Issue Position: Energy

Issue Position

An Energy Policy That Makes Us Economically Stronger and More Secure

As countries around the world race to find alternatives to fossil fuels, we must ensure that America reasserts a leading role in creating a safe and secure clean energy future.

The country that leads in clean energy development will emerge as the strongest economic power, and our national security demands we control our own energy future.

Invest in Clean Energy

Last summer, I helped pass the American Clean Energy Security Act, legislation that will lower energy costs in Connecticut, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and create clean energy jobs here at home. It will help spur development of solar, wind, and other cleaner energies. It also will foster investment in a smart electrical grid, and includes a provision I wrote that helps home buyers improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

In addition to reforming our energy policy, we must also invest in improved efficiency in the other sectors of our infrastructure. I have sponsored legislation to improve access to public transportation and to encourage telecommuting as ways to help reduce our use of fossil fuels. I have also supported legislation that will help keep home heating fuels affordable and bring more transparency to energy markets.

Control Costs

While the most efficient way to control energy costs is to be more efficient in how we use energy, we must also face the reality that our modern world depends on the availability of inexpensive energy. We simply cannot continue to send billions of dollars to dangerous countries in the Middle East to purchase oil. Developing safe, clean forms of domestic energy is critical to our national and economic security.

Ensure Safety

While we work toward a clean energy future, we must ensure that all of our current and future energy production adheres to the strictest safety and environmental standards. The recent tragedies on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and in a West Virginia coal mine have served as stark reminders of what can happen when safety standards are overlooked in the pursuit of short-sighted business interests.

Protecting lives, livelihoods, natural resources and our planet's fragile eco-system must never take a back seat as we strive to transition to a secure clean energy future.

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