Oil excsecs ask Congress to allow more U.S. drilling Options

[impala454]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headli...iz/5794229.html

WASHINGTON — Oil executives today challenged lawmakers to open more areas to drilling and send a signal to the world about the United States' resolve to deal with its own energy problems.

"If the nation set a goal of increasing domestic production by 2 (million) to 3 million barrels a day by opening up new sources of exploration and production, we could demonstrate to the world that we are in control of our own destiny," Shell Oil Co. President John Hofmeister told a Senate panel today.

Just last week, President Bush was unsuccessful in persuading Saudi Arabia to crank up its oil output significantly.

Chevron Vice Chairman Peter Robertson argued that the United States can't expect other countries to increase their production "when we limit our development without good reason."

pretty interesting note here:

With the U.S. economy slowing, motorists reacting to higher gas prices and use of ethanol on the rise, the nation's reliance on foreign oil will fall this year for the first time since 1977.

Hofmeister, pointing to government data, noted that imports made up 57.9 percent of U.S. oil consumption during the first quarter, down from 58.2 percent in the same period a year ago.

Now I guess we'll sit back and see if our congress can do what's necessary.

[cmac]

i drive a z71. woo. hypocrites r us.