FB: On board for offshore drilling

From the Farm Bureau today.


President Bush’s lifting of the executive moratorium on offshore oil drilling that has been in effect since 1990 was welcome news to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

“Farm Bureau supports exploration and development of domestic supplies of fuel,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “America’s farmers and ranchers want to see us do more as a nation to use the resources at our disposal.”

The move by Bush puts pressure on Congress to lift its ban on offshore drilling, which would boost domestic oil and gas supplies down the road.

“Simple economics tells us that more supply will bring down prices,” explained Stallman. “Although it will not provide immediate relief, development of OCS resources needs to be part of our overall national energy policy.”

Farm Bureau envisions an effective national energy policy with multiple provisions.

“Our national energy policy must support renewable resources such as wind power, ethanol, and other biofuels, in addition to energy resources found in the OCS and Alaska,” said Stallman. “This is an important part of what we need to do as a nation to benefit all citizens, not just farmers and ranchers.”

Farm Bureau continues to press Congress to lift its ban on offshore oil drilling.