The Post & Courier | May 29, 2017 | William Schachte
Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., recently filed a bill to suspend testing and drilling for oil and natural gas in the Atlantic coastal region for the next 10 years. This was in response to a new executive order from President Donald Trump to allow for expanded testing for offshore energy.
It’s a shame to see some politicians still stuck in an out-of-date mentality. Because of that, they are jeopardizing America’s future. Expanded offshore energy development will help secure America’s place as the world leader in oil and natural gas production for years and years to come. Right now, our country produces more oil and natural gas than any other nation in the world. Not only is this good for our economy, it’s good for our national security, as well.
In addition to being the world’s largest producer of energy, we’re also the world’s largest consumer of it. And when we don’t produce our own energy in America, that means we must rely on purchasing energy from other countries. Many times, those countries don’t like us very much. They don’t share our values. Too often, we’re subsidizing undemocratic regimes that are out to harm America.
Having spent decades in the military, I firmly believe we should do anything we can that reduces our reliance on, and support to, unfriendly nations.
In wanting to block offshore testing and development, people like Rep. Sanford are trying to make us more reliant on these hostile, rogue nations. They want the government revenue that would be generated by offshore development that could go to balancing budgets, paying teachers, rebuilding crumbling infrastructure, and more, to go to building up those foreign countries.
What sense does that make?
Read the full op-ed here.
Rear Adm. William Schachte, (ret.), of Charleston, is the volunteer S.C. chairman of Vets4energy.
