Economic Security, Energy & the Environment

Our economic security is inextricably intertwined with our energy policy and preservation of the environment. The past seven years have seen record profits in the oil industry while gas prices have skyrocketed. Meanwhile, Bush and the Republican Party have forced taxpayers to subsidize the industry with billions in tax breaks.

I will fight in Congress for a smart energy independence policy, one that weans Americans off foreign oil while investing in alternative energy technologies which are better for our environment and offer the promise of millions of new jobs for American workers.

We have a duty to balance meaningful economic development with the principles of good environmental stewardship. In part, that means holding polluters responsible for the toxic messes they have made - not forcing taxpayers to pay the cost of clean-up.

For strategic foreign policy reasons as well as significant environmental impact, we must explore every reasonable option to encourage the development of alternative energy sources and use the technology now available to revamp aging power generation systems in order to maximize conservation efforts.