Energy
The American way of life is made possible by our vast supply of affordable energy; as our nation continues to advance, our demand for affordable and efficient energy increases. I believe our energy portfolio needs to be an “all of the above” approach to support this growth. We need to use our domestic resources, including drilling in environmentally responsible ways both on shore and off and using coal, natural gas and other domestic supplies in the most efficient way. We also need to support alternative energies such as nuclear, wind, hydropower and ethanol and include significant conservation programs as well.
The 8th District of Indiana is rich in its supplies of natural resources. All but one of Indiana’s coal mines is located within the District as well and the majority of Indiana’s oil wells and an abundance of natural gas wells. I think it is important to responsibly manage these resources, which is why I joined the both the Congressional Coal Caucus and the Congressional Natural Gas Caucus. I also believe that the EPA and Obama administration are over-reaching with regulations that do not have scientific fact backing them up; specifically, onerous CO2 emission regulation which would triple the cost of electricity in Indiana.