EPA administrator testifies before US Senate committee on U.S. oil future

Mrs. Jackson appeared yesterday Tuesday 25 May, before the committee where she outlined the agencies’ plans to deal with soaring oil prices and ways to find alternatives to crude oil drilling.

In her testimony Mrs. Jackson stated that last year, American oil production reached its highest level since 2003. Recently President Obama announced steps that the Interior Department is taking to increase safe and responsible oil production in the U.S. and to find alternatives to crude oil drilling.

“America will never control more than a tiny fraction of the world's oil supply. Therefore, America cannot prevent gasoline and diesel prices from rising,” Jackson said.

Congress has recently declared that companies that are drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf, places like Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico, cannot operate equipment that emits large amounts of air pollution without EPA permission. The EPA stipulates that it will only allow drilling in cases where there is no risk to Americans.

Mrs. Jackson continued to outline the agencies’ commitments to finding alternatives to crude oil: “We can mitigate the impact of high fuel prices on American families and businesses by enabling them to travel the same distances and conduct the same commerce on less gasoline and diesel,”

She spoke about the potential of Fracking—natural gas extraction in deep natural gas well drilling. According to her, America's natural gas resource potential is nearly 50 per cent larger than previously estimated.

However, Fracking is considered risky as it involves injecting chemicals underground at high pressure. To this she said: “EPA will step in to protect local residents if a driller jeopardizes clean water and the state government does not act.”

Furthermore Mrs. Jackson estimated that increased bio-fuel production promoted by the EPA will displace seven per cent of America's expected gasoline and diesel consumption by 2022 consequently decreasing oil imports by 41.5 billion dollars.

The “Clean Cars program” announced by President Obama is meant to increase the EPA collaboration with the Department of Transport in order to come up with solutions for fuel efficient but still cost effective alternatives.

The EPA received criticism recently, primarily from the Republican party, for its clean air act initiative calling it “green tyranny.” The EPA says it is devoted to a fair and transparent process but that oil companies should recognise drilling limitation.


Mrs. Jackson concluded by saying: “EPA's core mission is to protect Americans from harmful pollution. That is what Congress has ordered EPA to do, and that is what the American people expect.”


Image: USACEpublicaffairs | Flickr