WASHINGTON – Four members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Committee on Natural Resources today asked President Bush to quickly make appointments to the United States Commission on North American Energy Freedom.

The commission, created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, is supposed to make recommendations for a coordinated and comprehensive North American energy policy that will achieve energy self-sufficiency by 2025. It has a year to hold public hearings and submit a final report to Congress and the president of its findings and recommendations regarding North American energy freedom. The president must submit to Congress within 90 days after receiving and considering the report, a statement of proposals to implement or respond to the commission’s recommendations.

“Record high gasoline, diesel and oil prices are being driven largely by the energy production decisions of government regimes that are not reliable or do not have U.S. economic interests at heart,” wrote U.S. Reps. Joe Barton, R-Texas, Don Young, R-Alaska, John Shimkus, R-Ill., and Stevan Pearce, R-N.M. “We believe such self-sufficiency is achievable with focused, determined policy leadership.”

A copy of the letter can be found here.