Issue Position: Energy & Stewardship

Issue Position

"Our natural resources are vital to our communities, for recreation, for our livelihood, and for energy independence."

The outdoors have always been very special to my family. Like typical Minnesotans, we spent our summers "at the lake." Every winter, we cleared off the pond so the neighborhood kids could skate and play broomball. We all cherish our clean-air countryside. Our farmers live off that land, our hunters and fishermen value it for recreation, and our children grow up playing outdoors. Our natural resources are vital to our communities, for recreation, for our livelihood, and for energy independence.

The quality of life that our beautiful countryside provides is why we all choose to live in rural Minnesota. Our lakes, streams, open fields and blue skies are part of us, and we need to preserve them for future generations.

In that spirit, it is important that we quickly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We must harness our nation's clean energy and end our reliance on foreign oil to preserve our environment and boost our economy. We have the ability to create jobs and strengthen our local economy by encouraging a broad array of clean-energy technologies, including solar, wind, biomass and ethanol.

We can also encourage good stewardship by advocating energy efficiency in our homes and businesses. This can be done through smart energy standards and incentives to both individuals and businesses. Next to our people, our most valuable resource is our "natural" capital. Through good stewardship and careful planning, we can protect this natural capital and preserve our quality of life.

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