Issue Position: Energy

Issue Position

Promote American Energy Independence

I support an all-of-the-above energy policy in the United States where the government doesn't pick winners and losers. Every dollar the government spends on subsidizing a certain industry or company is first taken from hard-working American families and businesses. We have an obligation to spend these dollars wisely. The United States spends over two-thirds of its federal energy subsidies on renewable sources of energy that account for less than 5 percent of our total electricity production. It's time for an all-of-the-above energy policy, which embraces all of our American resources, peels back the overreach of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), and approves energy projects that are good for America such as the Keystone XL pipeline. For too long, Washington has been allowed to play politics with energy prices. It's time to green light our vast American resources that includes, gas, oil, wind, solar: an all of the above energy policy that will help ease the squeeze on the middle class energy bills and reduce our dependency on foreign sources of energy.

Keystone XL Pipeline:

The application to build the Keystone XL pipeline was filed in 2008--more than six years ago. The project, which would expand the existing Keystone pipeline, would transport more than 800,000 barrels of oil from Alberta, Canada to Midwest and Gulf Coast refineries. The pipeline is expected to support more than 40,000 jobs and substantially reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. Yet President Obama refuses to simply approve or deny the application. The President has cited a number of excuses over the years, from environmental concerns to pending litigation in the Nebraska Supreme Court. Each excuse for obstruction has fallen flat. The State Department's most recent assessment of the Keystone XL pipeline confirmed that the project is safe and would have limited environmental impacts. Further, in January of 2015, the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the route of the Keystone XL pipeline. We cannot allow the President to stall any longer on this commonsense effort to put Americans back to work.

The Environmental Protection Agency and Energy:

As a limited-government conservative, I believe that unnecessary federal rules and regulations can stifle economic growth and hurt job creation. As you may know, the proposed carbon reduction rule would aim to reduce emissions by indiscriminately targeting coal-fired power plants. This is a part of the President's plan to combat climate change -- which he believes is one of the greatest threats facing our nation. I respectfully disagree.

With regard to environmental impact, many constituents I speak to are surprised to hear that carbon emissions in the United States have actually decreased substantially. In fact, energy related carbon emissions are now at their lowest levels in two decades. The primary driver of this reduction has been natural gas, which burns much cleaner than other fossil fuels. The free market, not the EPA, is responsible for the proliferation of domestic natural gas and a responsible reduction in carbon emissions.

Recent efforts by the EPA to mandate "carbon capture and sequestration" technology on all new coal fired power plants is puzzling. This technology has never been proven effective on an industrial scale, so its implementation would effectively ban the construction of new coal-fired power plants at a time when coal still accounts for close to 40 percent of our country's electricity generation. To go to great lengths to subsidize minor contributors of America's energy portfolio while simultaneously punishing our largest contributors is nonsensical.

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