WASHINGTON
www.billigecanadagoose.org, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- It's business as usual in Washington when a multiplicity of issues -- each important -- demands the attention of the federal government. On rare occasions, the opportunity exists for Congress to simultaneously address two of the most significant issues on Americans' minds: national security and jobs.
The good news is that Congress has that opportunity right now. The bad news is that some legislators on both sides of the aisle may prevent anyone from seizing the opportunity to do what needs to be done.
Congress is currently considering comprehensive energy legislation, something it has been talking about for three years. If, before adjourning for the year, work on energy legislation that increases domestic energy supply, improves our delivery infrastructure, and encourages consumers to conserve energy is completed, then a decisive step toward addressing the two most pressing challenges to our way of life will have been taken.
The challenge to U.S. national security comes through the continuing unrest in those parts of the world where the vast stores of energy on the United States has increasingly come to depend can be found.
From the Middle East and Africa to the shores of South America, energy supplies exist in great quantities but in areas of constant political and economic instability. Because energy is the lifeblood of our economy, this instability constantly threatens the bedrock of our recovering economy.
The lesson for U.S. policymakers is clear. We cannot ignore the potentially ruinous consequences of a half-century-long addiction to foreign energy, in large measure grounded in the mistaken belief that domestic supplies must remain off limits.
The United States possesses abundant energy reserves and, thanks to 30 years of technological improvements, can produce them in an environmentally responsible manner.
Americans need not rely on dangerously unstable parts of the world for their jobs. Young American men and women do not have to be sent overseas to put down or guard against threats to the political and economic order or energy producing allies and regions. A sound national energy policy, encouraging the development of domestic conventional and renewable fuels, as well as conservation and efficiency, will make America a more secure place.
A sound national energy policy also addresses the need to restore high-wage jobs lost in the recent downturn in manufacturing, telecom and high tech industries.
For the last three years, declining employment in the manufacturing sector has meant a net loss of about 2.8 million jobs in the United States. Companies have had to re-locate overseas -- taking those jobs with them. A driving force behind the moves has been the high cost of energy in the United States.
Companies struggling with high input costs and vigorous foreign competition have thin margins, and can no longer raise prices to cover rising energy costs. From Fresno to Fort Lauderdale, companies are having difficulty managing energy price spikes that in turn lead to the loss of good jobs at good wages.
As industry continues to recover from the downturn
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Businesses are not alone in seeking an end to the current gridlock over national energy policy. For the average family, every up-tick in the price of energy makes it more expensive to run their households, from heating their homes to cooking their food and running appliances.
To underscore the point, a recent national survey showed more than eight in ten Americans believe comprehensive energy legislation should be a high priority for Congress.
While lawmakers dally, the energy supplies and delivery infrastructure so vital to our economy become more frayed and fragile. We cannot allow endless discussion to stymie prudent actions needed to strengthen our energy options, our national security
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The energy legislation Congress is now considering is not perfect. It is, however, a good start. Perfection should not be allowed to stand in the way of the good.
-- Marshall E. Whitenton is vice president for resources and environmental policy at the National Association of Manufacturers, a business trade group that support the passage of comprehensive energy legislation.
-- United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues.Topics related articles：
