Administration launches energy partnership with Brazil

The Obama administration said this week it will work closely with Brazil to develop the country's energy resources.

Energy Department Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman launched a partnership with the South American country aimed at improving cooperation on energy issues like offshore drilling, nuclear power and renewables.

“The Strategic Energy Dialogue builds on the long-history of energy cooperation between the U.S. and Brazil to advance our shared energy goals,” Poneman said in a statement. “Working together, we can help grow our economies, enhance regional and global energy security, and build a clean energy future for both of our nations.”

Under the partnership, officials from the two countries agreed to promote U.S. renewable energy technologies in Brazil; support biofuels research; develop “best practices” for offshore oil-and-gas drilling; and work together to develop nuclear technology, among other things.

Republicans have blasted the energy partnership, arguing that President Obama should spend more time developing U.S. energy resources.

“Far too many of our domestic energy producers are sitting idly waiting to get back to work — and a simple solution rests with the Obama administration starting to issue more offshore permits,” Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) said last week. “Unfortunately Obama is doing just the opposite going hat-in-hand to countries like Brazil begging them to produce more oil. I’ll keep fighting until the president gets serious about developing our resources here at home.”

Obama announced his intentions to launch the partnership in May while visiting Brazil. He said at the time that he hopes to invest in Brazil’s oil-and-gas resources because the country is more stable than the Middle East and has vast fossil fuel reserves.

“We want to work with you. We want to help with technology and support to develop these oil reserves safely, and when you’re ready to start selling, we want to be one of your best customers,” Obama told a group of Brazilian business leaders in May

“At a time when we’ve been reminded how easily instability in other parts of the world can affect the price of oil, the United States could not be happier with the potential for a new, stable source of energy.”