Meeting America's Energy Needs

Drilling in deepwater does not have to be abandoned. It can be done safely. Offshore oil and gas will continue to be an important part of the nation’s domestic energy supply for many decades. The future of domestic oil production will rely to a substantial extent on outer continental shelf sources and further development of deposits there, in progressively deeper, more distant waters.

Offshore drilling will certainly be an important part of any national energy policy. But it is only a part of the picture, and its relative importance today will not, and should not, be the same a half-century from now. The nation must begin a transition to a cleaner, more energy-efficient future. Otherwise, the nation’s security and well-being will be increasingly dependent on diminishing supplies of nonrenewable resources, and even more dependent on supplies from foreign sources.