Issue Position: Energy

Issue Position

America needs to transition to a clean energy economy and southern Minnesota is uniquely positioned to lead the way in this transition. I firmly believe that American ingenuity will allow us to meet our energy needs, create jobs and end our dependence on foreign oil. By working towards a sustainable and renewable energy economy we can ensure a brighter future for all Americans.

I believe we need a comprehensive strategy to meet our energy needs. This includes wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and nuclear. I also believe that in the meantime we should expand oil production here at home. That's why in the 110th Congress, I and about 20 of my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, put aside partisan differences, listened to each other's views and produced a compromise energy bill in the best interest of the American people. And we discovered that when the bickering ended and the tired old slogans were put on the shelf, we were actually able to put together a balanced, reasonable approach to solving our nation's energy crisis.

This bipartisan bill:

* Invests $1 trillion in royalty payments made by oil companies for new offshore drilling to fund renewable energy research and conservation.

* $208 billion to fund energy conservation programs, such as conservation tax credits and efforts to encourage energy efficient homes and offices;

* $260 billion to fund environment restoration efforts, which will protect and improve our wildlife refuges and waterways, including the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River;

* $390 billion in renewable energy funding, to speed the transition to renewable fuels, expand clean energy research and increase "green" jobs;

* $130 billion for research into carbon capture and sequestration efforts and nuclear waste storage.

To read the text of this legislation, please click here.

In 2009, the House passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act. I supported this legislation, because I believe that America needs to move to a clean energy economy in the interest of our economic future and our national security.

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