Issue Position: An Energy Plan for the 21st Century

Issue Position

We need a common sense energy policy that takes an all-of-the-above approach. Instead we haven't had a real energy policy out of Washington in a decade. I will support investments in clean coal and natural gas and renewables like wind and biomass.

Coal

Coal has been an important part of our energy mix for generations and will continue to be for many years. Coal must be a cornerstone of long term strategic energy policy for our nation. We should look for ways to continue to invest in technologies that make coal viable as an energy source for generations to come.

One of the first things I will do in Congress is work to bring a coal liquification facility to Southern Illinois. Liquified coal burns cleaner and can be produced cheaper than petroleum-based fuels and a coal-to-liquid facility will take advantage of the millions of tons of coal we have right here in Southern Illinois. That will mean more safe, well-paying mining and research jobs, in addition to the the thousands of people who will build and operate the facility.

Hydraulic Fracturing
New technology advances have given us an unprecedented opportunity to harvest natural gas domestically. We must ensure we do this in a safe and responsible way.

Tax Credits for New Technologies

Over the last five years wind power has gone from a blip to one third of all new generation capacity, second only to natural gas. This is because of aggressive investments by both the Bush and Obama administration. We haven't closed the gap with China but we're very close to catching up. All of this could change if important tax breaks aren't renewed. I will support renewing and expanding these tax breaks so that we can be world leaders in wind plant manufacturing and export our products, not our jobs, around the world.

Source