Gerlach Releases Energy Independence Platform
Gerlach Releases Energy Independence Platform
Rep. Gerlach's Platform for America's Energy Independence
Congressman Jim Gerlach today released his platform on securing energy independence for the United States. The platform makes mention of specific issues, legislation and proposals Congressman Gerlach supports in an effort to break the country's addiction to foreign oil. This marks the first specific proposal on this important issue released by any candidate running for the 6th Congressional District seat this November.
"We as a nation consume far too much oil and have far too little in the way of reserves to ever be completely self-sufficient. We need to invest in new alternative fuels and technologies, be more efficient with the oil and energy we do use and move on to other fuels, like ethanol," Congressman Gerlach said. "We rely too much on unstable and unfriendly parts of the world like Iran, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia to keep our economy moving and our vehicles running. And now, with the exploding economies of India and China, the competition for the same amount of oil produced every day is tougher and more intense, resulting in recent spikes in gas prices.
The platform includes protecting consumers from price gouging activities, measures to criminalize oil companies who withhold supplies, a suspension of the federal gas tax, and withholding foreign aid to unfriendly countries that raise oil prices, among others.
"This is not a problem fixed overnight. However, we can and are doing things to maximize the oil we do use, like building new refineries to bring more gasoline to the market quicker and making, while exploring all opportunities for breaking this addiction," Congressman Gerlach continued. "This is not only sound policy, but a matter of national security."
In the last year, Congressman Gerlach voted in favor of legislation (H.R. 6 and H.R. 5294) that takes steps to increase our fuel supply and curb the nation's reliance on foreign oil.
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