U.S. Chamber offers path to U.S. energy dominance

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Tom Donohue, chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said national policies in the United States are inhibiting its ability to become "an energy superpower."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce published a report on U.S. energy policy, outlining more than 60 recommendations in nine energy areas that it sees as vital for the nation in 2014 and beyond.

Donohue said that, if embraced, the platform could create "millions" of new jobs in the United Sates and generate "billions" of dollars in new revenue.

"America now has the opportunity to become an energy superpower, but our national energy policy is stuck in the past," he said in a statement Wednesday. "The platform will allow us to realize our full potential."

In its 60-page report the group, which represents business interests, said the United States would rely less on foreign imports if it opens up more federal land to energy companies.

New drilling technologies like hydraulic fracturing, known also as fracking, have led to a dramatic gain in North American oil and natural gas production. U.S. government data show the United States may rival Saudi Arabia in terms of oil production.

The chamber said those gains occurred in spite of U.S. energy policy.

Coal, it added, is one of the more secure and affordable forms of energy but is up against a "regulatory assault" from the federal government.