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Energy
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More and more Americans are focused on the issue of climate change and trying to determine whether it is real, and if so, whether human activity is the cause. Science generally shows that the earth is slightly warming. The unsettled question, and the cause of the most passionate debate, is whether so-called greenhouse gases, including CO2, are the cause.
The answer to this problem is to begin immediately to improve our energy efficiency; take reasonable steps to reduce greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions; explore alternative fuels; reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and foreign sources of energy and continue appropriate research. We should not undertake measures which will destroy American jobs without providing a global reduction in greenhouse gases. Unnecessary compliance costs are certain to be passed on to consumers while the payoffs they will provide are unclear, especially as we are working toward alternative forms of energy and lessening our dependence on foreign oil.
We stand for American energy security – because there is no silver bullet, America can not afford to shut off any avenue that might lead us toward that goal.
More must be done to encourage and educate the American people to conserve and use our energy resources as efficiently and effectively as possible. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 provided tax breaks for those making energy conservation improvements to individual homes and commercial buildings. Energy conservation is a key to achieving energy independence. These types of tax incentives can be excellent building blocks toward that end.
We must also increase domestic production. In the short term we cannot ignore domestic supplies that are available to us (ANWR and the OCS) and continue to pour money into hostile regimes who don’t support America’s goals and interests. Increased domestic production can help buy time for innovation in new technologies and decrease our foreign oil dependence.
We should encourage innovation by providing incentives for advancement in hydrogen and fuel cell technology as well as clean nuclear power. Providing incentives for business to develop and create alternative fuel technologies is part of the solution.
No nuclear power plant has been built in the U.S. in 25 years. We must begin immediately to build clean, third-generation nuclear power generating stations. We must also reduce cumbersome regulations that have led to boutique fuels which unnecessarily tighten supplies and create price spikes. This is a major factor in why gas prices increase dramatically during the summer driving months. Reducing regulations is also the first step in allowing industry to build new refineries.
We must improve our domestic infrastructure, build more refineries and pipelines, increase our capacity to get more product to market. Science will also provide solutions that are yet unknown.
Finally, there are enormous benefits to energy security. It will ensure that our economy remains strong, help stabilize energy prices, end our subsidizing of regimes whose interests conflict with America’s and provide us with greater flexibility in foreign policy.
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