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Mr. President, Make American Energy the Next Big Thing Five Simple Steps Will Create More Than a Million American Jobs The business community is calling for leadership to unleash an American energy revolution, a once-in-ageneration opportunity to create jobs, grow the economy, cut the deficit, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The economic windfall we need to put Americans to work is sitting right off our coasts, under our rocks, and in the air and sun. We have vast quantities of oil, natural gas, and coal—enough to power our nation for hundreds of years. We have technology that enables us to develop our resources more safely, cleanly, and cost effectively than ever. We have the ingenuity to increase efficiency and add alternative and renewable fuels to our mix. Unfortunately, the government is standing in the way of many of these opportunities. Mr. President, we need your leadership to change that. By taking five concrete steps, we can create more than a million new American jobs, cut our dependence on overseas imports, and pump hundreds of billions of dollars into government coffers over the next several years. Here’s how:
1. Unlock Federal Lands to Vastly Expand Oil and Gas Production. While
there has been some increased production due to past policies, under current policies 94% of federal onshore lands and 97% of federal offshore lands are not leased. To create jobs and boost our economic security, it’s time to reverse that restrictive course. By opening up onshore federal lands, we could create 530,000 jobs, reduce imports by 44% by 2025, and raise government revenues by $206 billion. The administration should also speed up rulemakings so that the private sector can access the oil shale resources that are poised to make energy more affordable and revitalize American manufacturing. Take a look at North Dakota. Thanks to its shale resources, the state enjoys the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. Developing resource-rich shale deposits could create more than 300,000 jobs by 2015 in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia alone. The administration’s five-year offshore leasing plan should be revised to include areas off the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and the Atlantic Coast that were previously open for leasing. Nearly 190,000 new jobs could be created by 2013 if offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico returned to pre-moratorium levels. In Alaska, if the government would allow ramped up production off the coast, we would create an annual average of 54,700 new jobs over the next 50 years and generate upward of $167 billion in new revenue.
2. Streamline Permi ing and Remove Barriers. Energy producers and entrepreneurs complain that even when new areas are opened for development, all too often they can’t get the permits to
proceed. Mr. President, we ask you to use your executive authority to overcome this bureaucratic resistance that is standing in the way of your own publicly stated policy intentions. We ask that you immediately issue an executive order to streamline the permitting process to be fair, predictable, timely, and transparent. Across the United States, energy projects are stalled due to shortsighted government policies, a legal system run amok, extreme environmentalists, Not-In-My-Backyard activism, and antigrowth advocates. By removing these impediments while still allowing for rigorous reviews, we could create 1.9 million jobs annually.
3. Approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. Green-light the pipeline connecting Canada’s oil sands with Texas refineries and put 20,000 Americans to work immediately and create 250,000 jobs over the life of the project. The pipeline would stimulate local and state economies and raise billions in government revenue. And a steady supply of energy from our northern neighbor would lessen our reliance on oil from unfriendly regimes around the world. There is no justification for continuing to block the pipeline. The project has passed every environmental test. It has the support of business, labor, and a bipartisan majority of lawmakers. It holds too much promise to be a casualty of politics. And if we don’t take advantage of the opportunity, our competitors will. 4. Ensure a Reliable, Cost-Efficient Power Supply. America is still reliant on coal for
nearly half of its electricity. It’s time to stop demonizing this crucial resource and start working with this vital American industry to produce, use, and export coal more safely, cleanly, and efficiently than ever before. If we are to meet the needs of our economy, we must continue to be able to access this supply. Rather than piling on job-killing regulations with unrealistic timetables—such as EPA’s Utility MACT rule that threatens our electricity grid and could cause rolling blackouts—we must ensure a reliable power supply using both existing resources and new ones, including renewable technologies. For that to happen, we must also build new transmission lines, which are too often delayed and derailed by bureaucratic red tape.
5. Adopt an All-of-the-Above Approach. You said it in your State of the Union
address, and you said it right. We need an all-of-theabove energy strategy to grow and secure the American economy. Now we need the leadership and policies to turn rhetoric into reality. We must develop a diverse portfolio. In addition to oil, natural gas, coal, and renewables, we should aggressively pursue nuclear energy. This clean, safe power source is a critical part
of our energy mix that already accounts for 20% of electricity. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s recent approval of the first new nuclear reactors in 30 years is a positive step, which we must build on without delay. Our country has been blessed with the resources to put Americans back to work—if we let them. Realizing the vast potential for job creation, revenue generation, and national energy security isn’t a foregone conclusion. We’ve got to choose it. We’ve got to do it. And it must be done now. Energy is not the industry of yesterday; it is the industry of tomorrow. It is indeed the next big thing we’ve all been seeking so that we can build a more prosperous and competitive country that benefits every American. We are calling on the administration to seize this extraordinary opportunity by working with Congress and the business community to launch an American energy revolution.
American Energy Agenda Checklist Unlock federal lands and expand oil and gas production. Issue an executive order to streamline permitting. Approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Ensure a reliable, cost-efficient power supply. Adopt an all-of-the-above approach for a diverse portfolio.