For Immediate Release
Contact: Justin Kitsch
202-461-2365
January 24, 2012
SAFE on SOTU: Role of Domestic Energy Critical for Economic and National Security
WASHINGTON – Robbie Diamond, President and CEO of Security America’s Future Energy (SAFE), released the following statement in response to tonight’s State of the Union Address:
“Tonight, we heard about the important role that U.S. oil and natural gas production can have in strengthening the economic and national security of the United States. But, when it comes to Congress and the Administration working together to enact meaningful energy security legislation, the reality is that actions will speak louder than words.
“With the economy still struggling to recover and Iran continuing to use oil as a strategic weapon, it is necessary for both parties to work together to reduce oil dependence. For U.S. households, which spent a record $4,100 on fuel for their vehicles in 2011, reduced oil dependence means there will be less volatility in their energy costs. For America’s foreign policy, reduced oil dependence will help alleviate the constraints and costs shouldered by the U.S. military as it carries the burden of protecting global oil supply lines and infrastructure.
“More domestic production is a start to improving the current balance of trade that has sent more than $1.4 trillion in hard-earned American wealth overseas in the past five years, but increasing domestic supply alone will not be sufficient to protect the U.S. from volatile prices and future oil supply risks.
“Solving this oil dependence in the long-term requires a sustained effort that involves moving the U.S. transportation sector away from oil and toward alternative technologies like the electrification of the light-duty vehicle fleet and using natural gas to power heavy-duty trucks.”
“It is my hope that President Obama and Congress can work together, even in an election year, to seize the opportunity and advance legislation that includes shifting the U.S. transportation sector toward alternative fuels like electricity. Given the challenges facing the nation right now—from improving our economy to confronting international tensions in the oil-rich Middle East, now is the time to put in place a long-term set of policies that will move the country away from its dependence on oil. Now that President Obama and Republicans say they are on the same page with an all of the above energy strategy, let’s get something done.”