It's Time to Get a Plan

Increased domestic energy production, the expanded use of natural gas as a transportation fuel, more efficient vehicles – all of these factors are having a positive effect on ensuring America’s energy security. Yet the most important element – the amount of OPEC oil we are importing – remains ominously unchanged.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the U.S. spent a whopping $11.1 billion to buy 103 million barrels of petroleum from OPEC countries in January. All told this amounted to 36 percent of our oil imports, which is in line with our 2013 numbers.

Why the lack of progress?

Could it be because our federal government has the Commerce Department, the Department of Energy, and the State Department all making key decisions on different aspects of our energy policy?

Could it be because America lacks an energy plan, let alone the leadership to implement it?

No wonder our overall import numbers from OPEC and non-OPEC countries boggle the mind. Last month, the U.S. imported a total of 281 million barrels of petroleum. At $107.48 per barrel, that works out to $30.3 billion or $677,765.89 per minute.