For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Contact Brian Kennedy at (202) 226-9019

- Chairman Richard W. Pombo

Washington, DC – As oil prices climb to record highs above $50 per barrel, some have asserted that we are "running out" of this resource. In truth, we are not running out of oil in America. We can safely increase domestic production by at least 17.2 million barrels per day by 2025.

"America has no shortage of oil for the foreseeable future," House Resources Committee Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-CA) said. "Washington has a shortage of the political will required to let American workers go get it. We have not increased domestic supply in thirty years. As a result, our dependence on foreign oil has skyrocketed to the point where we are sending $200 billion overseas to import this resource every year. At least a fraction of that sum should be spent at home to increase supply, lower prices, and create jobs."

"Increasing conservation and the use of renewable and alternative fuels must also be part of a balanced energy plan," Pombo continued. "That is why more than one half of the domestic recommendations in the Administration’s energy plan - held up in the Senate for the last four years - targeted these goals. But like it or not, the reality is that America runs on oil right now. We cannot conserve our way out of an empty tank of gas. We have to produce more at home, and there is plenty at home to produce."

**By combining conservation efforts with additional domestic production, the United States can close the gap between supply and demand to become more energy efficient. With current production and proposed development in North America, the United States could increase its supply by 17.2 million barrels per day by 2030. Click HERE to see how.**

"Contrary to the claims of special interest groups, we can produce more energy to grow our economy and continue environmental achievements at the same time," Pombo said. "These efforts go hand in hand. They are not mutually exclusive."

• Since 1973, the fuel efficiency of passenger cars, vans, pickups and SUV’s has increased by more than 60%. (Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, October 2003)

• From 1970 to 2000, total emissions of the six major pollutants decreased almost 30%. At the same time, total energy consumption rose 45%, GDP increased 160%, and population grew 38%. (Environmental Protection Agency, EIA, U.S. Census Bureau)
• From 1970 to 2000, the number of drivers on American roads increased 68%, total vehicle miles traveled per year grew 142%, and heavy-duty truck travel increased 227%. At the same time, however, the EPA estimates that total on-road vehicle emissions decreased 77%.

“Secure and affordable energy supplies fuel our economy - they are its lifeblood. In turn, a strong economy fuels investment in the research and technology that give us the positive environmental trendlines we see today. We cannot have one without the other."

###