Issue Position: Energy and Environment

Issue Position

America's national security demands that our nation become energy independent as soon as possible, so we are no longer held hostage by foreign oil. In many ways this is our generations Sputnik considering countries like China are way ahead of us by investing $10 million a day in alternative energy. For this reason, it is imperative that our nation starts investing in alternative energy, which calls for us to be the innovators and pioneers our nation has historically been. Tax credits and incentives should be expanded, which will create new jobs, and will finally allow our nation to be energy independent.

These incentives can take the form of a $2,000 tax benefit to consumers, which will provide Americans an incentive to reduce their energy consumption because the more energy you conserve the more money you will have in your pockets. This will be paid for by taxing energy producers who emit carbon dioxide into the air, which also will provide an incentive for energy companies to transition towards greener alternatives. This is a smart alternative to the cap and trade legislation proposed currently, which is creating a whole new trading scheme whereby corporations can ignore transitioning to green alternatives and pass on any costs to Americans.

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