Issue Position: Lower Gas Prices and Energy Independence

Issue Position

America has the ability to increase domestic energy production, and I am working with my colleagues in Congress to reduce our dependence on imported oil. I believe that Congress should open the North Slope to environmentally sensitive production, increase onshore and offshore drilling at least 125 miles from the coast, reduce bureaucratic barriers to build more nuclear power plants, and allow more refineries to be built.

In addition, America possesses about one-quarter of the world's coal supply, enough to meet current demand for 250 years. There is already a workable process that turns coal into a liquid fuel for trucks and automobiles, and clean-coal technologies are reducing the environmental impact of using this fuel.

We must develop renewable and alternative fuels. As a member of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, I am working to increase the use of new fuels and technologies, including renewable energy sources, along with promoting more energy efficiency. Recent energy legislation I have supported to increase our domestic energy supply include: H.R. 910 -- Energy Tax Prevention Act, H.R. 1229 -- Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act, H.R. 1230 -- Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act, H.R. 1231 -- Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act, H.R. 1938 -- North American-Made Energy Security Act, H.R. 2021- Jobs and Energy Permitting Act, and H.R. 3408 -- Protecting Investment in Oil Shale the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security Act.

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