Bill Graves, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, announced the trucking industry’s disappointment that House leaders this week stripped Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas drilling
from the House budget reconciliation bill after concluding it endangered the bill’s chances on the House floor.
Also stripped was a section that would have expanded the area where companies can drill for oil and natural gas along the U.S. coastline.
ATA considered environmentally sound exploration of ANWR an integral part of a long-term strategy to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and increase national fuel supplies.
“The U.S. must be given opportunities to improve our energy situation,” Graves said. “Without them, the trucking industry will continue to suffer, and the economic effects of rising fuel prices will only worsen. ATA strongly supports efforts that will increase national energy self-sufficiency and reduce vulnerability to future energy disruptions.”
Earlier this month, ATA issued a letter to the members of the House of Representatives voicing support for the energy-related provisions and asking that they be included in the final package.
An uninterrupted fuel supply is essential to meeting the nation’s transportation needs. The American trucking industry, which hauls nearly 70 percent of all freight tonnage in the United States, requires a reliable source of energy because it consumes 50 billion gallons of fuel each year. ANWR and offshore exploration are critical components of a viable long-term comprehensive national energy plan, the ATA said.