Relieved of those pesky elections, President Obama released his legacy budget this week. The tome landed like a proverbial ton of bricks on the desks of many legislators and was promptly declared “Dead on Arrival.” Even so, the message within the budget is very disconcerting and should be a red flag to all who are interested in keeping the United States a leader in energy.
For generations, the United States relied on foreign imports for over 50 percent of its oil needs. Thanks to domestic production of oil, that reliance is decreasing every year. Today the U.S. is able to produce enough natural gas to meet not only our own energy needs, but to also begin to supply other parts of the world. This is a great economic and political arrow in our quiver of diplomatic and economic relations. The nation is also increasing its ability to produce non-traditional forms of energy, such as wind, wave, current and solar. Combined with the traditional energy sources of coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear, this overall energy platform is a firm foundation for energy security, reliability and economic vitality, positively affecting U.S. consumers and workers.
