The 92 Percent Solution
Mark Green
Posted June 8, 2011
"Energy security" is something that comes up all the time in Washington policy debates. It means being able to identify reliable, accessible sources of energy that will secure America's economic future as well as our way of life.
You can't really talk about long-range energy policy without clearing that threshold. The good news is energy security isn't complicated or far away. Take a look at this video on the keys to U.S. energy security:
The plan is simple:
A. Access: We can increase U.S. crude oil production by nearly 1 million barrels a day by 2020 and 4 million barrels per day by 2030 by accessing oil and natural gas reserves that are currently off-limits - a small footprint inside the vast Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the outer continental shelf.
B. Canadian oil sands pipeline expansion: State Department approval of the Keystone XL pipeline expansion could bring an extra 830,000 barrels of oil per day - equal to about half of what currently is imported from the Persian Gulf - within the decade.
Again, 92 percent. In less than two decades. Energy that's attainable, reliable, secure.
Additional Resources:
Economic impact of increased access
Canadian oil sands pipeline expansion economic impact
About The Author
Mark Green joined API after a career in newspaper journalism, including 16 years as national editorial writer for The Oklahoman in the paper’s Washington bureau. Previously, Mark was a reporter, copy editor and sports editor at an assortment of newspapers. He earned his journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and master’s in journalism and public affairs from American University. He and his wife Pamela have two grown children and six grandchildren.