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The
NewsRoom
Media Release
Release #: 3100
Date: June 17, 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 percent 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 will speak about
America’s energy policy next week to civic groups in Beloit, Wisconsin
and Rockford and Normal, Illinois.
Media should call MMS
Public Affairs Office at (202) 208-3985 to coordinate coverage or to
schedule follow-up interviews.
What: Speech
- America’s National Energy Policy – Making Choices
When: 7:30
a.m.-8:30 a.m. June 22, 2004
Where: Rockford
East Rotary Club
Clock
Tower
7801
East State Street
Rockford, IL
When: Noon June
22, 2004
Where: Beloit
Rotary Club
Rotary
River Center-Riverside Park
Beloit, WI
When: 7 a.m.-8
a.m. June 23, 2004
Where:
Rock Valley
Kiwanis Club
Stockholm Inn
2420
Charles Street
Rockford, IL
When: 11:45 a.m.
June 23, 2004
Where: Normal
Rotary Club
Illinois State University Campus
Bone
Student Center – Circus Room
Normal, IL
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 |