Labor Day is a holiday to celebrate the American worker. Many folks take advantage of the extra day off to travel to the lake or a relative’s home or even a ballgame. If you are like me though, the excitement of traveling is tempered by the price at the pump.

 

America is still too dependent on foreign sources of energy. The only way that we can become less dependent on foreign oil is to develop American sources of energy. In the House, we were presented with an energy bill that gave tax credits to people who ride their bike to work. That’s not a real energy plan.

 

We need a plan that is forward looking, but that also uses the resources we currently have.  In Alaska, the Artic National Wildlife Refuge is the size of South Carolina that holds millions of barrels of oil. In order to access those reserves we would need to make a footprint the size of Kansas City International Airport.

 

Hundreds of miles off our coast, there is energy just waiting to be tapped. Instead American companies have been barred from exploring that area. While we watch, countries like China and Cuba, are moving to capture that energy for themselves. We cannot lessen our dependence on foreign oil unless we are willing to increase our own supply.