“Gang of 16″ Calls for Drilling and Alternative Energy
Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman has announced his support for a plan to increase oil drilling as a means of paying for increased investment in alternative energy. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Coleman announced his intention to join the “gang of 16,” a group of bipartisan senators seeking a compromise energy bill that would approve $20 billion over ten years towards the plan. The New Energy Reform Act of 2008 focuses on three overarching principles:
- Increased domestic production of energy resources, including oil and nuclear. This would include a go-ahead to open new areas for oil drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf off America’s Atlantic and Pacific Coasts;
- Transitioning vehicles to non-petroleum based fuels;
- A robust federal commitment to conservation and energy efficiency.
Speaking about the plan on Monday, Coleman said, “Nothing is more urgent, or of greater significance to the American people, than solving our energy crisis. The good news is this bipartisan group truly understands that folks around this country are suffering under high gas prices and are bringing forth real, common-sense solutions.”
Energy issues have become a flashpoint in Coleman’s battle for re-election against Democrat Al Franken. According to Franken Spokeswoman Jess McIntosh, “Al’s been calling for a real investment in renewable energy for two years and Norm’s been ignoring the need for six years.” However, Coleman has defended his record, saying that he’s long been an advocate of renewable energy, a conviction that has been reinforced by his experiences on the campaign trail. He also said that increased drilling would be the first step in securing the large sums needed for his proposed National Energy Infrastructure Trust Fund, which, amongst other things, would be used to pay for improvements in the U.S. wind energy system and research into the development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
The debate in Minnesota, as well as in other hotly contested states such as Colorado and Alaska, again highlights the differences in approach between Republican and Democrat candidates about the most appropriate way to tackle the energy crisis.
Recent Posts on Energy Policy:
- Obama Hood: Taxing Big Oil to Give Americans Another Stimulus Check
- There’s No Place Like Home
- American Corn Growers Association Endorses Obama
- PBMR Contract - 4th Generation Nuclear Power Plant by 2014
- Energy Independence is Idiocy, Inanity…Just Plain Senseless, Proclaims John Stossel
- Don’t Be Fuelish: Offshore Drilling Will Only Leave Us Screwed
Image Credit - jurvetson on Flickr via a Creative Commons License
Finally someone gets it! We can’t all replace every car we own, upgrade our home heating systems, and buy all new appliances overnight! It’s not that American’s don’t want cleaner air… It’s just that our budgets won’t allow us to just replace all those things tomorrow! We’re all stretched now trying to put gas in our cars to get to work. And we’re thinking about buying home heating oil for the winter…and the economy is not so great inflation is getting the best of us, and lots of people have lost their homes lately…. So, we’re all still pretty dependant on oil. And we will be for a while! One look at the Georgia conflict tells you we can’t be dependant on foreign countries, who could turn on us any minute, for our economic lifeblood….oil!Energy alturnatives are gaining momentum, but time has to be allowed for the transition or budgets will bust!
Why is it when Republicans join with Democrats to further the Democrat agenda this is called bi-partisanship. But we never see Democrats extending their hand across the aisle to further conservative ideas.
This gang of 16 idiots is another kick the can down the road and let someone else deal with the mess. The tax implications are enormous. Please go to our website and read what the American Petroleum Institute says about this so called “energ plan”.
Who are the “gang of 16?” Why would anyone think another tax would do anything other than raise the cost of fuel purchases and maybe slow production?