Williams Unveils Plan to Combat Energy Crisis

Press Release

Williams Unveils Plan to Combat Energy Crisis

Craig Williams, the Republican candidate in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, today outlined his plan to combat the current energy crisis, reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, and bridge the gap until the United States can wean itself from fossil fuels and rely on renewable energy sources. Williams' plan, which he has called a "A Bridge to Tomorrow," seeks to develop existing energy sources within the United States to provide our nation with the ability to meet increasing energy demands over the next 20 to 30 years when our nation can then utilize solely renewable resources to meet its energy demands.

"Our long-term goal as a nation must be to move away from a dependence on fossil fuels toward renewable energy sources," said Craig Williams. "But we need to be realistic. Today, less than 6 percent of our nation's energy production comes from renewable energy resources such as hydro-electric, solar, and wind power. We need to provide a bridge to the future that provides us with access to domestic energy resources until we can implement sustainable, affordable, and more widespread renewable energy policies and technologies. I believe we can do it in an environmentally responsible and safe manner, while reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources."

"This is a defining moment for our country," said Williams. "Every day that passes without an energy plan that capitalizes on the resources we have available to us as a nation is another day that we announce to OPEC that they control the price of our energy, in effect handing them control over our economy."

"We must explore every existing energy resource available to us and simultaneously use American ingenuity to phase in renewable forms of energy," said Williams. "We must do this and we can do this. In so doing, we will break the stranglehold that foreign countries have on our economy. The price Americans are paying at the pump is not based simply on a supply and demand economic model; it is also based on hype and speculation in the futures commodities market. By implementing a real and workable energy plan that sends the message to the economic world that we will no longer remain dependant on foreign oil, we can end that hype and speculation and provide immediate relief for rising gas prices."

Williams' "Bridge to Tomorrow" plan includes:

* Exploring the availability of oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the coastal shelf of the United States, oil shale in the Rockies, and building new refineries
* Increasing the recovery of domestic natural gas
* Utilizing new environmentally-friendly clean-burning coal technologies for energy production
* Increasing the use of nuclear power, which the United States Navy has been utilizing to power its vessels for four decades
* Increasing conservation and improving energy efficiency
* Funding renewable energy research.

Williams will be separately detailing each aspect of his energy plan in the coming weeks.

"Two years ago Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats campaigned on the promise that they had 'a common-sense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices,'" said Williams. "Yet gas prices have increased by more than 70 percent - over $1.70 per gallon -- since the Democrats took control of Congress. Rather than joining with Republicans to provide real solutions and relief to American citizens, Joe Sestak and the Democrats continue to block efforts to address the energy crisis. I call it 'block and blame.' Congress created this problem by locking up our energy resources, and only Congress can fix it. My plan provides real solutions, not rhetoric, and it provides those solutions in an environmentally sensitive manner."

Craig Williams is running for Congress the 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, comprising of most of Delaware County and parts of Montgomery and Chester Counties. Williams is a former federal prosecutor, Marine combat veteran, and former active duty Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He lives in Concord Township, Delaware County, with his wife Jennifer, daughter and two step-children. The 7th District is his home - where he lives, where his kids go to school, where he pays taxes, where he attends church, and where he intends to spend the rest of his life.

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