John Ensign, United States Senator, Nevada

America’s Energy Problem

Challenge: There is no question that our nation’s lack of a comprehensive energy plan is burdening American families and businesses. Filling up a tank of gas with foreign oil is a growing hardship; paying energy bills in the summer and winter is breaking budgets; and there is no relief on the horizon.

Solution: Balance our energy portfolio so that as a nation we are not over reliant on any one source. There is exciting potential for renewable energy, but the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. There is no end in sight for the rising price of gas. We need to increase domestic exploration for American energy security including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the outer continental shelf, our clean coal resources and technology, nuclear energy, and oil shale. All of these resources are part of the answer.

The Senate already passed Senator Ensign's renewable energy bill, and the President signed it into law.  This will encourage clean energy and more efficiency, but we need to do more to increase our American energy supply.

Renewable energy

Plan: Encourage the development of renewable energy and expand energy efficiency in buildings, homes, and appliances.

Senator Ensign authored, with Senator Cantwell, a bipartisan renewable energy bill, which extends incentives to encourage clean energy.  This bill was signed into law in October. Extending critical tax credits encourages clean energy production using renewable energy resources such as solar, geothermal, wind, biomass, hydropower facilities, and much more.

Did you know?

• Studies have shown that the Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit for renewable energy projects would help create 120,000 employment opportunities and bring almost $20 billion in economic investment into the country.
• The expiration of production tax credits in 2004 created a 77 percent drop in installed wind capacity that year relative to 2003.

Domestic supply

Plan: Expand our domestic energy supply and reduce our reliance on foreign energy sources, many of which come from hostile nations.

Senator Ensign has been leading efforts for the American Energy Production Act of 2008, which would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for responsible exploration, tap into deep sea exploration, and develop oil shale resources.

If enacted, this bill would lead to the estimated production of up to 24 billion barrels of oil.

Did you know?

• Exploration of ANWR would be limited to a tiny area, roughly equivalent to the size of a postage stamp on a football field. I support responsible exploration that would not impact habitat and wildlife.
• ANWR could generate more than 10 billion barrels of oil, enough to replace decades’ worth of oil imports from Saudi Arabia.
• ANWR alone could save the United States $40 billion annually in money now spent buying oil overseas.
• If opening ANWR had not been vetoed 13 years ago, one million barrels of domestic oil would now be flowing to consumers every day.
• There are 8.5 billion barrels of known recoverable oil through deep sea exploration in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Development is at the discretion of coastal state governors and would be greater than 50 miles offshore, well beyond visibility from land. Similarly, there are trillions of barrels of oil from oil shale that can be harvested in an environmentally friendly way.

Senator Ensign also supports the expansion of clean-coal energy. Coal is an abundantly plentiful and affordable option. Coal energy has made great technological progress in efficiency and environmental responsibility, something for which Senator Ensign has been a vocal advocate. The coal plants of generations ago are no longer recognizable in today’s advanced units, and emerging technologies are making even greater advances in capturing and sequestering carbon to provide affordable energy and protect our environment.

Did you know?
• With a 230-year supply, America is the Saudi Arabia of coal.

Another energy supply that we can take advantage of right here on American soil is nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is clean and safe. It causes no air pollution, no water pollution, and no ground pollution. Nuclear energy in the United States has never caused a single injury or death.

Did you know?

• Only 20% of our electricity in the United States comes from nuclear reactors.
• Many countries recycle their spent nuclear fuel, negating the need for a controversial repository like Yucca Mountain.

 

Additional Energy Resources:
Gas Buddy

Related Records:

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