Ken Mercer State Board of Education
Published: 09-15-08
In the 1970s Congress was concerned that 25 of our oil needs relied on foreign countries.
Today we have a 70 foreign dependency with $700 billion a year leaving the United States. How much money? Imagine 700000 brand new millionaires each and every year.
Unless we change America will send $7 trillion over the next ten years to foreign countries. Much of that will fund nations that hate our country.
Congress must establish an aggressive twelve-year plan to eliminate our current 70 dependency on foreign energy.
Oilman T. Boone Pickens warns us: “Last year (2007) we sent more than $300 billion to countries controlled by oppressive or unstable regimes. We are killing our economy at the same time that we are propping up our enemies.”
Eliminating foreign energy dependency will create a perfect trifecta for prosperity: (1) un-compromising National Security (2) $7 trillion staying at home and (3) 7 million new fully loaded American jobs.
This new comprehensive energy road map must commence with tactical domestic drilling investment in compressed natural gas exploration and an immediate 1-4 year massive construction of wind and solar farms.
Those four years will only buy us time. We must wean our country off foreign oil and replace that energy source with new alternative technologies by 2020.
First we must drill here and drill now. This is just a patch in the long-range road map but a patch that allows America immediately to lower the price of gasoline while keeping jobs and energy investment dollars at home.
Some states refuse to drill in their own territory. Fine then let our Texas families pay $2.50 per gallon as a reward for absorbing all the exploration risks and expenses; and let the anti-domestic drilling states pay $4.50 per gallon.
But domestic drilling is only a short-range policy. This is just a quick fix to allow time to address our long-range energy concerns.
Combined with tapping our wealth of compressed natural gas resources drill here and drill now will quickly turn the current 70 foreign dependency to 45 and lower the price of gasoline.
Second T. Boone Pickens hit a home run with wind farms. This is an immediate source of “free and clean” energy that must be developed.
In Texas we have two huge wind projects in Sweetwater and Pampa.
Rep. Warren Chisum (R – Pampa) the Chairman of Appropriations in the Texas House shared this about the wind farms in his district: “The Panhandle wind projects are a great marriage of much needed economic development in rural Texas with clean renewable energy for our State.”
Pickens believes wind energy can decrease foreign dependency by another 20. His map (www.push.pickensplan.com) proves that Middle America has the largest wind resources in the world. We are blessed with this free resource; it is past time to capitalize on it.
Combined with domestic drilling and compressed natural gas exploration by 2015 we can reduce our 70 foreign dependency to less than 25.
Add in new solar farm projects in the deserts of Arizona New Mexico Nevada and West Texas and then we are well on the way toward elimination of dependency on foreign energy by 2020.
Finally just a 10 change in dependency means reversing the annual outflow of American energy dollars to foreign counties by $100 billion. Dividing by a healthy fully weighted salary of $100K (wages full family medical benefits pension etc…) that means a direct impact resulting in 1 million new American jobs.
Again moving to zero percent foreign dependency will result in 7 million new high paying jobs. The annual inflow to America of $700 billion dollars explodes to 7 trillion over the next ten years.
Then consider the billions in new tax revenues for schools roads and hospitals. Result: the old term “Boomtown USA” once again becomes a reality.
You can dispute my estimates but the strategy is still clear. Congress must establish a twelve-year plan to eliminate our current 70 foreign energy dependency.
Former State Representative Ken Mercer(R - San Antonio) was a Member of the House Committee on Transportation. He is an appointed Member of the Texas Homeland Security Key Infrastructure Council and an elected Member of the State Board of Education.
