By Don G. Briggs, President – LOGA (Louisiana Oil & Gas Association)

To ensure the future of energy security and independence from foreign sources, it is critical that this nation adopt a comprehensive energy plan that makes sense. Up to this point, it has proven difficult for Washington to draft, debate, and pass a clear energy policy for the nation. To have access to the brightest minds and best researchers, I do not understand why this has been so difficult.

Eighty percent (80%) of the US energy infrastructure comes from fossil fuels, with 20% coming from nuclear, hydro, wind and solar. The 80% breaks down to oil 40%, natural gas 20% and coal 20%.

When discussing our nation’s electricity, coal provides 50%, nuclear 20% with the balance made up from natural gas and hydroelectricity. Wind and solar provide a whopping 1%.

The National Commission on Energy Policy, a bipartisan research group that advises Congress, says, 70% of the oil consumed in the US each day goes to transportation. Forty-six percent of that goes to passenger transportation.

The reason for all the numbers is simply this, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to understand that oil and natural gas play a vital role in the energy infrastructure of our country, today and the future. However, “The President’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan” does not mention oil, natural gas, coal or nuclear. WHY NOT?

President Obama has voiced his concern for the billions of oil dollars going to foreign countries who do not like us, and his desire for energy independence. Thus the “Obama-Biden Comprehensive Energy Plan for America” was unveiled this past week. “We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories”, said President Obama. The following are a few bullets from the plan:

The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:

• Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion   over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.

For the past three decades, taxpayers have invested $150 Billion in subsides for ethanol alone, an investment that has never and will never make sense. We know that making energy from food does not work and depletes food resources for a nation where people still go hungry, not to mention its takes fossil fuels to manufacture! Tad Patzek, an engineering professor at the University of California, estimates making ethanol from corn requires 29 percent more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel itself actually contains.

• Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.

This is a good one for Senator Ted Kennedy to work on. Have you heard of the “Cape Wind” project? Jim Gordon, a green entrepreneur has been working for the past seven years to build the first offshore wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts in federal waters. One big problem, the residences of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket aren’t taking a fancy to seeing the thumbnail view of 130 wind turbines on the horizons from their beachfront homes. Senator Kennedy is working feverishly to block the project. Sounds familiar, “OK in your back yard, but not in mine”.

Wind and solar energy will have their niche in the energy make-up, but will not come close to being a major provider of power for the US, simply because it is not reliable.

The Obama-Biden “Energy Plan” is lengthy and weighted down with subsides for renewable and green house emissions programs. The plan is a continuation of Washington resisting the development of the one solution to energy security and that is to develop the abundant oil and natural gas resources of our country. A comprehensive strategy for our nation’s energy needs is a critical component to ensuring our American way of life.