Tap more North America oil, Shell exec urges in Utah

Shell Oil president John Hofmeister says the United States should re-evaluate its policies on tapping North American petroleum as a matter of "energy security."

Hofmeister stopped in Utah on Friday as part of a 50-city nationwide tour to discuss oil and energy policy. Utah was the 43rd stop on his tour, which he has done for the past two years, meeting with political and civic leaders, as well as residents in town hall meetings. He met Friday morning with members of the Salt Lake Chamber.

In an interview Friday afternoon, Hofmeister talked about the need for "energy security," which he defined as "energy that is available and affordable, not just for this generation and the next generation, but for every generation we can imagine as far into the future as we can think about."

Part of the goal of his tour is to educate the public about federal energy policies that he said preclude Shell and other oil companies from tapping into the vast supply of petroleum that exists in North America. In order to move forward in developing addition fuel sources, the United States must take advantage of available resources while developing various alternatives like hydrogen and bio-fuels, he said.

Utah not only produces energy, with oil and gas, it also refines and consumes energy, Hofmeister said. But the state doesn't produce enough energy to be self-sustaining and must also import fuel. So it will be important for Utah to utilize its natural resources such as oil shale and coal to provide additional fuel sources in the coming years, as technology improves to provide better, cleaner sources of energy, he said.

But with increases in oil and gas prices and growing concerns about global warming, Utah has begun to think more about alternative sources of fuel. Utah this year joined with five other Western states and British Columbia to create what is called the Western Regional Climate Action Partnership. The plan is aimed at mitigating global warming by setting standards for lowering greenhouse gas emissions following a market-based program. Other partners include Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington.

Hofmeister, however, said the nation should think about energy policies "in short term, medium term, and long term" when setting goals.

"Part of what our effort and outreach is all about is educating people to the point that the choices they make affect their energy security for now and the future," he said. "I think they should ask the question of themselves and their elected officials: 'Is the United States doing enough to secure itself through its own development of its own natural resources, or is the U.S. too dependent on foreign resources.?"'

Shell's view is that the United States is too dependent on foreign energy and would have more economical alternatives if more resources here could be tapped.

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