It seems like just yesterday we recovered from the deluge of political ads to hit the airwaves and our mailboxes. If you have paid attention to the news, you know that the cycle never really stops and it will soon be back in our faces with presidential and congressional seats open in 2016.
As we read the newspaper today, U.S. military members are positioned across the globe and often are thrust into situations that could lead to live fire. Therefore, it is important to identify which candidates truly have a plan to address foreign policy. We also ought to consider whether we are best prepared to fend off enemies in the future and what our leaders are doing to ensure our safety, especially as tensions intensify with Iran and Russia and instability continues to spread in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine, all of which are oil-rich countries. One key component to foreign policy is energy policy right here at home.
“American interests” are often a reason used to send in troops, position warships or deploy drones or aircraft to a particular conflicted region. And as many recognize, those “American interests” are often resources that are tied to America’s economy, namely oil. There’s no doubt that Middle Eastern oil is often at the forefront of why the United States is interested in a particular country’s civil war.
We must look to leaders who will develop a sound energy policy, as it will directly affect our national security as well. That’s the position of Vets4Energy (www.vets4energy.com), a nationwide organization of veterans who recognize energy security is critical to national security.
We are in the midst of an energy revolution in the United States. Due to improved technologies, including hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, the United States is now supplying the country’s need of clean-burning natural gas and there is enough to export throughout the globe. In recent years, the country has also been able to shrink the gap between consumption and production of crude oil to the lowest levels in decades.
So, that puts America in a good position to use these resources to improve our nation’s security. But, there are still roadblocks. For instance, a 1970s ban on crude exports still exists, which prohibits oil companies from moving unrefined oil outside of the country. American refineries currently have more product than can be refined and if the ban were lifted, it would make the United States a top five oil-producing country.
There’s also a benefit to consumers and the economy. If the ban were lifted, companies would reinvest in operations that have taken a downturn with the price of oil dropping in recent months, which would create jobs. With more product on the open market, it is likely gas prices will drop again. Simply put -– without American oil on the global market, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and other Middle East countries benefit.
This is one of many energy-related issues that affects our connection with foreign countries. Recently, local and federal leaders have sought to ban seismic testing off Florida’s coast, which provides information on how much oil and gas exists under the ocean floor. The unresolved Keystone XL Pipeline and how best to develop alternative energy supplies to fuel our fleet and heat and cool our homes and businesses are other issues that remain outstanding.
These are important economic and national security issues and a topic that must be discussed as candidates line up and push their way toward November 2016. We need to avoid future generations of soldiers being put in harm’s way in a fight over oil when we have plenty of it right here. Energy production can be regulated in a smart way and one that protects the environment and health of the citizenry. We need a smart energy policy and not a policy of no that leads our country into direct conflict with hostile regimes. Let’s hit them where it hurts -- their wallets -- while fattening ours and keeping our troops at home.
Cmdr. Tom Garcia (Ret. USN) is volunteer co-chair of Vets4Energy in Florida and lives in Lake Worth.
