Could the current U.S. energy crisis have been averted? One member of the U.S. Senate believes a solution was offered, but rejected, in 1995.
Americans are facing the highest energy prices in the nation's history. But according to Senator Roger F. Wicker (R-Mississippi), the whole crisis could have been averted back in 1995. That was when Republicans sent then-President Bill Clinton a bill to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil exploration. Clinton vetoed the bill, saying it would not help America's dependency on foreign oil because it would take ten years for the product to come on line. Fast-forward 13 years. "If he had not vetoed that bill, we would be getting the same amount of crude oil from our own state of Alaska as we now have to import from Saudi Arabia today," points out Wicker, who is now supporting new legislation that would open ANWR for oil exploration. "The information we have is that actually we could bring that all on line in six years," says the Mississippi lawmaker. "And while we certainly hate to have to wait that long, the sooner the better -- it's our own natural resource. And furthermore, the people of Alaska are in favor of this by a margin of 75 percent to 25 [percent]." Although Wicker realizes that in the long term alternate sources of energy need to be researched and brought on line, he says drilling in ANWR and offshore will help ease prices as America transitions and becomes energy-independent.
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