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Our Nation’s Energy Policy Needs Comprehensive Solutions for Tomorrow and Timely Assistance for Today
We need a comprehensive, balanced energy policy that will strengthen our energy independence and national security, protect our environment, and help our economy grow and stay competitive. I believe that it must embrace three basic principles: encouraging domestic energy production of oil and gas, reducing consumption through conservation, and fostering the development of renewable energy, nuclear power, and other environmentally sound sources of energy. Such a policy would go a long way toward improving New Hampshire’s environment, reducing electricity and fuel costs for consumers, and making our nation more energy self-sufficient.
Today, we can all agree that our livelihoods depend heavily on oil and gas. Regardless of our best efforts to transition to cleaner and renewable sources, our cars still need gas to run, our planes need jet fuel to fly, and our long-haul trucks need diesel to operate. This is not going to change overnight, and it will take years for us to transition to other energy sources no matter how much we support green technologies. Also, people in New Hampshire are especially dependent on oil since most residents have to drive significant distances to get to work and also rely on it for heating their home. Today’s high oil prices are taking an extraordinary toll on family budgets and have many Granite Staters worried – and rightly so – about how they are going to make ends meet and stay warm this winter.
In the Senate, I will continue working with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to advance proposals that will modernize our nation’s energy policy to meet the challenges of the 21st Century as well as assist those needing help now with unbearably high oil and gas prices. We, as a nation, must move forward on a comprehensive energy solution which focuses on producing more American energy, while at the same time using less by promoting conservation and the development of renewable and alternative sources of energy. As this effort continues, I value the opportunity to discuss what we in Congress are doing on energy. Please do not hesitate to contact me about this issue or other issues of importance to you.
Energy Solutions for the 21st Century
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