To be absolutely clear, the United States has an abundance of known energy reserves yet untapped. Too often, however, we have been thwarted by an array of special interest groups from accessing it to become truly energy independent of foreign interests. An array of environmental protection organizations, the "not in my backyard" (nimby) groups, and the "build absolutely nothing anyplace nor anytime" (banana) proponents have incrementally over time placed our nation at needless serious risk and in crisis. As America is an oil-based economy, the wholesale transfer of our nation's wealth for oil -- in the order of over one billion dollars a day and anywhere from 400 to 700 billion dollars a year depending upon the quoted source -- cannot continue.
To place ourselves and our economy at the whims of dictators, tyrants, and bullies in order to be supplied with oil is simply unacceptable for our strategic national interests and future security needs. I support the immediate domestic onshore and offshore digging for it, mining for it, and drilling for it. Bottom line: we start going after it today; we start paying less for it tomorrow! Additionally, we should be fast tracking the building of nuclear power plants and harnessing the alternative energy sources of the sun, the wind, and the tides. Energy exploration should be a non-political issue, but today being tethered to the political "don't drill domestically" Democrats is hurting each and every one of us and placing United States security at an unnecessary risk.