Highlights:

The Obama Administration’s Hypocrisy on All-of-the-Above Energy Development

“After Americans experienced four dollar gasoline last summer, there was a larger understanding that we need to utilize the resources we have here within our country -- namely, the Outer Continental Shelf and federal lands and in Alaska. When this administration came in, the first thing they did was extend the moratorium on the OCS. They canceled leases in Utah, and canceled demonstration leases in the intermountain west. These are three issues immediately that prolongs our becoming more energy independent. When the administration is saying things – ‘ok, we ought to utilize the resources we have’ -- their actions frankly are just opposite of what their words are.”

Republican Support for All-of-the-Above Energy Development & Job Creation

“Energy fuels our economy. And speaking of OCS, offshore drilling, those are high-paying jobs. It has been estimated by reports that if we were to go on the Outer Continental Shelf, Atlantic or Pacific, that would have an impact of some $8 trillion over time. Since these are high-paying jobs, American jobs, compared to our importing 75% of our crude right now, it makes more sense to utilize the resources we have here. That is what the [Republican] energy bill is all about.”

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“I agree, and the caller makes a good point, a point that embraces what I've been talking about, what Republicans have been talking about, of an energy plan that includes all-of-the- above, wind power, nuclear, hydro, solar, but it does not ignore the carbon fuels, because they are so plentiful in the world. But you put all that together over time, I think we will have not only a viable energy plan, but we will have a viable economy, because we will have some certainty of energy to fuel the economy.”

National Security

“In view of what is happening especially in Iran, most of the world's oil comes from the Middle East. We have found that they are moving more and more closer to a nuclear weapon. When you talk about sanctions, they threaten back by saying that they will close off the Strait of Hormuz, 20% of oil goes through there. Since that is such an integral part of our economy, it just makes good sense to me to become more energy independent, as much as we possibly can.”

Environmentally Safe Energy Production in America

“If the issue is the environment and to do this in a safe, environmental way, we have proven that we can do that. And you need to look no further than the Gulf of Mexico when Hurricanes Rita and Katrina came through there. When they were in the Gulf of Mexico they were category five storms. And that’s where the bulk of our offshore drilling right now is– in the Gulf of Mexico. And yet when those two storms came through, back to back, not one rig ruptured. Some were destroyed, but not one ruptured. This is older technology, we have newer technology all of the time that is being developed. So I think we can do it in an environmentally safe manner.

Democrat Delays on Offshore Drilling

“I hope we don't get to $4 gasoline to do it. The irony is that every time we say we should go, they say it will be 10 years to come on line with. I think we should start now so that we do not have a shortage in the future.”

Nuclear Power

“We recycle so many different things in this country and I think that is good policy, but what we don't do is recycle fuel that goes through a nuclear reactor. We let it go through there once and then we store it. If the issue is what do we do with the waste, why don't we recycle it to reduce the footprint? You get more efficiency out of it, no question about that. But those who are opposed, principally the anti-nuclear crowd, they’re opposed to recycling. You cannot have it both ways. They don't want nuclear because of the waste - ok, let's recycle waste. But they don’t want to recycle the waste. And now of course they don’t want a national repository in Yucca Mountain. That is a political decision clearly by Senator Reid, there’s no question about that, and that has yet to be resolved. But if the issue is clean air – nuclear, hydro, they fit that pattern very well and we ought to pursue it.

“If the issue is clean air and power generation, then certainly we ought to look at nuclear. Nuclear is clean air. Nobody can argue with that point. The capacity of nuclear is tremendous.”

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