The
NewsRoom
News Story
Release #: 3099
Date: June 16, 2004
America's Dependence on Foreign Oil and Gas to
Deepen:
New Frontiers May Offer Domestic Alternatives
Official Says
America has grown increasingly
reliant on oil and natural gas to fuel its economy. Today, Gasoline
prices are nearly 50% higher than last summer, oil prices are at a
25-year high and natural gas prices have reached sustained high
historic levels.
The good news is that a
significant portion of the domestic supply to meet America’s growing
energy needs comes from Federal lands, according to
Johnnie Burton,
director of the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management
Service.
Last year the underwater lands
that MMS manages produced more oil for U.S. consumers than was
imported from Saudi Arabia. It also produced more natural gas than
was imported from Canada – our number one foreign supplier. Bringing
this domestic energy to the southeast region is critical for the
growth of the local economy throughout the Eastern seaboard, including
Georgia, according to Burton.
Ms. Burton is taking her energy awareness message on the road to
various civic groups this summer. She recently delivered “America’s
National Energy Policy – Making Choices” to Rotary and Kiwanis clubs
in Augusta, Warner-Robbins, Byron and Macon, Georgia. She will repeat
her message to civic groups in Beloit, Wisconsin and in Rockford and
Normal, Illinois on June 22 and 23. In August, she will
deliver the energy awareness message to
Chambers of Commerce and Rotary Clubs in Omaha, Norfolk, and Lincoln,
Nebraska.
Media should call MMS
Public Affairs Office at (202) 208-3985 to coordinate coverage or to
schedule follow-up interviews.
The Minerals Management
Service is the federal agency in the U.S. Department of the Interior
that manages the nation’s oil, natural gas, and other mineral
resources on the Outer Continental Shelf in Federal offshore waters.
The agency also collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral revenues
from Federal and American Indian lands. MMS disbursed more than $8
billion in FY 2003 and more than $135 billion since the agency was
created in 1982. Nearly $1 billion from those revenues go into
the Land and Water Conservation Fund annually for the acquisition and
development of state and Federal park and recreation lands.
Relevant Web Sites
MMS Main Website
Gulf of Mexico Website
Media Contacts
Nicolette Nye
(202) 208-3985
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for
America
U.S. Department of the Interior |