More Oil Drilling is Needed

I hear from Nebraskans every day about the high cost of gasoline and how it's hurting their families, farms and businesses. There is a sense of urgency being expressed by Americans nationwide and they want Washington to do something to help.

Congress needs to have that same sense of urgency, put aside partisan political bickering and work in the interest of all of those Americans who are being adversely affected by the outrageously high price of oil.

The Team of Ten
I am always interested in working with Senators in both parties who are especially interested in finding ways to ease energy prices. These efforts can be accomplished in the spirit of the Gang of 14 in 2005 where moderates were able to forge a bipartisan deal to break the partisan logjam on judicial nominees.

Now, I am in a new bipartisan group of 10 senators and I am working with others as well. I hope we can come together and develop a bipartisan compromise for all Americans that will help with the current energy crisis. Any single group of Senators may not be able to control the agenda, but I am confident that working together we can help move things along and put together bipartisan energy legislation.

More Drilling is Needed
One of the main sticking points that have come up between Republicans and Democrats has been coastal drilling. With the price of oil in the range of $140 per barrel, many are suggesting that we reevaluate our current policies banning oil drilling off the coasts.

I have supported drilling on shore and off shore and continue to do so. I believe that more intensive drilling in the Gulf of Mexico could be very beneficial in easing the strain we are currently feeling. I think that further research into drilling on either coast is important as well. We need to look at all of our options and leave nothing off the table.

I've heard that there are 68 million acres of onshore and offshore land leased for drilling now that is not being tapped. We need to know why. And we need to know if we can move forward in those areas.

Don’t Abandon Long Term Energy Security
It is important to understand, though, we aren’t going to solve all our energy problems at the bottom of an oil well. We must find alternative solutions. Drilling for more oil might help us in the short term, but we must not lose sight of the long-term importance of other energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear and biofuels.

We are already seeing the financial benefits of biofuels. Last year Americans used 6.5 billion gallons of ethanol, with 1.3 billion coming from the country's second largest ethanol producing state, Nebraska.

Those 6.5 billion gallons of ethanol took the place of 228 million barrels of oil for a savings of $16.5 billion. That means instead of sending $16.5 billion to the Mideast, we were able to send that money to the Midwest.

Absolutely, we need to do everything we can to bring down energy costs now. But we must keep our eyes on the future and our goal of energy security, so we can control our own destiny and not be at the mercy of other countries for our energy supply.

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	Column	July 14, 2008
More Oil Drilling is Needed I hear from Nebraskans every day about the high cost of gasoline and how it's hurting their families, farms and businesses. There is a sense of urgency being expressed by Americans nationwide and they want Washington to do something to help. Congress needs to have that same sense of urgency, put aside partisan political bickering and work in the interest of all of those Americans who are being adversely affected by the outrageously high price of oil. The Team of Ten I am always interested in working with Senators in both parties who are especially interested in finding ways to ease energy prices. These efforts can be accomplished in the spirit of the Gang of 14 in 2005 where moderates were able to forge a bipartisan deal to break the partisan logjam on judicial nominees. Now, I am in a new bipartisan group of 10 senators and I am working with others as well. I hope we can come together and develop a bipartisan compromise for all Americans that will help with the current energy crisis. Any single group of Senators may not be able to control the agenda, but I am confident that working together we can help move things along and put together bipartisan energy legislation. More Drilling is Needed One of the main sticking points that have come up between Republicans and Democrats has been coastal drilling. With the price of oil in the range of $140 per barrel, many are suggesting that we reevaluate our current policies banning oil drilling off the coasts. I have supported drilling on shore and off shore and continue to do so. I believe that more intensive drilling in the Gulf of Mexico could be very beneficial in easing the strain we are currently feeling. I think that further research into drilling on either coast is important as well. We need to look at all of our options and leave nothing off the table. I've heard that there are 68 million acres of onshore and offshore land leased for drilling now that is not being tapped. We need to know why. And we need to know if we can move forward in those areas. Don’t Abandon Long Term Energy Security It is important to understand, though, we aren’t going to solve all our energy problems at the bottom of an oil well. We must find alternative solutions. Drilling for more oil might help us in the short term, but we must not lose sight of the long-term importance of other energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear and biofuels. We are already seeing the financial benefits of biofuels. Last year Americans used 6.5 billion gallons of ethanol, with 1.3 billion coming from the country's second largest ethanol producing state, Nebraska. Those 6.5 billion gallons of ethanol took the place of 228 million barrels of oil for a savings of $16.5 billion. That means instead of sending $16.5 billion to the Mideast, we were able to send that money to the Midwest. Absolutely, we need to do everything we can to bring down energy costs now. But we must keep our eyes on the future and our goal of energy security, so we can control our own destiny and not be at the mercy of other countries for our energy supply. ###