Womack, Ross push for energy independence

Natural gas and nuclear energy will “absolutely” be part of the effort among a small group of Republican Congressman tasked with promoting American energy independence, according to U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers.

Coincidentally, the same day HEAT emerged, U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott, filed a bill that would increase domestic drilling and “make historic investments” in alternative and renewable energy sources.

Ross, a member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, said the American-Made Energy Act of 2011 expands areas for domestic drilling, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve and offshore in the Outer Continental Shelf — two areas that Democratic constituencies have in the past argued should be off limits to energy production.

“We’ve depended on foreign oil for far too long and my bill takes the biggest, most serious first step to energy independence and lower fuel prices that this country has ever taken,” Ross said in his statement. “We must drill more here at home, off the coast and in ANWR—not based on BP standards, but utilizing new 21st century technologies that allows us to recover the oil and natural gas we need while being good stewards of the environment.”

HEAT TEAM
Womack, who represents a Congressional District that includes significant natural gas interests, a nuclear plant in Russellville and future production by Mitsubishi of wind-turbine components at Chaffee Crossing, was appointed recently to the House Energy Action Team (HEAT).

The HEAT group is small in number, but not influence. In addition to Womack, HEAT members are House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam, R-Ill., Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings, R-Wash.
 
According to a statement from Womack’s office, HEAT is a “committed group of House members” focused on the education and promotion of energy policies “that will address rising energy prices, create thousands of good jobs and enhance our national security by promoting energy independence for America.”

Ross, with his legislation, seems to agree with the sentiment of the HEAT group. If approved by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama, Ross’ bill would use revenue from lease and royalties to create a federal trust fund for investing in alternative and renewable energy projects.

“We cannot ignore the reality that our way of life continues to depend on affordable oil and natural gas, but we also can’t ignore the reality that they are limited resources. Our country also spends just over $300 billion a year importing energy from other nations, particularly from the Middle East, and it remains clear that our dependence on foreign oil is a threat to our national security and way of life,” Ross said.

MORE TALK?
Womack understands the cynicism people might have of more talk out of Congress about energy independence, but said the group is “going to force that conversation so we don’t have that ebb and flow” of discussion that only comes around when gas prices approach $4 a gallon.

The combination of high gas prices along combined with the uncertain U.S. economy and continued unrest in the Middle East has created “enough awareness” among the public that something can now be done to create what Womack calls a more “stable” energy policy.

“What I heard from people (during recent travels around Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District) is that we’ve got to get away from using so much foreign oil,” Womack explained. “Because every time there is a hiccup in the Middle East, we pay for it in the form of higher oil prices. We simply can’t keep doing that.”

ENERGY EDUCATION
One of the first tasks of the committee is to educate the House membership and “get beyond rhetoric and talking points” and to a more substantive discussion about energy supply and demand, Womack said.

Womack said the HEAT group does not yet have specific objectives, but when it comes to energy independence, he said the group is “taking an all-of-the-above approach.” That approach will first push for more oil and natural gas exploration and production in the U.S. to fix the short term issue of supply and demand that often results in the economically-disruptive fuel price cycles.

“The first thing to do is tap our domestic sources of oil and gas. That’s the first thing you do. … The emerging technologies don’t address now the high prices at the pump, but pulling our own supplies into the mix will,” Womack said. “But yet, with our past policies, we’re finding every reason to not develop our own resources.”

As the vice chairman of Energy and Water subcommittee of House Appropriations Committee, Womack said he is eager to highlight Arkansas’ real and potential contributions to the energy independence discussion.

“Arkansas and many other states have enormous reserves of natural gas, and I think an outcome of this is to demonstrate what we have as an asset and how we can use emerging and other technologies to better use that resource,” he said.