Several Members of Utah Delegation Laud Pickens

Press Release

SEVERAL MEMBERS OF UTAH DELEGATION LAUD PICKENS

Several members of Utah's Congressional Delegation today lauded Texas oilman and entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens for his efforts to focus national attention on the need for the U.S. to become energy- independent.

Pickens' message, which he is touting at town halls and other meetings across the nation, is that the U.S. can use natural gas, wind and other alternative energy sources to break its addiction to foreign oil. He is asking the president and Congress to enact an energy plan that reduces the nation's dependence on foreign oil by 30 percent.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said, "Boone Pickens is to be commended for calling attention to the fact that our nation can ill afford to continue to ship $700 billion overseas every year to buy foreign oil, especially to nations that are not our friends. His concerns about the threat this poses to our economy and national security echo mine own, and his proposed solutions mirror many of mine and deserve consideration."

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) said, "I agree with the urgency of achieving independence from foreign oil and I have proposed a comprehensive plan to reach that goal."

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) said, "It's encouraging to see folks rally around the need for comprehensive energy solutions. We have a number of good proposals in Congress that take an all-of-the-above approach, and include increased conservation, innovation, and production. We just need continued pressure to make sure Congress keeps everything on the table, and actually passes a real comprehensive bill before this current session ends."

Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) said, "While it doesn't take a successful businessman to tell you that spending $700 billion a year on foreign oil is a bad investment, I'm glad that T. Boone Pickens has the tenacity to take a stand against our absurd foreign oil dependence."