The United States is now facing a decision on how to meet its future energy needs. In the coming months, the U.S. Department of the Interior will weigh whether to allow oil and gas exploration on Alaska's Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to be expanded. Such exploration could set the country on a clear and sustainable energy path for decades to come.
Alaska's OCS contains an estimated 27 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 130 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. That's more than twice the amount of oil that has been produced on Alaska's North Slope since the Trans Alaska Pipeline System went online in 1977. Alaska likely has more than 30% of the nation's recoverable oil and gas. Developing these resources will advance our national interests in three significant ways.
