Issue Position: Energy/Resources

Issue Position

We are blessed to live in a nation bursting with natural energy resources. Unfortunately, our politicians in Washington lack the desire and the political will to institute a forward-thinking energy policy that will lower the costs and make America energy independent.

Pat believes that protecting our environment is critically important. But he also knows it is possible to harness America's natural resources without doing harm to it. For example, Pat voted in the House of Representatives to allow drilling in a small part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

Pat also supports allowing Americans to drill for oil in the Outer Continental Shelf and to develop the vast oil shale reserves in America's western states. Other sources of energy include natural gas in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale and the production of nuclear power. The Marcellus Shale is the largest unconventional natural gas reserve in the world and nuclear power is a low-carbon form of energy production that has been proven to be safe, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly.

These policy changes alone would go a long way towards lowering energy prices and achieving the goal of energy independence.

At the same time, Pat opposes policies that will make energy more expensive and cost Americans jobs. For this reason, he is against raising gas taxes and he opposes the recent cap-and-trade legislation that places an onerous tax on energy and, studies show, will cost thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania.

As a U.S. senator, Pat will fight for legislation that expands America's energy independence without harming the environment, lowers the cost of energy, and protects American jobs and businesses.

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