With every American feeling the pinch from high prices at the pump, the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) this week joined a coalition of 40 organizations, representing millions of American consumers, urging Congress to permit more domestic energy production.

In a letter sent to all Members of Congress, the organizations wrote:

“According to estimates from the Department of the Interior, the Outer Continental Shelf contains 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and there is an additional 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil locked in oil shale in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

“Now that President Bush has lifted the executive branch moratorium, the only thing prohibiting development of these energy resources is a temporary ban that is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year.  On October 1, 2008, domestic energy resources will no longer be held off-limits by the federal government.

“We urge you to oppose the creation of any new moratorium for fiscal 2009, even if it is attached to what some people in Washington consider “must-pass” legislation.  We further urge you to sustain a presidential veto of any measure to impose a new moratorium. 

“A strong majority of the American public sees drilling expansion as necessary to reduce fuel prices now and in the long run.  Creating new restrictions on domestic energy development would fly in the face of public opinion and exacerbate the pain every American citizen feels at the pump.”

In addition to CFIF, the letter, which was spearheaded and organized by Americans for Prosperity, was signed by Americans for Tax Reform, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, American Solutions for Winning the Future, American Conservative Union, National Taxpayers Union, The Club for Growth, National Center for Public Policy Research, Frontiers of Freedom, Capital Research Center and Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, among many others.

To view a copy of the full letter, click here (.pdf).