Self-reliance is ingrained in America’s DNA. We wrote our own founding documents, blazed our own trails, laid our own tracks, built our own roads. And yet in our time’s true test of self-reliance – whether we have the ability to provide the energy that sustains our communities, farms, and businesses – the United States has largely failed. Instead, this task has been outsourced to an assortment of outside entities and foreign nations, rendering America just another paying customer.
The consequences of our inability to achieve energy independence have come into bold relief for American families as the price at the pump continues to approach – and in some places, exceed — $4.00 a gallon.
If the leaders of the Democrat majority in Congress are to be taken at their word, it wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Nearly two years ago, huddled around a podium outside an Exxon station not two blocks from the U.S. Capitol, Democrat leaders pledged that a Democrat majority would deliver lower gas prices. Then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi even told the American people that her party had a “commonsense sense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices.”
Another promise broken, another pledge unmet. Today, gas prices are nearly $1.50 a gallon higher than they were on the day Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House. We here in Washington call it the “Pelosi Premium”; folks back home just call it a royal pain.
The Democrat majority has made clear where their priorities lie. To date, Democrats have attempted on four separate occasions over the past Congress to levy massive tax hikes on American energy producers. If enacted, these tax increases would be passed along to the consumer, making energy even more expensive. There is nothing commonsense about tax hikes solving our energy crisis.
Washington is broken, and that is no more apparent than on soaring energy and gas prices.
House Republicans are committed to developing responsible energy policies that will lower costs for consumers – an effort that begins and ends with the notion that producing more American energy, and increasing supply, is crucial to alleviating the pain at the pump.
This week, House Republicans unveiled our Change America Deserves energy agenda. If the American people vote for a House Republican majority this fall:
- We will increase production of American-made energy – including next-generation oil, natural gas, clean coal, alternative and renewable energies – while protecting America’s precious natural resources;
- We will cut red tape and increase the supply at the pump by encouraging the construction of new refineries;
- We will allow the market – not government mandates – to dictate the use of exotic fuels. Our current, government-manded glut of exotic fuels limits supply and increases the Pelosi premium;
- We will address our electricity crisis by spurring construction of new nuclear power plants, as many European nations are doing. While France generates nearly 80 percent of its electricity through nuclear power, in America, we do not even reach 20 percent;
- And we will make America more energy efficient by offering significant conservation tax breaks to Americans who invest in green technologies for their home, car or business.
While House Republicans offer solutions, Democrat leaders continue to bristle at the notion that there’s much of anything that Congress can do to lower gas prices. This not long after declaring last July 4 – that is, July 4, 2007 – was “Energy Independence Day.”
To date, not a single new joule of American energy has been created on Speaker Pelosi’s watch. Meanwhile, commuters, working families, and truckers alike are bracing for the prospect of shelling out $5 a gallon at the pump.
By refusing to act and passing the blame, Democrats have shown why Washington is broken. America’s “can-do” spirit, however, is not. Energy independence is an imperative that should transcend our politics and unite us in creating solutions that endure generations. Working together, House Republicans are committed to delivering for the American people the change they really deserve.
Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida is chairman of the House Republican Conference.
