Although President Obama has talked lately about an “all of the above” energy strategy, he doesn’t actually have one.
Right now, his energy policy can be summed up as: cash for cronies at Solyndra; restricting access to America’s abundant energy resources; and preventing construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which could bring our economy thousands of new jobs and transport 830,000 barrels of oil a day.
Oil production on private and state-owned land – land beyond the federal government’s grip – grew 14% last year. At the exact same time, production on federal land fell 11%. Gas prices have nearly doubled since Obama’s inauguration, and energy analysts predict that more Americans than ever before will pay $5.00 per gallon this year.
The President’s response to soaring gas prices is to shrug his shoulders and say, “There’s not much we can do.” And his Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has actually called for raising gas prices to European levels. Italians currently pay about $9.00 per gallon!
This isn’t the energy policy Americans deserve. Aggressively increasing our energy production will help lower gas prices and create more jobs. To do it, we must unlock more areas for exploration, cut through the red tape that slows production, and green light common sense projects like the Keystone XL pipeline.
The smart and responsible path to American energy security is clear, and the Republican Study Committee’s Jobs Through Growth Act shows the way. We quite literally cannot afford to wait.
God Bless,
Congressman Jim Jordan
Chairman, Republican Study Committee
Mr. Jordan,
ReplyDeleteNo matter who gets credit for increased oil production, the point is that we have increased oil production yet still face rising gas prices. It's because the growth in demand by the billion+ people in asia as well as geopolitical instability will continue to be by far the #1 driver of prices. Get off it already. To think we can drill our way out is like saying a crack head can get off their addiction if they would just smoke enough dope to hit rock bottom.