Shawano Leader - Gard Pitches Domestic Oil Plan

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Shawano Leader - Gard Pitches Domestic Oil Plan

By Allie Tempus

U.S. Congress hopeful John Gard presented his plan to reduce gas prices at the American Legion in Shawano Thursday, emphasizing strategies that encourage oil drilling and exploration on American soil and decrease reliance on oil sources in the Middle East.

Gard explained his decision to support oil exploration to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska with an illustrated slide of the area's geography.

"It's got 20 to 30 billion barrels of oil that we know of," Gard said, pointing out that the proposed drilling site within ANWR poses little environmental threat. "I believe we should be drilling there, I believe we can do it environmentally safe and when we do it the price of a barrel of oil will drop significantly."

Gard presented other tactics for gas price control, including increasing access for oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf of the United States, allowing for the development of oil shale sites, cutting red tape on refineries and putting tighter controls on investors who trade in the oil futures market.

Many area citizens at the town meeting were in support of domestic oil drilling, although concerns were expressed about the timeline for improvement.

"America's a know-how nation. If we put our minds to it we could get out and refine rather quickly," said Joyce Hagen of Shawano. "However, if we'd have started 10 years ago, we'd have had enough. Ten years from now we'll be glad we did (drill). Not starting is the problem."

In discussion Gard stated that more reliance on diverse domestic oil sources would make for better long-term conditions in which to develop alternative technologies.

"The estimates are about 190 billion dollars of royalties and taxes from the federal government opening up their property to leasing rights to folks who are willing to drill there," Gard said. "When we do that, I think we should take 20 percent of that money…and immediately invest it into alternative energy engine development, alternative windmills, you name it."

Gard also focused on the contrast between his stances and those of Rep. Steve Kagen, who won the 2006 race. "

(Rep. Kagen's) record has been consistently against allowing any new drilling in the United States," Gard said, adding that Kagen voted eight times to "block efforts to increase American oil production" since taking office.

Incumbent Kagen is pushing a three-pronged attack on oil prices that calls for more drilling in the U.S. and less dependence on foreign oil, investment in renewable energy and preventing the manipulation of oil prices.

Kagen voted for the Energy Markets Emergency Act, which would direct the Commodities Future Trading Commission to investigate conditions in the energy futures markets to eliminate excessive speculation and price distortion.

Kagen also co-sponsored the Consumer Oil Price Protection Act, which would prevent limit participation in the market to those who are able to produce, manufacture or take possession of the oil they buy. Another bill Kagen recently voted for was the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act, which would bar companies from obtaining any additional federal leases for drilling unless they are producing oil and gas from the leases they already hold.

Gard stressed that the issue requires collaboration between both parties.

"You don't pull up to a gas station and there's a Republican pump and a Democrat pump," said Gard. "That's not how it works. This is an American problem."

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