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A Better, Bipartisan Approach to Energy Solutions
We don’t need gas prices to reach $5 a gallon again to know that developing alternative energy sources and reducing our dependence on foreign oil is a critical issue for our country. It is a challenge that affects our economy, our environment and our national security, and it demands a comprehensive approach.
We need a national energy policy that puts all domestic energy solutions on the table, while creating the necessary incentives and flexibility to not only make existing technologies and alternatives more affordable, but encourage new innovations as well.
So far, we have not yet had the opportunity in Congress to consider this kind of comprehensive solution. The energy bill that passed the House earlier this summer, unfortunately, would only serve to drive up energy costs for families and businesses. Our current economic challenges call for innovation, not new taxes that will burden working families and stifle economic growth.
But I remain optimistic that we can reach a bipartisan consensus on a constructive and effective way forward. Last week my Democratic colleague Dennis Kucinich joined me in sponsoring a resolution calling for a global effort to tear down the barriers that have been imposed around the world on green technologies. Our engineers, researchers and high-tech manufacturers have long been developing the solutions to our energy crisis, yet their products and services face steep tariff and non-tariff barriers in many countries. Eliminating these barriers would not only boost our economy and help create more “green-tech” jobs here at home, but would provide the resources to develop new technologies and solutions to the energy and environmental challenges that we face.
This resolution addresses just one small part of a much larger and more complicated issue, but it demonstrates that Republicans and Democrats can come together to find workable solutions. The key is unleashing the power of American innovation and entrepreneurship.
I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop comprehensive energy legislation that will spur clean, domestic energy production, create new jobs and encourage continued advancements in green technology.