The Politics of Energy by James L. Lambert - (AgapePress) September 2, 2006 Category: Political

ANY OF OUR political leaders in Washington, DC, fail to see the big picture when it comes to sources of energy, energy exploration, and energy conservation in America. Every American needs to come to the awareness that we can no longer continue to depend on foreign sources when it comes to this vital resource. American imports close to 60 percent of its oil, often from unreliable sources -- and that should concern Americans. Politically unstable and sometimes hostile regimes such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Russia, Venezuela and even Mexico demonstrate that we can no longer continue to depend on foreign governments like these for our energy needs. We need to develop our own sources in this country, as well as continue to develop alternative energy sources. America, with approximately 5 percent of the world's population, consumes more than 20 percent of the world's energy. I agree with liberals who make a case for energy conservation ... and that automakers should continue to develop cars that are more fuel-efficient. However, I disagree with liberals who continue to block oil exploration in this country. Liberal Democrats in California are against oil exploration off its coast. Development of the huge offshore oil tracts in California would help America's economy by providing thousands of high-paying jobs. We need to explore and develop our oil sources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), located in northeastern corner of Alaska. Interestingly, the liberal labor lobby in that state has been trying for years to open up those areas in our 50th state. It's interesting how liberal senators like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Harry Reid, John Kerry, and Ted Kennedy parrot radical environmentalists who would have you believe that exploration technology has not advanced, but is still operating at the level it did in the early 1970s. But like other forms of technology, ocean oil exploration has vastly improved over the last 20+ years. The British, for example, have developed deep oil reserves in the very treacherous North Sea corridor using that technology. Yet Senate Democrats continue to vote down oil exploration in ANWR. By using the U.S. Senate's own goofy rules, requiring 60 votes (or 60 percent plurality of that legislative body) for a floor vote, liberals continue to block further oil exploration in "The Last Frontier." Liberals in the U.S. House have done the same regarding oil exploration off our east and west coasts. Yet these same politicians complain about America's reliance on foreign oil and hold press conferences in front of gas stations to complain about the high cost of gasoline. We should encourage companies to seek out all potential sources of energy and give tax incentives that do so. With America holding some of the largest known sources of coal in the world, our leaders should support technology that allows for conversion of coal to oil. There was once a time when that notion was supported. And what about nuclear energy? France, for example, has successfully developed nuclear energy to the point where it is now their major source of household energy. Our leaders in Washington must understand that we can no longer afford to rely on undependable overseas sources of energy. By far our largest single import -- a factor which helps to create our huge trade imbalance -- is oil. Tapping into our own sources will help to ease that imbalance and bring sorely needed, good-paying jobs to areas like Alaska, California, Colorado, the Gulf Region, and the Appalachian states. Most of all, though, taking such an approach to meet our energy needs will allow America to have more control of its destiny -- rather than subject it to the whims of some Third World despot. James L. Lambert, a frequent contributor to AgapePress, is a licensed real-estate mortgage loan sales agent and can be contacted at http://www.jamesllambert.com/ More guest columns.