Tap natural gas to sap OPEC’s clout

By Saxby Chambliss and T. Boone Pickens


A new energy bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate – the Next Generation Energy Security Act. It focuses on securing America’s energy supply, reducing emissions and investing in our domestic resources and ingenuity.

It will have a real and immediate impact on the generation of electricity through the development of nuclear, wind and solar sources; on advancing the use of battery power for automobiles; and on how we use our enormous natural gas resources to reduce our reliance on OPEC oil.

The effort to move America completely off fossil fuels is a worthy goal, but one that will not likely be reached in the next year, or even the next decade. But this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t start the process — and this bill does just that. It includes strong incentives to build, buy and operate electric vehicles and directs the appropriate Cabinet departments to study barriers to their continued development and deployment.

On the issue of generating electricity, the bill includes a package of incentives to advance the development of next-generation nuclear power production. It also extends the tax credits already in place for the continued development and use of solar and wind power to augment our growing need for electricity.

That leaves one major issue to be dealt with on the energy side: our continuing, debilitating, economically damaging reliance on Middle Eastern oil to keep our cars and trucks on the road. America imports nearly two-thirds of its oil, and 70 percent of that is used as fuel for 250 million cars and light trucks, and for more than 8 million heavy-duty trucks.

We are sending about a billion dollars per day, every day, out of the country to purchase oil. We import a significant amount of oil from Canada and Mexico, which helps their economies and our own. But the money we are sending to countries like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Angola and Venezuela (the other four of our top six oil providers) may well be used to defeat America’s broader international goals.

That just doesn’t make sense.

This bill is not the first to recognize the importance of a national commitment to advance the use of domestic natural gas in transportation to alleviate the foreign oil dependency crisis. That commitment is embedded in an increasing number of energy-focused legislative initiatives.

It is increasingly clear that any energy legislation Congress passes that does not take this approach fails the need to address the economic and national security risks of our ever-escalating oil dependence on nations that, frankly, don’t have our best interests at heart.

We have enough natural gas in North America to last at least 100 years. A battery won’t push an 18-wheeler. Neither will ethanol. The only substitute for imported diesel is domestic natural gas.

If we use our heavy-truck fleet to develop a vibrant natural-gas-vehicle industry, we can immediately reduce our reliance on OPEC oil while beginning to build natural gas refueling infrastructure.

Over-the-road trucks tend to run the same routes on a regular schedule. Truckers stop at the same places to rest, refuel and eat. The infrastructure needed to refuel natural-gas-powered heavy-duty trucks can be ready in relatively short order.

The Next Generation Energy Security Act, also co-sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., provides strong incentives for public fleets (federal and state vehicles, municipal transit and school buses, and service cars) and private fleets (taxis, express-delivery and utility vehicles). Just about any fleet that goes home to a central location each night can benefit from the lower cost of natural gas while we all benefit from lowered emissions.

This legislation will improve the environment, reduce our dependence on OPEC oil and improve our balance of payments. It joins several other energy bills under consideration, underscoring the need for a debate and for bipartisan agreement and movement on this critical issue. It’s time for us to get serious about getting off OPEC oil and using our own resources.  

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the senior GOP senator from Georgia, co-sponsored S. 3535.

T. Boone Pickens is the founder of The Pickens Plan.