State senator: Nation's energy security needs re-examination

United States veterans have plenty of reasons to be interested in the country's energy security, state Sen. Wayne Wallingford said Friday during the Cape County Republican Women's Club meeting.

His presentation to the group at Dexter Bar-B-Que, 236 Broadview St. in Cape Girardeau, was titled "National Security Through Energy Security."

It's a topic that has been top of Wallingford's mind recently, as he became the Missouri chairman of Vets4Energy and spent time in Washington, D.C., sharing the group's concerns with the offices of several U.S. senators. Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, is a retired lieutenant colonel with in U.S. Air Force.

"We believe that energy security equals national security, and probably no one understands that better than the veterans who rely on that energy to perform their daily functions in the military, both domestically and overseas," he said.

In Vets4Energy, he's one of many volunteer veterans who act as advocates for energy policies to sustain national security. The group is an adjunct organization of the Energy Forum, which is part of the American Petroleum Institute.

During his Washington trip, Wallingford and fellow members had three points to discuss with the national Senate offices: crude-oil exportation, fuel standards and access to domestic fuel sources.

Congress placed a ban on crude oil exports in the 1970s -- about the time Wallingford was off to Vietnam, he said. The move was prompted by an energy crisis and was likely "the right decision at the right time, back then, but it's not 1970s anymore."

Lifting the ban on crude-oil exports would reduce consumer energy costs, create jobs and protect U.S. allies from nations that use energy as a "coercive method of power," he told the group.

Increased access to domestic oil and natural gas also would decrease the country's reliance on "unfriendly, unstable" nations to provide those resources, he said. Wallingford also touted it as a way to provide secure, reliable energy for the country and its military.

"In our defense budget, we spend more on energy bills than anything else. I can attest to that," he said. "The Air Force uses about one-half of the fuel. We fly a lot of airplanes. ... The Army uses about a third of the oil."

The U.S. Air Force spends more than $9 billion annually on energy, according to a public affairs article published on its website. Aviation consumes 86 percent of that.

Equally important as looking at the country's oil accessibility is analyzing its renewable-fuel standards, Wallingford said. Environmental Protection Agency requirements to blend increasing amounts of biofuels into gasoline and diesel can lead to complications, such as compatibility problems with vehicles, and higher costs in making gasoline, he said.

Among the senators with whom Wallingford shared these concerns were Republican U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt and Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, both of Missouri.

His visit with Blunt's office went well, he said, with the senator agreeing he was comfortable with increased exploration and access of domestic fuel resources, and Blunt supports eliminating fuel standards. On the export ban, Wallingford said Blunt was "uncommitted."

McCaskill expressed an open mind to lifting the export ban, but said she would need to see the final legislation before making a decision -- a sentiment Wallingford said he sympathized with. She would support domestic exploration only on a case-by-case basis, citing environmental concerns, Wallingford said, and supports the renewable-fuel standards.

Wallingford ended his presentation by asking the crowd to consider contacting the McCaskill and Blunt to share their energy concerns.

srinehart@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

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236 Broadview St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.