Issue Position: Energy

Issue Position

America's energy policy must simultaneously protect our national economic and security interests, help preserve the environment, and most importantly not hurt your bottom line.

The middle and lower classes bear the burden of environmental taxation schemes. President Obama has stated that his environmental policies would likely raise energy prices -- policies that raises the price of gas and hurt the working American.

American energy independence is an achievable goal that makes sense economically and for security reasons. Creating energy jobs in America will help grow our economy. Additionally, this would further insulate us from rogue nations in unstable parts of the world. I will be a vocal proponent of the Keystone Pipeline.

I support an all-of-the-above approach to meeting our energy needs (wind, solar, coal, gas, oil, nuclear). However, I do not support the government selectively "investing" in alternative energy which often leads to corruption and political kickbacks. I will not artificially influence this process as we saw President Obama try with Solyndria, which can set technological progress back years despite the altruistic intentions. As an avid hiker and biker, I think it is important that we treasure our natural resources here in Washington State. If there is a new source of energy that has little environmental impact and reduces the energy costs of the consumer, I am confident that the private sector will provide the necessary investments to bring that energy to market.

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