What does Ohio Concurrent Resolution 29 mean to energy independence?
We continually depend on energy resources from foreign countries while the oil reserves we have from many reports amount to a greater supply than of such countries as Saudi Arabia. Today as a result of regulations and EPA policies there are restrictions on utilizing these resources and they are hurting our economic prosperity and the unemployment of thousands of individuals. I totally agree with having regulations protecting the environment but some regulations are preventing or restricting the access to our oil reserves and higher employment.
One of the issues involves a process called fracking. It is a method to pull the reserves from deep in the ground but along with the EPA and some states this technology is restricted as being potentially dangerous to our water supply. While private land is utilizing this uniquely developed process with little or no problems this process is prevented from being used on government property.
Depending upon foreign sources of oil for our energy needs now and into the future is not letting us reach the goal of energy independence which has been stated to be an objective. Our country is rich in natural resources and as a country we need to develop these resources all across the county including those on government property. In addition oil and natural gas reserves coal and nuclear energy are additional energy resources to be developed.
The Ohio Concurrent Resolution number 29 is a statement about the need to develop additional resources to increase the diversity of our energy supply needs. The need for energy diversity is going to increase as the supply of certain types of reserves get smaller. Granted this may be years in the future but if we develop alternative energy production what we have will last longer. It has been stated by some individuals and in some cases politicians want to do away with the EPA and their regulations but I disagree. The EPA under the control of the federal provides a much needed resource to monitor air quality and pollution to name a few.
Along with oil reserves cited in this concurrent resolution much focus was on the coal industry and how it helps to provide jobs not only in Ohio but other states in the country. Retrieving coal from the ground has been proven to be dangerous in some cases with men being trapped when there are cave-ins not only in this country but in other parts of the world. While there have been accidents and even deaths in some instances using our coal reserves makes sense. Some statistics provided in this resolution relates to the fact that coal provides 43% of the nation’s power and 80% of the power in the state of Ohio.
Eliminating or restricting the use of coal through regulations hurts our energy production and the need for diversity. We are a technology driven country and the expertise we have has drastically improved the way we interact on a daily basis. The same technology has impacted our utilization of energy resources. Technology as cited in the resolution has or is leading the way to cleaner use of all fuels and will provide the technology to allow coal to burn with virtually no carbon dioxide emissions which has been a sticking point with the EPA. It is understandable that the EPA would want to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere but the approach or focus should be in other areas. The increase of technology and expertise being utilized associated with energy production needs to have the focus of the EPA.
As the population of the world continues to increase the need for energy will be increased. We as a country need to become smarter in regulating our energy reserves/resources. Some processes currently being developed or tapped in other countries are being restricted by EPA regulations. The technology they are using is the same technology we currently have in place and we as a country do not want to fall behind in utilizing all our energy resources. While oil and coal was primarily focused in the resolution it also called for using a variety of fuels. The supply of coal within our borders is estimated to meet our needs for 250 years. Just think of the impact of having a supply of energy such as this combined with the huge oil reserves if we fully utilize them. Jobs would increases not to mention a boom to the areas where production would be generated. States where decisions have been made to tap into our oil reserves has seen a boom in the number of jobs, lower unemployment and a boom to the economy where the reserves are being tapped. If we fully utilize or have a plan to utilize all our energy reserves and options what a boom we would have to the economy. It may help to reduce the country’s debt as more individuals would be working increasing the tax revenue being received by the government. We need to develop all the energy options we have to have diversity so if one area develops problems other areas can pick up the slack. Granted some types of energy production such as windmills are not a resource for all areas of our country but should be used where they are applicable.
