Boosting our Energy

Lately, I've noticed store shelves carry an ever increasing variety of energy drinks. They are stocked with every flavor, color, shape and size you might want. I don't know if these drinks actually provide more energy or not. I do know that the United States needs an energy boost, but there is no magic bottle to do it. The only solution is to increase our domestic production.

For many years our country has sourced a majority of its energy from oil, coal and natural gas. In fact, the United States is one of the world's largest exporters of coal, and this business is booming.

Most of the coal produced here is headed to Asia. American demand for coal has been slowed down by costly regulations from the federal government. Additionally, the United States has continued to increase its use of natural gas. Our shale gas production more than tripled between 2007 and 2010. Natural gas now supplies 30 percent of our energy needs.

Unfortunately, when it comes to oil, there is more for us to do in order to increase our domestic production. We have the resources; now we just need to access them. We have not tapped reserves in Alaska or off the Outer Continental Shelf. I have long-supported legislation that would increase energy exploration and speed up the process of getting oil from the ground to the market. It makes sense to get our energy from America rather than Saudi Arabia, because having our energy fortunes too closely tied to Middle East countries not only threatens our energy supplies, but also our national security.

When it comes to fueling America's economy, there are no easy gimmicks. We must look to expand our energy production by cutting red tape and using our own natural resources.

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