Video Town Hall this Wednesday

This Wednesday, June 24th at 6:30 PM PT, I will be holding a video town hall through my website for San Diego County residents. I will be discussing a variety of topics, including health care reform and high gas prices, and also taking questions.

To participate in Wednesday’s town hall, please go to my website and click on the “Video Town Hall” button. If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact my Washington D.C. office at 202-225-5672. I hope you’re able to join the discussion.

America Needs a Sensible Energy Solution

Summer is here and, once again, gas prices are on the rise. In just the last five months, the price at the gas pump has risen nearly 50%, exceeding $3 a gallon in many places throughout San Diego County.

Despite these cost increases, Congress is expecting to consider cap and trade legislation in the coming months that, according to independent reports, would make our energy situation even worse. This proposal, by creating a heavily regulated emissions market, will increase manufacturer energy costs and this expense will be passed onto every hard-working American citizen who is already struggling to make ends meet.

An independent analysis by Charles River Associates Inc. and the National Association of Manufacturers predicts that this proposal will cost millions of domestic jobs as manufacturers relocate plants to countries with fewer environmental regulations, namely China and India. Meanwhile, gas prices are expected to eventually rise by 74% while home electricity rates are forecasted to increase by as much as $4,300 each year.

An analysis by the Heritage Foundation predicts that over one million jobs would be lost on average – a figure that is significantly larger than any estimated net job gains -- under a cap and trade approach. Along with rising unemployment levels, the federal debt would increase by 29%, adding $33,400 to each taxpayer’s share of the national debt.

We must achieve energy independence but I believe it can be accomplished without putting a greater tax burden on the American people. I am supporting the American Energy Act which solves this problem by producing both traditional and renewable energy behind the strength of American workers, encouraging greater efficiency and conservation, and advancing the technology of the future.

Specifically, the American Energy Act increases the supply of carbon-free nuclear energy by establishing a goal of 100 new nuclear reactors over the next 20 years. It further streamlines the cumbersome regulatory process for safe reactor designs already approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission while emphasizing safe fuel storage and recycling.

The legislation also offers generous tax incentives to consumers, including credits that encourage Americans to make their homes more energy efficient, and expands domestic oil and natural gas production on federally owned lands. Revenue generated by leases on these lands would fund the development of technology to increase clean, renewable and alternative energy such as wind and solar.

Through this approach, we can begin taking the necessary steps to reduce gas prices and home electricity costs for consumers. The cap and trade proposal, on the other hand, would impose higher fuel bills on all us and result in fewer job opportunities for American workers. The choice between these proposals is clear.

In states like California, where energy costs are some of the highest in the nation, there is an obvious need for a comprehensive energy solution that lowers costs and increases efficiency. As this issue moves forward over the coming weeks and months, please keep me informed of your thoughts. You can contact me though my website, where you can also sign up for electronic updates on this and other important issues.