KAGEN: ‘AMERICAN OIL IS FOR AMERICANS’
Drilling for New Oil in Alaska
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. today called for increased drilling for new oil in the Alaskan National Petroleum Reserve, with all oil obtained being to American citizens.
Kagen’s “Oil For Americans Act,” which would restore the prohibition against exporting Alaskan oil to foreign countries and declare that oil drilled in America should be sold solely in America, was included as a provision in the “Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands Act – the DRILL Act - debated in the House today.
“The Oil for Americans Act guarantees that every single drop of oil coming out of Alaska goes to American citizens,” Kagen said. “We should be drilling for our own oil and guaranteeing it goes to Americans.”
The DRILL Act increases domestic oil supply by speeding the development of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), requiring the Secretary of Interior to offer at least one lease sale annually in the NPR-A. The bill incorporates Kagen’s proposed ‘Use It or Lose It’ legislation, which requires oil producers to drill on domestic leases they already hold or give the leases to someone who will.
Importantly, the bill also calls on the White House to use its powers to facilitate the completion of oil pipelines into the NPR-A and to facilitate the construction of a Alaska natural gas pipeline to the continental United States to quickly move the gas to the marketplace.
Congressman Kagen has created an Energy Advisory Committee made up of local business and industry leaders to explore the impact and implication of the current energy situation.
