Gillette News-Record - Lummis Supports More Energy Development

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Gillette News-Record - Lummis Supports More Energy Development

Allowing oil companies to drill off the coast of Florida and in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would lower gas prices and help revive the sluggish national economy, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives said Thursday during a campaign stop in Gillette.

Cynthia Lummis said that in producing more federal minerals, the federal government will collect more federal mineral royalties. She believes Congress has gotten off track with spending, saying both houses are trying to solve the nation's economic woes through tax increases, a move she opposes. Her solution is to meld energy with economics.

"They're totally intertwined," she said.

Lummis is one of six candidates vying for Wyoming's lone House seat now held by Republican Barbara Cubin. Cubin has decided not to seek re-election.

A lawyer, rancher and former state treasurer, Lummis, 53, lives in Cheyenne. She spent some time in Campbell County this week, touring the North Antelope-Rochelle mine on Wednesday and campaigning at the Campbell County Senior Citizens Center on Thursday.

During an interview at The News-Record, Lummis acknowledged that many Americans are disillusioned with Congress. She said that in recent years, government has become more about political theater than public service, creating a backlash among an increasing number of apathetic voters. If elected, Lummis said she would to try emulate Sen. Mike Enzi's style, working behind the scenes and across the aisle.

"I want to be at work every day, voting every day and be a strong voice for Wyoming," she said.

Lummis served 14 years in the Wyoming Legislature, working in both the House and Senate. That experience, she says, has groomed her for the national political stage. She said she is eager to tackle domestic and foreign policy issues, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Though she supported the troop surge, Lummis said it is time for the Iraqis to take "more political control and spend more of their own money." However, she is against setting an artificial timetable for withdrawal, saying that decision should be made by military leaders who are on the ground.

Back home, Lummis says there are several other issues that the government needs to address like illegal immigration. She said the best approach would be to build a fence along the border, while deporting illegal workers who already are here. Lummis said she thought the government also should increase the immigration quotas, saying that by allowing more immigrants to come to the country legally, this might deter some from trying to sneak across the border.

Yet Lummis said her main platform was energy. Wind, solar, gas �" "America needs it all," she said. "I support all of those strongly." But she doesn't support government subsidies for ethanol, saying corn isn't an energy-efficient fuel.

Lummis will square off against three other Republicans in the Aug. 19 primary. The general election is Nov. 11.

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