The skyrocketing gas prices of last summer were a stark reminder that we can no longer afford business as usual. While energy prices have dropped considerably in recent months, we have not fundamentally fixed the problem. When the economy gets back on track, we will see demand for energy spike, and gas prices will likely soar past last summer’s $4 per gallon price. As a member of the Senate Energy Committee, Senator Burr believes we must not lose sight of the need for an energy blueprint that addresses our current and future challenges. We cannot afford to waste time picking winners and losers.
Energy efficiency and conservation efforts are important tools to address future energy demand, as is the development and commercialization of alternative energy sources such as biofuels, wind, solar, wave, and geothermal energy. Utilizing these tools and resources will help move us towards a clean energy economy.
In addition, nuclear energy is clean, safe, reliable, and affordable. It can and must be part of the energy solution if our country wants to achieve meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. There are 104 nuclear reactors around the country today. Together, they displace the same amount of carbon dioxide as is emitted by nearly every passenger car on the road in the United States. If the 33 nuclear reactors now being planned are built, they will generate enough electricity to power 28 million homes. We must find a way to bring these nuclear reactors on line and find a permanent solution for nuclear reprocessing and waste.
While we must increase renewable resources and alternative fuels as a percentage of our energy mix, the reality is this shift cannot happen overnight. Domestic exploration must continue to be part of the solution so that it can help serve as a bridge to a cleaner, more diverse energy resource mix in our economy. Furthermore, from a national security perspective, it is important to remember that the United States imports almost sixty percent of its oil from overseas at a cost of almost $700 billion per year. This is a tremendous transfer of wealth. This is why taking domestic exploration off the table is a path we can no longer afford to continue.
Energy diversity equals energy security. That is why Senator Burr believes we must work in a bipartisan manner to craft energy policy that puts all options on the table. This country will need to consider every solution to meet our energy challenges.
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