Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

 

“Having installed solar panels on my home in California, I understand the challenges of finding innovative solutions to the energy problems in our country,” said Congressman Dennis Cardoza (CA-18). “The Blue Dog energy principles are commonsense ideas that should be adhered to as Congress considers upcoming energy legislation.”

 

The “Blue Dog Energy Principles” were endorsed by the Coalition as a moderate and comprehensive approach to our nation’s energy policy that emphasizes a focus on national and economic security. The principles represent a broad range of stakeholders, with the underlying belief that our country’s current reliance on foreign energy supplies threatens our national security and our ability to compete in the global marketplace. The Energy Principles contain eight planks:

 

1)      Energy “Pay Go” - Energy policy should not result in a net loss of domestic energy.

2)      Climate Change - A methodical, long term solution is the best approach to solving the problem and solutions should not export jobs overseas.

3)      Fuel Diversity - Encourage fuel diversity, add to existing power generation capacity, and decrease our reliance on foreign sources of energy.

4)      Consistent and Transparent Federal Policy - Predictable long term policy helps the market and keeps energy prices stable for consumers.

5)      Affordable Energy - Rate stability and affordable energy prices.

6)      Electricity - Encourage investment in transmission infrastructure, distributed generation, and a more efficient electricity grid.

7)      Technology Development - Research and development investments are critical for long term energy security.

8)      Energy Efficiency - Efficient technologies and energy conservation are among the most important ways for the U.S. to reduce its energy consumption, benefiting both consumers and producers of energy.

 

In 2005 the U.S. imported 66% of our crude oil and 16% of our natural gas from foreign sources. Projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) are that the U.S. will consume 21% more oil and 19% more natural gas in 2030. That enforces the Blue Dog belief that U.S. energy policy should not reduce existing access to domestic energy resources.

 

At the same time, the Blue Dog Energy Principles assert that the U.S. must act to address climate change. They advocate a robust research and development effort to help achieve meaningful carbon dioxide reductions in a viable manner.

 

While Congressman Cardoza endorses the Blue Dog Energy Principles he has long been opposed to nuclear power generation and does not support the nuclear provisions in the document.