From day one in the Senate, I have championed efforts to get a comprehensive energy bill which capitalizes on Alaska’s role as America’s energy storehouse. Alaskans know first-hand the many options to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil and create new jobs. We have vast opportunities for increased oil and gas development and renewable energy deployment.
Alaska has been responsibly developing its oil and gas resources since the first discoveries in the Swanson River area more than 50 years ago. Today, we are on the cusp of major new development in the Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea and National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. At every turn I have fought to:
- move forward permitting exploration in these areas that could bring more than 26 billion barrels of oil and 130 trillion cubic feet of gas to the U.S. market and create more than 50,000 jobs nationwide;
- expand financial support for the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline;
- open ANWR;
- invest more in renewable energy deployment and development;
- increase support for research and deployment of tidal and wave energy; and
- support a national Renewable Energy Standard to help secure new investment.
I voted to put more than $16 billion in financing for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects on the table. I voted to send more than $3 billion to Alaska communities to adopt renewable and energy efficiency projects. In Alaska, this program alone helped more than 100 communities.