Hard to surpass the week on Capitol Hill – when it comes to sketching a pro-development approach to energy that could give major lift to the U.S. economy while helping make our country more energy secure.

On the House side, an Energy and Commerce subcommittee heard experts like Daniel Yergin describe North America’s energy resources (video here and here). Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska unveiled a blueprint for greater U.S. energy self-sufficiency by the year 2020. Both provided excellent data and arguments for greater domestic oil and natural gas production that will make our country stronger, more prosperous and more secure. Highlights:

Yergin, vice chairman of IHS CERA:

“The United States is in the midst of the ‘unconventional revolution in oil and gas’ that, it... more »

Ridiculing a New York Times editorial blog is like shooting unusually large fish in a barrel, but this one from last Friday is so fantastical and extreme that a commitment to an honest debate on energy compels me to fire away.  And we don’t have to go far to start the fact check, as they lead with:

"The simple truth, as President Obama has recognized, is that a country that holds less than 3 percent of the world’s reserves but consumes more than 20 percent of the world’s supply cannot drill its way to energy independence."

You would think that by 2012 the New York Times would know better than to take political rhetoric as fact, as the Washington Post notes in giving the president Two Pinocchios for the above claim “A politician can create a false, misleading impression by playing... more »

We believe Americans are ready for grown-up discussion of our country’s future course on energy – thus the Vote 4 Energy campaign to make energy a vote-deciding issue in this fall’s elections. So it’s disappointing when opponents of reasonable proposals to bring more of our country’s ample oil and natural gas resources online – creating jobs, generating more revenue for governments and strengthening America’s energy future – roll out threadbare talking points that are detached from energy reality and dismissive of the opinions of a strong majority of U.S. voters.

This week President Obama’s deputy campaign manager rejected a set of energy proposals – including increasing domestic oil and gas production, clearing the federal permitting process of unnecessary impediments and giving state... more »

In terms of energy development – we are a nation bound up in red tape. The graphic below hardly exaggerates the current state of play:  By federal policy and regulation we’re self-limiting the dynamic potential of America’s domestic energy wealth.

API President and CEO Jack Gerard:

“We hear talk about an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy, but in practical terms of removing the obstacles that are standing in the way of American made energy, this strategy has translated into ‘none of the below.’  We need action today to make sure we have the energy we will need tomorrow.  There are dozens of measures, large and small, that Washington could and should pursue.”

Here’s what he’s talking about – 10 opportunities for economic growth and job creation through an energy strategy that... more »

The House Budget Committee had a fairly simple question for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO): If the United States immediately opened most federal areas to oil and natural gas development, how much revenue would the federal government realize in various fees and royalties?

Good question, given the size of the federal budget deficit – and in light of the president’s renewed call for higher taxes on the energy sector.

Unfortunately, CBO basically punted on the answer, hiding behind existing policies that block increased energy access in certain federal onshore and offshore areas. For example, here’s CBO’s bottom line on the budgetary effects of more offshore leasing and development:

"The uncertainty surrounding whether and when new offshore areas will be developed in the futu... more »