Last week, Congressman Henry E. Brown Jr. (R-SC) joined his colleagues of the Rural America Solutions Group in a press conference on Capitol Hill to highlight the negative impacts of the Democrats' national energy tax legislation on rural America. This national energy tax would disproportionately spike rural American energy bills, harm agriculture production and threaten small businesses. Following the conference, Congressman Brown made the following statement:
"As a product of Rural America, I personally understand life in the country and because of this, I understand how this national energy tax will significantly impact it. Nothing scares me more than having higher energy taxes placed on my community, and more specifically, the farmers of rural America. Agriculture, including South Carolina farms, is a bull's-eye industry for an energy tax because it is energy-intensive. Whether it's the fuel in the tractor, the fertilizer for the crops, or the delivery of food to the grocery store, agriculture uses a great deal of energy throughout production.
Unfortunately, the farmers are not the only ones facing the negative effects of this energy tax. If you like being cool in the summer, you're going to be affected. If you like being warm in the winter, you're going to be affected. If you want to run a small business or work in one, you're going to be affected. If you want to go anywhere, you're going to be affected. This is going to affect all of us.
There is a better way forward. My Republican colleagues and I support an all-of-the-above energy plan that includes renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydropower, biomass and greater use of nuclear power, along with creating more American-made oil and natural gas. Under this plan, we'll create new rural energy jobs and improve America's use of renewable energy - without destroying our economy or sending jobs overseas to countries with inferior environmental standards."