Right now our nation is faced with a serious shortfall in energy supply. We have been watching the prices rise at the local gasoline pumps. Our electricity and natural gas bills have been going up. And we have heard about the "rolling blackouts" in California and other states, where there simply is not enough energy production to meet the basic needs of the population there.

This situation requires action, and you have probably heard some news about what the White House and Congress have been doing to deal with the current problem. Last week the Republicans introduced an energy plan that calls for a big increase in traditional energy production, which mainly means refining more oil and digging up more coal.

In my opinion, that is a good partial solution, but it can’t be the only solution. The Republican proposal will not relieve the economic burden on the American people in the short term (because it will take a long time to produce enough oil to affect the price at the pump), and it is irresponsible in the long term (because eventually our domestic oil reserves will run dry).

These higher energy costs are threatening to impact Arkansas in a very severe way. People in our state don’t have a lot of money, and we can’t handle big price jumps for gasoline and electricity. Also, we have a rural economy, and farmers will be hit especially hard when the cost of fuel and fertilizer goes up.

I remember when I was farming in Arkansas County during the early 1980s, and this country was faced with a similar energy shortfall. We emptied water tanks and filled them with diesel fuel during the winter, because we were worried that we would not have enough fuel to plant a crop in the spring. There were electricity blackouts throughout the state as well.

Today our national energy strategy should address the supply problem with a multi-tiered approach. Of course we need to increase domestic oil production, but there are other things we can do ensure that we aren’t faced with the same situation in the future.

A responsible energy plan would incorporate conservation measures, because according to most estimates, we can solve twenty percent of the problem by taking simple steps to reduce our use of energy. We also need to develop alternative energy sources, such as ethanol, solar, wind, nuclear, and biomass.

Another good idea involves being forceful with the OPEC nations, and encouraging them to increase their oil production. Eventually, if things do not improve soon, we might have to ask the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take a closer look at the business practices of the domestic energy industry.

This energy crisis is primarily about the economic well-being of the average American citizen. It also is a national security issue, because we need to be self-sufficient when it comes to a commodity as important as energy. There is no simple solution, and I hope that I can convince my colleagues in Washington of that fact.