Issue Position: Energy Department
Issue Position
Having to rely on non-democratic countries in a volatile region of the world to supply one of our most essential resources--oil--is not a good situation for our country to be in. We must do everything possible to reduce our dependence on these nations for this critical resource.
Since coming to the Congress, I have attempted to take a responsible position regarding energy and the environment, believing that we can become more energy independent while at the same time preserving our environment. I support, for example, the drive to explore beneath our lands and oceans for new sources of oil and natural gas, and, as an avid supporter of the University of California, Riverside s College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), I support research for renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies that can help offset fuel imports, create major export opportunities and provide a clean, inexhaustible energy supply. I have also been a strong supporter of building new oil refineries and support the adoption of a comprehensive national policy for energy conservation, research and development.
In the first session of the current Congress, I supported the H.R. 6, the energy bill that requires automobile companies to achieve a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020. The bill also requires a six-fold increase in ethanol use to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022, and it requires new energy efficiency standards for an array of appliances, lighting and commercial and government buildings. While it is not a perfect bill, it did have the support of United States automakers and of many responsible environmental organizations, and it should play a significant role in reducing our demand for petroleum products.
We still have a long way to go in the struggle to become energy independent, but I have tremendous faith in scientists, such as those at CE-CERT and those working for the automobile manufacturers, that they will develop new and improved technologies that will allow us to keep our nation and our economy moving forward--without having to rely on other countries.
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