Higher Energy Costs - No Thank YouThe youth of Iowa deserve fair energy costsDear Friend, Young Iowans are the future of our state. One of my most important duties as your Representative is to ensure that the voices of young Iowans are heard and that we act to not saddle our youth with higher energy costs. I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet and talk to some fantastic young leaders over the years and this year has been no exception.  Iowa's Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, through the Iowa Electric Cooperatives' Youth Tour of Washington D.C., sent three high school students from the district to Washington. Their questions were innovative and offer a glimpse into the bright future of the youth of Iowa.  The youth of Iowa are the future of the state. It is our responsibility to continue to renew and revitalize the American economy through innovation, effective, and efficient uses of our home grown resources so our students and families can afford to go to school or start a career. With fuel prices set to rise this summer, responsible energy policies is a must to alleviate the middle class squeeze. Every penny counts to many families and I will continue to vote for responsible energy policies even if the White House refuses to compromise based on their political agenda. The House has already passed a number of measures that will lower the cost of utilities, gasoline, and other energy costs this year: -Increasing our access to North American energy by approving the Keystone pipeline (H.R. 3), -prohibiting the EPA from issuing regulations that threaten to close portions of our electric generation capabilities (H.R. 3826), and -requiring the EPA to take into consideration the impact of certain “high-cost” regulations are energy prices and prohibit regulations which would adversely impact the economy (H.R. 1582). As many of you know, I have always been for an all of the above energy policy that utilizes responsible energy exploration and efficient uses of American sources of energy. As we look to tackle a number of pro-energy measures in the House this upcoming week, I will continue to work to ensure that energy is affordable for Iowans and we do not saddle our youth with higher energy costs. Tom |
