Dear Friends,

As a strong proponent of an “all-of-the-above” energy policy, I’m glad President Obama used a significant amount of time during his State of the Union address to discuss American energy production.  Unfortunately, what concerns me is that his rhetoric doesn't match his record when it comes to domestic energy production.

Just this month, the administration refused to approve the Keystone Pipeline, a project that would create up to 20,000 energy jobs.  These infrastructure jobs are desperately needed in the energy and construction industries, not to mention the pro-growth impact the pipeline would have on local economies throughout the country.

During his address, the President claimed that his Administration has opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration. Yet, in 2010 his Department of Energy issued the lowest number of onshore leases issues since 1984. In fact, the total onshore acreage leased under the Administration in 2009 and 2010 is the lowest in over two decades.

The president also stated that he is directing his Administration to open up more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. This is a mis-leading statement. The real number is a mere 2.16 percent that will actually be leased for energy production.

These are just a couple of examples I wanted to share with you. If you are interested in learning more, click here.

I believe an "all-of-the-above" American energy strategy means just that, and as a country it would be irresponsible not to continue our efforts to explore and expand alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear. A country that is as richly diverse in energy resources as ours should be doing all it can to utilize what we have available to us. 

The House has passed numerous pieces of legislation focused on domestic energy, but they continue to be held up in the Senate without a vote - as with over 100 other pieces of legislation that have passed the House on which the Senate has failed to act.

Now is the time to come together on an energy strategy to move our country on a path toward energy independence. This is a long-term strategy that as a country we must be dedicated to, and it should include all of the energy resources we have available to us.
 
Respectfully,
Aaron

Recent Video Clips
YouTube Video: America Needs More Energy Jobs. Click here to watch.

Aaron visits with WICS-TV in Springfield about his thoughts on the State of the Union address. Click here to watch.

Aaron joined a panel discussion hosted by the newspaper, Politico. The focus was on reaction to the State of the Union and the year ahead. Click here to watch.

Aaron checked in with Greg and Dan to talk about the State of the Union and the latest news from Washington. Click here to listen to his interview.



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