WASHINGTON- An increase in domestic energy production has national security implications according to a report by a national security agency.
“Energy Rush: Shale Production and the U.S. National Security”, put out by the Center for New American Security highlights the ways in which the United States can maximize its energy security.
Shale energy, which comes in the form of oil or gas, is extracted from inside and underneath shale rock formations. The United State’s production of domestic fuel rose from 5.0 million barrels per day to 7.5 million barrels per day between 2009 and 2012 according to the report.
The report defines energy security as a “reliable access to sufficient, affordable energy supplies to fuel economic growth.” Key factors in making this happen include increasing energy efficiency, diversifying supply and investing in energy production for the future.
The national security threat comes from isolationism that could occur when the U.S. would not have to participate in the global energy market.
“The report is an alert to policy makers,” said Ambassador Paula Dobriansky, a senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. “We cannot disengage politically with out energy partners.”
Currently energy is used in order to coerce or benefit our allies abroad.
“Hoarding energy at home, neglecting bilateral relationships with major global energy players and forfeiting economic opportunities to export energy would leave the United States less secure,” according to the report.
Thursday, CNAS held a discussion of the key findings of the report at a panel. The panel discussed the consequences of approaching the global energy market with our new ability to produce energy,
“As a country we ought to approach the magnificent technology of fracking with modesty,” said John Warner, adviser and fellow of Pew Charitable Trust.
This panel comes a week after it was reported that the Keystone XL Pipeline plans are like to be allowed to extend across the country. The pipeline would deliver crude oil from Canada to the U.S. Midwest and to the Gulf of Mexico.
