GOP Leader Blog

House GOP Holds Energy Summit in Ohio, Highlights Better Solutions for Clean Energy
Posted by Kevin Boland on September 03, 2009
Yesterday, House Republicans held an Energy Summit at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus, Ohio, to hear firsthand how the Democrats' national energy tax would affect families and small businesses and to promote a better solution, the American Energy Act.  This is just the latest in a series of Energy Summits that House Republicans have held across the country - from California to Pennsylvania and Indiana - and at every event, the American people have declared that they want no part in Speaker Pelosi's job-killing energy tax. Chaired by House GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN), the Energy Summit in Columbus also featured House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH), Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH), Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH), and Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH).  House Republican Members heard from a diverse group of individuals representing a wide range of industries, from the National Black Chamber of Commerce to the Ohio Coal Association - all of whom were steadfastly opposed to the Democrats' plans to impose a national energy tax that would punish every American who dared to flip on a light switch, drive a car, or buy an American product. The Columbus Dispatch reported on the summit:
At an ‘energy summit' at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on the Ohio State University campus, Boehner and others heard from opponents of a bill that passed the House by a slim margin and is pending in the Senate. Boehner, who is from West Chester, said he opposes helping foreign competitors in China and India at the expense of American jobs.  ‘I'm not going to punish my constituency,' he said.
The House Republicans' all of the above energy strategy includes four main goals:
  • Increase production of American-made energy in an environmentally-sound manner.
  • Promote new, clean and renewable sources of energy such as nuclear, clean-coal-technology, wind and solar energy.
  • Encourage greater efficiency and conservation by extending tax incentives for energy efficiency and rewarding development of greater conservation techniques and new energy sources.
  • Cut red-tape and reduce frivolous litigation.
The House Republicans' American Energy Act would put America on the path towards real energy independence, create good paying jobs at home instead of shipping them overseas, and would leave our children and grandchildren with a cleaner environment.  With the Ohio unemployment rate standing at more than 11 percent and a national rate at 9.4 percent - not to mention the fact that 19 metropolitan areas have unemployment rates that exceed 15 percent - there couldn't be a worse time to impose a national energy tax on the American people, who continue to ask: "Where are the jobs?"
    Post a Comment
    Fill out the fields below to submit a comment
    Skip to Content

    News