Energy

All-of-the-Above American Energy Plan

As the top Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee, I helped lead opposition to the cap-and-trade national energy tax and I’m pressing for an all-of-the-above energy solution.

When it comes to clean energy and meeting the goals of an all-of-the-above energy plan, Central Washington should be held up as an example to the rest of our state and the nation for how to create a cheaper, cleaner, more diverse American-made energy system and create energy jobs.

The majority of our energy here comes from clean, renewable hydropower, we rank in the top fifteen for wind energy production, and we have the only nuclear plant in the Pacific Northwest. On top of all of this, Central Washington is home to biomass, solar power projects, and the world class Pacific Northwest National Laboratory which conducts cutting edge energy research. These are all things I have long supported and have worked with local communities to expand.

While those who control Washington, D.C. claim that new taxes and government mandates are required in order to expand clean energy, it’s worth noting that all of the clean energy accomplishments here in our part of the state have been achieved without the federal government imposing a cap-and-trade national energy tax on every American – something I flat out oppose.

What is Cap-and-Trade?

At its most basic, it is a scheme that sets an arbitrary limit on the total amount of emissions in the United States. Without taking into account the exploding pollution levels of rapidly expanding countries like China and India, this bureaucratic nightmare would unilaterally force American companies to purchase unregulated and expensive carbon offsets, costs that would be passed along to you the consumer. The reality is that cap-and-trade is nothing more than a national energy tax.

The most senior Democrat in the House, John Dingell, said it very simply: “cap-and-trade is a tax and it’s a great big one.”

In 2008, then-Senator Obama said, “Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket…whatever the industry was, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers.”

The last thing Americans need is for the federal government to implement a national energy tax that will make it more expensive to turn on lights, fill cars and run farms and small businesses. Instead, our nation needs an all-of-the-above energy solution.

All-of-the-Above Energy Plan:

Promotes alternative energy sources like wind and solar.
Expands non-emitting nuclear power- and moves Yucca Mountain forward.
Protects clean, renewable hydropower dams from those who are trying to tear them out.
Drills offshore, in Alaska and on federal lands.