Senator Blunt supports an energy policy that utilizes all sources of energy we have here in the United States, so we can lessen our dependence on foreign energy, stimulate economic growth, and create jobs. This new American energy policy should encourage more exploration of oil and natural gas, and enable us to continue to use every available source at our disposal like clean coal, nuclear energy, and natural gas.

A sure fire way to create jobs and create revenue to address our deficit is through energy exploration. That’s why Senator Blunt has cosponsored legislation such as the 3-D’s Domestic Jobs, Domestic Energy, and Deficit Reduction Act of 2011. This bill would produce domestic energy, stimulate the economy, and create jobs at no cost to the taxpayer.

Senator Blunt also believes that renewable energy sources like wind, solar and biomass will also play a role in our energy future. Legislation such as the American Alternative Fuels Act would encourage the use of fuel from new sources like coal and algae, and Senator Blunt is an original cosponsor of this bill.

However, Senator Blunt believes that the government should not be picking winners and losers through legislative or regulatory policies that penalize the low-cost energy sources we now use. Cap and trade legislation, which died in the Senate last year, is something that would have done just that. This legislation is a massive new tax on the entire economy, and will drastically effect the cost of everything, particularly the utility bills of Missouri families, who rely on coal to power over 80% of Missouri's electricity needs. That’s why Senator Blunt has fought hard against this energy tax that the Obama Administration has admitted would cause energy prices to “necessarily skyrocket”.

Unfortunately the EPA is attempting to circumvent the will of Congress by issuing burdensome regulations that threaten to significantly hamper our nation’s access to cost-efficient and reliable energy. Senator Blunt will fight to protect Missourians from this overregulation that will result in increased energy costs, economic damage, and lost jobs.