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In this briefing
SAFE Energy Act of 2007
The No Zone and China in our backyard?
Energy Policy Act of 2005
Press Releases
Editorials
Online Resources
Senate Committee on
Energy & Natural Resources
SRC's Energy Information Center
The White House:
Energy In Focus
US Dept of Energy

“On no one quality, on no one process, on no one country, on no one route, and on no one field must we be dependent. Safety and certainty in oil lie in variety and variety alone.”

• Winston Churchill

Securing America's Energy Future

Energy security is becoming a hot topic due to tight oil markets, high oil prices, threats of terrorism, instability in some exporting nations, a nationalist backlash in others, fierce competition for supplies, geopolitical rivalries, and all countries' absolute need for energy to power their economic growth.

SAFE Energy = Clean Energy

Energy security and environmental responsibility go hand in hand . The introduction of the Security and Fuel Efficiency (SAFE) Energy Act of 2007 provides a pathway to achieve both. The Act provides for increases in vehicle fuel efficiency, expanded use of alternative fuel sources and related infrastructure, expanded production and exploration of domestic oil and natural gas, and improved management of alliances to better secure global oil supplies. The SAFE Energy Act also provides significant reductions in the production of greenhouse gas emissions.

SAFE Energy Act of 2007

“We need to balance conservation, new technologies, and production rather than support one solution over another.” • Dorgan, Craig Introduce Energy Bill
News release, 03/14/07

The primary goal of the SAFE Energy Act is to improve the energy security of the U.S. through a 50% reduction in the oil intensity of the economy by 2030.

The cornerstone principles of the legislation include:

  • achievable, stepped increases in fuel efficiency of the transportation fleet;
  • increased availability of alternative fuel sources and infrastructure;
  • expanded production and enhanced exploration of domestic and other secure oil and natural gas resources; and
  • improved management of alliances to better secure global energy supplies.

The President signed the 2007 Energy Bill on December 19, 2007. I attended the signing ceremony to demonstrate my support for the bill, which includes two provisions from my SAFE Energy Act, introduced earlier in the year: increasing transportation fuel efficiency and domestic production of biofuels. Please read my statements following the signing ceremony and Senate passage.

Resources from the Senate Floor:

Floor Charts

"The No Zone"

Standard quality [PDF/234KB]
High quality [PDF/604KB]

"Gulf of Mexico Energy Production"

Standard quality [PDF/198KB]
High quality [PDF/509KB]

The No Zone and China in our backyard?

“Red China should not be left to drill for oil within spitting distance of our shores without competition from U.S. industries. Not only is this a supply and energy security issue for us, it is an environmental issue. China has a dismal environmental record fraught with cover-up and blatant disregard for its own people.” • Craig Offers New Solution to Increase Oil Supply
News release, 04/26/06

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We are experiencing higher gasoline, oil, and natural gas prices today because of decades of restricted development of new sources of petroleum. We have identified oil and natural gas reserves that can be developed and used responsibly, yet efforts to responsibly develop the energy resources our country possesses, transforming vast areas of opportunity into "The No Zone."

Because of current U.S. policy, U.S. companies are prohibited from developing oil fields that lie in Cuban waters and come within 50 miles of Florida.

However, Cuba is exploring and potentially developing these oil fields, estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey to possess more oil than the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, and Cuba is partnering with China and other countries, such as Spain, France, and Canada.

Now, as we sit idly by, worried about development 100 miles from Florida, China is actively exploring oil fields 50 miles from Key West, Florida. U.S. companies are barred from working in this area because of U.S. policy . So, instead of allowing the most environmentally responsible companies to operate there and increase our domestic supply, China, who has a dismal environmental record, is sucking close, lucrative oil reserves dry.

Floor statements:
Want China in Your Backyard? - 04/26/2006 | Text | Video | Audio [MP3/18:00/10.8MB]
Floor Charts: China in our backyard [PDF/148KB]
The Answer is Always "No" - 05/10/2006 | Text | Video | Audio [MP3]
Floor Charts: The No Zone [PDF/212KB]
Oil Supply and Demand in the US [PDF/159KB]
Committee testimony:
Energy in Latin America - 06/22/2006
Audio clip:
Press Conference - 05/11/06 [MP3/14:25/5.8MB]
Editorials:
Untapped Potential - 04/27/06
Want China in Your Backyard? - 05/11/06
Press releases:
Craig Offers New Solution to Increase Oil Supply - 04/26/06
Bill Introduced to Allow U.S. Companies to Explore for Oil in Cuban Waters - 05/11/06
Bill text:
Western Hemisphere Energy Security Act - 05/11/06 | Document [PDF/34KB]

Energy Policy Act of 2005

Congress approved an Energy Bill, and the President signed the bill into law on August 8, 2005.

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources published a brief overview of the Energy Policy Act, providing highlights of the key issues and effects of the legislation:

Impacts of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 [PDF/560KB]

· Ethanol · Nuclear · Energy Efficiency · Wind · Solar · Electricity · Clean Fuel and Vehicles · Oil · Coal · Natural Gas · Hydropower ·




Press releases:
Senate Sends Energy Bill to President - 07/29/05
Senate Clears Bipartisan Energy Bill - 06/28/05
Bipartisan Energy Bill Approved by Committee - 05/26/05
Nuclear and Hydro Measures Added to Energy Bill - 05/25/05
Audio clip:
Remarks on the Energy Bill - 07/28/05 [mp3, 5:51, 5.4mb]
Online resources:
Senate Energy Committee Conference Report [pdf/2.6mb]
The White House: Energy in Focus
SRC's Energy Information Center

Press Releases related to energy issues

Editorials