Energy Update: Democrats Say "NO" to "All of the Above" Again

The "All of the Above" energy plan was presented by Republicans again yesterday during the budget debate as noted here:

5:30 PM - Republicans Offer an “All of the Above” Energy Amendment; Democrats Say No Again

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) offered an “All of the Above” energy amendment which would encourage the development of clean, alternative energy in the United States and support environmentally-responsible production of America’s untapped domestic energy sources. The amendment is intended to move America toward energy independence and away from its dangerous dependence on foreign oil. Again, Democrats voted against this common sense amendment.

If adopted, the amendment would have opened a portion of ANWR and other federal lands to competitive oil & gas leasing which would have resulted in an environmentally sound program for exploration and production of domestic oil and gas resources and would have dedicated receipts from bonus bids, royalties, and rental payments to the following:

* 1/3 for a new Clean Energy Trust fund
* 1/3 for the Highway Trust Fund
* 1/3 for deficit reduction

Studies show that America has vast reserves of oil and natural gas that are untapped (source: House Budget Committee, Republican Staff):

* 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the OCS
* 10 billion barrels of oil and 4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in ANWR
* 19.2 billion barrels of oil and 98trillion cubic feet of natural gas on other public lands
* Possibly over 1 trillion barrels of oil in Western oil shale and tar sand
An “All of the Above” energy strategy is the best route to achieving American Energy Independence.