Want less foreign oil, more green jobs? Alaska is the answer

AEA to Salazar:  Looking to Reduce Our Dependence on Foreign Oil?
Create “Green” Jobs?
Welcome to Alaska…

WASHINGTON – As Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar arrives in Anchorage tomorrowfor the third stop in his nationwide tour concerning the future ofoffshore energy production, American Energy Alliance (AEA) SeniorVice President for Policy Daniel Kish released the following statement:

“If the secretary is serious in wanting to learn how the creation of ‘green jobs’ can be used to combatAmerica’s dependence on oil imports from unstable foreign regimes, he’ll find the state of Alaska has much to teach.  In Alaska, he’ll find a state where the greenest jobs available—at an average $13,000 per month – arein the energy producing sector.  He’ll find a state where coastalwaters contain upwards of 26.6 billion barrels of oil, or theequivalent of 48 years worth of imports from Saudi Arabia.  And he’ll find a state where a pipeline, now runningat one-third its capacity, can once again provide America with more than 2 million barrels a day – more than our daily imports from any overseas nation – while generating tens of thousands of American jobs and billions of dollars of revenue in the process.

“In total, responsible energy exploration off Alaska’sshores could create thousands of well-paying jobs, spawn as much as $49billion in additional economic output, and generate $4.4 billion inannual tax revenue for State and local government coffers – if theFederal government doesn’t stand in the way.

“If the Secretary is truly committed to reducing our need for imports, and creating jobs asgreen as they are real, he’s come to the right place.  Expeditingincreased exploration and development of American energy in Alaska’sOCS, considered to be among the most promising undrilled acreage in the world,would not only provide a foundation for a prosperous energy economy, itwould send a clear signal to our competitors around the globe thatAmerica is finally getting serious about its energy and economic future.