Increasing domestic oil and gas production is no panacea for our nation's energy needs or economy. That will only intensify our fossil fuel addiction. It also won't free us from the tyranny of the global oil market. U.S. oil production may be up 44% since 2008, but so are prices. The costs of crude oil have risen 6% in that time.
And it is damaging communities' health, air, water and land.
The fracking that is driving our oil and gas surge has grown at breakneck speed. Our public safeguards haven't kept pace. Companies have lobbied their way around bedrock environmental laws, and states have responded with weak rules and limited enforcement.
When drill pads are built in our backyards and wild landscapes, these places become vulnerable to toxic chemicals, contaminated water and permanent scarring.
We cannot continue down this path without safeguards that protect people, farms and communities from these threats. And we need to recognize that some places, such as those home to major drinking water supplies or rare landscapes, must be put off-limits.
Also, more oil and gas production will only exacerbate climate change, the central environmental challenge of our time, imposing growing costs on our nation and imperiling our future.
Last year alone, Americans suffered $140 billion in crop losses, wildfires, storm damage and other impacts of extreme weather made worse by climate change. The federal government picked up the lion's share of the tab at an average cost of $1,100 per taxpayer.
America faces a choice. We can stand by and watch energy companies industrialize our communities and intensify climate change. Or we can pivot to a cleaner path.
True energy independence means reducing our reliance on oil and gas by investing in America's abundant clean energy resources that can power our country and boost our economy without endangering our health and climate.
The solar industry is 20 times the size it was a decade ago and employs more than 100,000 Americans. Just one set of new efficiency standards for refrigerators, dishwashers and other appliances will reduce carbon pollution by emissions equivalent to 25 coal-fired power plants. Our new 54.5 mpg fuel standards will cut oil imports by one-third and save consumers $1.7 trillion at the pump.
These are the clean energy innovations that will lead us to a stronger economy, healthier communities and a safer planet. This is what it takes for America to be truly energy independent.
News broadcast done by AmeraTex Energy.
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