Issue Position: Energy

Issue Position

Providing Energy Independence for our Nation

The future of our nation's energy supply has become a topic of great interest, both in Congress and throughout our country. A growing and thriving economy requires stable and affordable energy supplies, and, like many Idahoans, I am concerned about the energy future of the United States. As long as the United States is dependent on other nations for sources of energy, our energy supply will be directly impacted by conflicts in regions with high oil supply, foreign political environments that are unfriendly to the United States, and increased demand for oil on the world market. As a nation, we must continue looking for ways to reduce energy prices and improve our energy independence.
I strongly believe that our efforts to address this growing problem should be comprehensive in nature and that we should explore every opportunity to develop viable alternative energy sources. I strongly support a responsible, revitalized domestic nuclear energy program, and I am proud of the work done in Idaho to expanding the use of nuclear power to meet our nation's growing energy needs. I also believe we must increase energy efficiency in the United States and encourage the development of renewable energy sources, while continuing to find domestic sources of traditional forms of energy, like oil and natural gas. Technology, incentives, and innovation can move our economy to a sustainable, independent energy source that will be a real solution to the challenges facing our nation.

COMBATING RISING AND UNSTABLE GAS PRICES

The instability in gas prices has grown out of decades of poor energy policy in the United States. Because the United States imports a significant percentage of its petroleum needs, we are dependent on foreign sources of oil and therefore left subject to the fluctuations in the market caused by conflicts in regions with high oil supply, foreign political environments that are unfriendly to the United States, and the dramatic increase in demand for oil on the world market as the populations and economies of countries like China and India rapidly expand.

A long-term reduction in energy prices will require the United States to become energy independent. Unfortunately, for many decades both Democrats and Republicans have been reluctant to commit to achieving a long-term energy solution, a commitment that requires a willingness to both pursue domestic sources of oil and invest in new alternative and renewable energy sources. Decades of implementing poor energy policy have forced our nation into a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, and it is no wonder that we find ourselves in a world now where gas prices above $3 a gallon or more have become the norm.

As a member of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for public lands and offshore oil production, I strongly believe that it is not too late to develop comprehensive energy policies that will achieve energy independence and bring stability to gas prices. I am willing to look at all the options and am working with my colleagues in Congress to find a comprehensive solution. For example, I believe that we should immediately allow greater responsible exploration and development of domestic sources of oil and natural gas in small sections of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), on the Outer Continental Shelf, and on public lands.

I also think that investing in and developing renewable and alternative sources of energy should be a national priority, and, as a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, I have supported a number of bills to increase our investment in research and development of clean burning, renewable energy. I have also supported limiting the amount of oil we put into the strategic oil reserves when oil prices are high. Additionally, I believe that we should implement more aggressive government oversight of oil and gas companies while providing incentives for those companies to invest in alternative energy development and production with their profits. And I am convinced now more than ever that a renewed commitment to nuclear power is vital to our nation's energy and national security.

Ultimately, I believe that as Americans we must fundamentally change the way we consume energy. We cannot sustain our current level of energy waste and consumption, and reducing consumption will require changing the way we build our communities, the way we transport goods and people, and, simply put, the way we think. Getting good information into the hands of consumers and providing incentives for changing the way we use gas and other resources is key. In fact, reduced consumption may be the best short-term way to bring gas prices down.

As Congress considers proposals to provide temporary relief from gas prices and long-term solutions to the current energy crisis, I will continue to support meaningful and effective energy legislation.

DOMESTIC ENERGY PRODUCTION

The future of our nation's energy supply has become a topic of great interest, both in Congress and throughout our country. A growing and thriving economy requires stable and affordable energy supplies, and, like many Idahoans, I am concerned about the energy future of the United States. As long as the United States is dependent on other nations for sources of energy, our energy supply will be directly impacted by conflicts in regions with high oil supply, foreign political environments that are unfriendly to the United States, and increased demand for oil on the world market. As a nation, we must continue looking for ways to reduce energy prices and improve our energy independence.

I believe a key part of the effort to free ourselves from our dangerous dependence on foreign oil should include the development of domestic sources of oil. For example, there are billions of barrels of oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), in the Outer Continental Shelf, and on federal lands that hold oil and gas reserves, but current law forbids oil and gas leasing in many of these areas. I think this is a mistake. By refusing to develop these resources ourselves, not only do we threaten our own nation's security by increasing our dependence on a volatile, foreign-based energy supply, but we push the responsibility of producing that oil to countries with far less stringent environmental regulations. New technologies will enable us to do oil and gas exploration and production in an environmentally sound manner and with proper consideration for the needs of fish and wildlife populations, leaving a very small footprint.

Any effort to achieve energy independence must be comprehensive in nature, and I believe that developing domestic sources of oil and gas is an important part of a plan to address our country's energy needs. I take our nation's energy crisis seriously and, as Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Appropriations and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, I will continue to support meaningful and effective energy legislation.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

A growing and thriving economy requires stable and affordable energy supplies, and, like many Idahoans, I am concerned about the energy future of the United States. As a nation, we must continue looking for ways to reduce energy prices and improve our energy independence. I strongly support the development of all forms of energy, including renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydropower, clean alternative fuels such as propane, natural gas, ethanol, and methanol and domestic sources of oil and natural gas.

At the same time, I firmly believe that the revitalization of the nuclear industry is critical to meeting our energy security needs in the future. I have proudly supported a revitalized nuclear energy research and development program in Idaho and expanded use of nuclear power to meet our nation's growing energy needs. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is the nation's lead nuclear energy research laboratory, and the research done there demonstrates great promise for the future of nuclear energy in our nation. INL also hosts ongoing research and development activities concerning alternative energy, which holds great promise for the future.

As Chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, I have been proud to promote increased funding and research opportunities at the INL for programs such as NGNP and Advanced Fuel Cycle Research and development as well as to renovate existing buildings and build new buildings at the Lab, purchase new equipment and operate the Advanced Test Reactor as a National Scientific User Facility. I have also used my position to promote nuclear research and the nuclear industry at large. Rest assured, I will continue to work with my colleagues to support increased funding for nuclear energy research and to advance initiatives that promote nuclear energy in Idaho and throughout the country.

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