Our dependence on foreign energy sources is damaging this country in at least two ways. First, we send our money overseas, contributing to our trade deficit, which transfers our wealth to others. Second, we create global strategic interests that require us to maintain a credible global presence to ensure a steady supply against the threats of rogue groups and countries.

The only way to fix this problem is to bring our energy production home to North America. If this were easy it would have already happened. Our country has lacked and continues to lack leadership willing to tackle this problem with a consistent effort. This must change for our national well-being. Anyone saying differently isn’t telling you the difficult truth. So what do we do?

The surest way to eliminate anything is to tax it, and a tariff on foreign oil is the place to start. For every barrel of oil derived from outside North America we should add $10 to its price. In today’s economy, this will add about 2.7% to the cost of petroleum products, or about $0.07 per gallon of gas. This is based on information from our Department of Energy’s website.

For those who are concerned with a tariff’s effect on a “free” market, consider this: the price of a barrel of oil is influenced heavily by the OPEC oil cartel – that’s what they do. Simply put, OPEC regulates supply in order to derive pricing favorable to its members – keeping us “over a barrel”. I’m tired of that position.

In order to offset the effect on supply at home we need to take two actions. First, we need to find a fast-track solution to oil production. Development of a site costs about $100 million and 7 to 10 years, which is quite an investment. Currently, legal challenges have tied up about one-half of the leases issued by the government and resolving these challenges takes years, even decades. Once the government has leased an area for oil exploration and production the legal challenges should be resolved in one year.

Second, we need to invest that tariff money wisely. The total annual tariff revenue today would be about $17 billion. That money should be used to reward those who purchase renewable energy production capacity installed within the United States. Homeowners and businesses should have similar benefits under this program. All technologies can compete in the market based on their merits.

As we bring to the market North American petroleum supplies and increase renewable energy sources, our dependence on foreign oil will decline. My vision is to be free of foreign oil in 10 years by slowly increasing the tariff amount until it no longer makes business sense to import foreign oil.

So, these are my ideas. There are undoubtedly other good ideas out there. Let us have the debate, agree on the solutions we’ll implement, and take action. It is up to you, the American electorate, to demand leadership, solutions and action. If your current representatives aren’t getting it done, replace them. I want to work with and for you to implement policies that serve our American interests.

Sincerely,

Doug Keller