Issues: Energy
Energy
All options are on the table and I believe that the best solution needs to be a bipartisan solution.
We can create a bipartisan solution if we follow my proposed EASI Energy Plan that recognizes that all options are on the table.
It relies on energy efficiency in the near-term to lessen demand, while fully committing government resources to an alternative energy development and implementation policy that will make the U.S. more energy independent in the long-term.
Environmental: My energy policy in part is an environmental protection policy. I am committed to curtailing global warming and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Bold and immediate legislative action must be taken to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are being pumped into our atmosphere. I am willing to consider all options for how best to effectively and efficiently limit the production of greenhouse gases. Congress must send a strong, clear signal of their commitment to environmental integrity, in the form of a carbon reduction policy, to spur investment capital within the private market towards environmental solutions.
Application: Encouraging and incentivizing citizens to apply energy efficiency technologies to their lifestyles will play a critical role in my energy policy, to reduce energy demand and consumption. My policy will do this because the richest opportunity for significantly decreasing energy demand in the immediate future is energy efficiency. Substantial effort and attention must be directed to realizing and applying the multitudes of energy efficiency opportunities that are already available but underutilized. Technologies already exist that allow our cars to go farther on a gallon of gas, that power our appliances using less electricity, that allow our light bulbs to burn longer and use energy more efficiently.
Security: My policy reinforces our national security. As the world’s largest consumer of imported energy, our overreliance on oil has left us politically and economically vulnerable to forces outside of our control. Our dependence on foreign oil constrains our ability to pursue our foreign policy and national security objectives. I recognize that our energy security closely parallels our national security. For this reason, we must take back the control to power our future progress by securing the stability of our energy supply through domestic sources that protect global environmental integrity.
Infrastructure: Finally, my policy is about more than just energy; it is also an economic development policy. Utilizing our abundant natural resources, specifically wind and bio-products, our scientific resources and promoting research at our local universities, I will advocate for an energy policy that will create thousands of jobs for Nebraskans and for all Americans through the development of alternative energy technologies and infrastructure to support their implementation. I will work to ensure that Nebraska is poised to capitalize on a national energy policy focused on domestic, renewable sources.
We have the power to create economic growth, protect our environment, and bolster our national security with the implementation of a coherent and forward-thinking energy policy. All options are on the table as we create that policy. I will work with my fellow members of Congress to ensure the full commitment of the federal government to a new, cleaner energy economy and a safer, stronger America.
For more information on Jim Esch’s energy plan, click here.