inadequate number of oil refineries.

On October 7, 2005 the U.S. House passed the Gasoline for America's Security (GAS) Act (HR 3893). It directs the president to select sites for new oil refineries on appropriate Federal land (including closed military bases) in other areas of the country, and it promotes the construction of more refineries and refurbishing old ones no longer in use. The GAS Act also promotes new oil and gas pipeline construction to bring fuel to refineries and consumers.

With a ready supply of oil and gas lying within our reach, it makes no sense to continue Federal off-shore energy development bans. Last June, the U.S. House passed the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act (HR 4761). The legislation would provide for environmentally-sound deep sea energy exploration off America's coastlines, including Alabama's. Gulf oil access is becoming more critical as an oil field with a potential increase in domestic reserves by 50 percent was recently discovered.

Add to that the House passage of the America-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act (HR 5429) in May which authorizes environmentally-safe energy production in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to increase the supply of America-made energy. The conservative House also approved the Federal Energy Price Protection Act to ban gasoline price gouging.

To tackle energy supply instability, the country must have a solid, long-term energy policy that encourages energy diversification while increasing access to our own energy reserves. The House has shown its strong commitment to doing just that and will continue to push for American energy independence.

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