Energy & Environment

Citizens of the 8th district are being hit hard at the pump. This is something I am very concerned about as a Congressman and a father. As a father, I know that the responsibilities of being a parent can mean spending a lot of time in the car, driving the family to sports, church, school, and every day events. As your Congressman, I am determined to do everything in my power to ensure Congress passes a comprehensive, common sense energy plan that will ease prices at the pump. I will work for a bill that will increase the supply of American-made energy, improve conservation and efficiency, and promote new and expanding energy technologies to address America’s increasingly costly and dangerous dependence on foreign sources of energy.

High energy prices make it difficult for families to make ends meet and harder for businesses to stay in the black. The price of nearly everything we buy is impacted by rising energy costs. Numerous factors, from our dependence on foreign oil to lack of refinery capacity, are causing energy prices to rise.

We need to work toward lower prices today because people are hurting. But even more importantly, we need a national, comprehensive, smart energy policy that plans for the future and eliminates price spikes and shortages over the long-haul. And to have a truly comprehensive energy solution approach, we need energy exploration in conjunction with diversifying our resources, increasing research and development, and promoting energy conservation. The energy crisis and the hardship it is causing for the hard working families is something that is very close to my heart.

As the current circumstances again demonstrate, our nation continues to be dependent on foreign oil. A threat to America’s energy security is a threat to America’s national and economic security. For America’s security we need to diversify our supply so we will not be too dependent on any single source or region for our energy supply. This will enable us to know that the energy we depend on will be there when we need it in the future.

We need to diversify with a broad mix from clean coal and natural gas to nuclear power and solar energy. We need energy options and choices with a broad mix of energy sources upon which to draw to move America toward energy independence and self sufficiency. We are searching everyday for better alternatives that are clean, efficient and affordable. We need to pursue hydrogen, solar, wind, bio-fuels, and all other alternative sources that offer breakthrough advances in energy production. We need a comprehensive policy and industry that embraces conservation and does more with less. We need to unleash the power of American innovation. We have the best scientists, the best engineers and the best technicians in the world, and it’s time to use American ingenuity to develop a 21st century energy program that frees us from our dependence on oil.

Environmental protection goes hand in hand with energy independence. We have the responsibility to safe guard the environment for future generations to enjoy. That is why I support an “all of the above” energy policy approach. More American energy production means more American jobs.

We live in a world where people still put gasoline in their cars, so we can’t expect new technology to take the place of oil and gas over night. A truly long-term, comprehensive energy policy is the only way Americans are going to see lower energy prices, and it is time Congress starts doing something about it.