A Dangerous Cycle Of Foreign Dependence

The United States currently imports 70% of its oil, costing more than $350 billion annually. Much of these funds will ultimately fall into the hands of nations adverse to American interests, such as Iran and Venezuela, and could be used to finance terrorism and prop up hostile regimes.

Pursuing Domestic Energy Security

While it is neither practical nor beneficial for the United States to seek to become completely energy independent in the foreseeable future, Senator Shelby believes that we must immediately take steps to be energy secure -- to acquire energy from our own resources and those of friendly nations. To do this, Senator Shelby supports tapping into all domestically available energy sources, including nuclear, oil, natural gas, clean coal and hydroelectric, while also continuing to develop alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass. Only through an appropriate mix of domestic energy sources, can we expect to produce the energy our nation needs, while also properly encouraging the development of new domestic sources.