Energy Security Letter
February 22, 2002
Senator Thomas A. Daschle
Senator Trent Loft
Senator Jeff Bingaman
Senator Frank H. Murkowski
Senator Ernest F. Hollings
Senator John McCain
Representative J. Dennis Hastert
Representative Richard A. Gephardt
As you wrestle with the complex and vitally important energy bill now before the Senate and the subsequent House/Senate Conference, we ask that you carefully consider the national and energy security aspects of this legislation in order to reduce our reliance on oil.
The United States is almost out of oil, and our dependence takes us places and forces us to do things that are not always in America’s national interest. The power of oil reinforces the top of almost all societies and that strength and privilege too often fails to translate into policies and actions meeting the true needs of the people, their environment and their future. Perhaps the greatest gift America can give to the world is to put the power of oil into perspective.
We can use less oil to meet our needs in smarter ways while advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Europe is ahead of us in many of these areas.
Countries rich in oil and poor in dealing with their people and their environment may then begin to take a more insightful look at their 20 year horizon and decide that their current wealth can be better deployed. They should then be able to see that subjugation, terrorism, and war are not good investments for current oil-derived wealth.
Here at home:
• America must reduce its dependency on oil as we deplete our reserves and increase imports that will increasingly come from the Middle East, the Caspian Basin and Indonesia;
• We must accept our responsibility to reduce America’s greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions largely emanating from the combustion of fossil fuels;
• We must preserve for future generations and for strategic purposes, the last of our oil reserves and pioneer the advancement of non-petroleum transportation fuels; and
• We must disperse our energy production facilities and reduce our reliance on vulnerable electrical grids and oil and gas pipelines.
There are major opportunities for energy efficiency, fuel economy and renewable energy technologies like solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, incremental hydra and hydrogen.
While these imperatives will come at a modest investment to our economy, they will bring major returns and benefits:
• Accelerate the process of freeing us from our oil dependency;
• Honor our international environmental obligations;
• Create major new domestic industries and millions of jobs — especially in rural America where opportunities for biomass, solar, wind and geothermal industries abound;
• Take America out of the “rumble seat” and into the driver’s seat in establishing the world’s energy future; and
• Greatly strengthen our energy and national security.
We are national security specialists and energy security advocates of biofuels because of their ready potential to replace imported oil. We recommend:
• Passage of a meaningful renewable fuels and a renewable portfolio standard;
• Increased efficiency standards for vehicles -- and the use of biofuels in these vehicles -- and for facilities/appliances using electricity; and
• Extension of the energy production tax credits for at least two years and include open-loop biomass, agricultural and forestry residues, animal waste, solar and geothermal.
We ask that you give our convictions and recommendations careful consideration in your deliberations.
