For Immediate Release
February 18, 2004
Contact Brian Kennedy at (202) 226-9019

Activist Groups Oppose Energy Exploration...In the National Petroleum Reserve?

Washington, DC - Seven environmental litigation groups have filed suit in a U.S. District Court to stop the federal government from accessing oil in the National Petroleum Reserve, set aside by President Harding in 1923. Resources Committee Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-CA) issued the following statement:

Most Americans know that environmental organizations operate outside the realm of common sense and accountability, but this time Americans will see just how radical they have become. Suing to stop petroleum production in a petroleum reserve is like suing farmers to stop producing milk from cows. If we can't get petroleum from the National Petroleum Reserve, where can we get it?

These groups say they are pro-environment, but it is clear that they are just anti-energy, anti-American jobs, and anti-economic growth. The more they halt production at home, the more we send American jobs and money overseas to make up the difference. Last year alone, the United States sent over $100 billion worth of American jobs to foreign nations for energy that could have been produced here at home. As demand grows and so-called environmentalists continue to file lawsuits, Americans will lose more jobs and pay more for their energy. Given the choice, what taxpayer wouldn't want to spend $100 billion here on jobs, safe energy development, and a stronger economy?

There is a big difference between active environmentalism and environmental activism. Most Americans today fall into the first category, taking part in community conservation efforts and recognizing that balance must exist between man and the environment. The very shrill, vocal minority that fall into the latter category, such as those who filed this absurd lawsuit, do not believe in balance, nor can they claim to work on behalf of the environment. Their focus is on fundraising, politics, and obstruction.

The United States has the most advanced technology, the toughest safeguards, and the best workforce in the world. More domestic energy production, not less, will strengthen our economy and thus our environment. These groups have it backwards.