Energy and Environment

Wind. Solar. Natural gas. Domestic oil production. America's energy resources are vast, yet currently under-utilized.

I support a diversified or “all-of-the-above” energy policy that would create thousands of new American jobs, dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil from unfriendly nations and maximize our boundless natural resources in an environmentally-safe way. I believe that immediate and long-term benefits can be realized through smarter policies for energy efficiency, without the economic hardship many recent short-sighted policies have unleashed.

Unfortunately, the White House is standing in the way—the Obama Administration prefers to cherry-pick their favored energy pet projects at the exclusion of proven job-producing basic scientific research and breakthrough advances like those produced at Fermilab in Batavia and our 18 other outstanding national laboratories across the country. Most notably, the administration gave out a single loan guarantee – $536 million of taxpayer dollars to the now bankrupt Solyndra – that is close to 70% of the entire High Energy Physics annual budget. Funds, bestowed upon a failing business, could have continued experiments such as the Tevatron in Fermilab for more than 10 years. 

I support a comprehensive strategy that includes increasing domestic energy production both on and off-shore. I also favor market-based energy reform initiatives to expand carbon-free nuclear power and alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar power, both of which currently create jobs right here in Illinois.

In Congress, I am working to expand domestic energy production to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. This includes support for the Keystone XL pipeline project, which would create thousands of good jobs and help grow our economy at the same time.