Monday, House Democrats came back to Washington after a five-week vacation and held a press conference to reveal their energy plan crafted by Speaker Pelosi.  Unfortunately, they didn’t have much to say.  There was some mention of off-shore drilling but no specifics about where, when, and at what cost to American taxpayer. One point remains clear—House Democrats are more interested in protecting their seats than protecting American families.

While Democrats in Congress continue to pander to the agenda of extremist environmentalists, American families continue to suffer.  In a poor attempt to address the real needs of Americans, Democrats have done nothing to lower energy prices but favor policies that actually restrict the supply of energy and increase its cost.  With no thoughts to the vast amount of resources available in ANWR, Speaker Pelosi’s legislation is consistent with her agenda. Read the rest of this entry »

The Hill’s Jackie Kucinich gives a preview of the week ahead in Congress as it returns to session after August recess.

When John McCain announced that Sarah Palin would be the Republicans’ vice presidential candidate last Friday, many in Washington scrambled to try to fill in the blanks about this relatively unknown candidate.  But those of us who follow environmental and energy issues knew immediately that Palin’s nomination was cause for concern.

Palin supports the same, Big Oil-directed energy policies that the Bush administration has embraced for the last eight years.  She denies the scientific reality that global warming is caused by humans.  And her assertion that her preferred mechanism for constructing a gas pipeline is “God’s will” is troubling.
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For too long this country has had a three-part energy plan: (1) buy more oil; (2) buy more oil; and (3) buy more oil.

During the run-up to record gas prices this summer, many conservatives and those close to the oil industry suggested that the best solution to our energy crisis was to drill even more. They claimed that moderate, suburban voters want to drill our way to lower gas prices. But at last, we know the truth.

According to a recent SurveyUSA poll conducted in a Minnesota district that has voted Republican for 50 years, 72 percent of self-described moderates support a candidate who believes America needs to identify and promote alternative sources of energy over a candidate who wants more offshore drilling. In addition, 62 percent of independents said the same thing. Among all voters, even including conservatives, 59 percent want a candidate who will work to develop alternatives to oil. Read the rest of this entry »

Sarah Palin’s commanding speech to the Republican National Convention on Wednesday evening vividly showed why John McCain put her on the ticket – Palin is a fighter with a set to her jaw. She will be the perfect spear carrier to take on the business-as-usual time servers in DC and take them down.

But let no one be mistaken — the environmental policies of John McCain’s administration will be set by John McCain, not by Palin. If McCain had wanted a wonky vice president as a top policy adviser, he likely would have chosen someone else, perhaps his pal Joe Lieberman. McCain knows his mind on the big environmental issues he will have to deal with as president, including those where he and his new understudy have different views.
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Hurricane Gustav showed us the importance of being prepared for a major storm. It was encouraging to see such a high level of communication and cooperation between the local, state and federal governments to ensure the safety of the people in south Louisiana. However, this has also shown that we still have more work to do to be prepared for future storms.

This week I have been meeting with local and state officials as well as other Members of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation to assess the damage. Yesterday we toured some of the hardest hit areas. None of our federal levees breached, but there is some severe flooding and a lot of power outages and debris from the high powered winds. Last night FEMA announced that federal disaster aid has been made available for Louisiana to help people and communities recover. Read the rest of this entry »

Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats in charge of Congress have a pivotal decision to make when members return to Washington, D.C. on September 8.  Will they allow an up-or-down vote on more American energy production that the American people  want?  Will they allow a vote on our “all of the above” energy reforms to lower gasoline prices?

Let’s be honest:  The Democrats’ energy record is one of empty rhetoric and broken promises, and that’s why they have no credibility with the American people right now.  Energy independence was a signature campaign promise of Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats in 2006 – when she said bluntly that Democrats “have a commonsense plan to lower gas prices” – yet their chronic negligence in addressing this issue continues to have devastating consequences for working families, small businesses, seniors and schools.  For proof look no further than the fact that Speaker Pelosi adjourned Congress for a five-week break instead of allowing a simple up-or-down vote on the American Energy Act to reduce fuel costs. Read the rest of this entry »

It was with this kind of disdain that Nancy Pelosi replied to demonstrators when they interrupted a press conference this week, chanting “Drill Here! Drill Now!”  That would be the same disregard she and the Democrat leadership showed for the average American when they flipped off the lights in Congress to take a five week recess.   Rather than deal with the energy crisis that brought us $4.00-a-gallon gas, Mrs. Pelosi went on tour to promote her book and host congressional fundraisers for her next batch of prospective followers, including my opponent.

This week she’s trading taunts with protesters.  After retorting with, “Can we drill your brains?” she proceeded to call members of the group “handmaidens of Big Oil.”  Perhaps she would say the same about 67% of voters who favor offshore drilling, according to a recent Rasmussen poll.     Read the rest of this entry »

With so much of this year’s political debate revolving around energy, we can’t lose sight of the fact that this is only one of the economic issues on which the American people are counting on elected officials to fight for them.

When Americans sit down at their kitchen tables and talk about their concerns, those concerns include health care costs, job security, paying for their children’s education, and in some cases, keeping their home. These are all part of the economic picture we’re struggling with today. And people in my district – Minnesota’s 2nd – like all Americans, are seeking real, achievable, practical solutions that move us forward on the challenges we face – not ideologically driven discussions where the only proposed answers come from the “left” or the “right” and politicians are unwilling to give ground in the middle.

During my campaign for Congress, I’ve conducted more than 30 listening sessions with people looking to see these concerns addressed. I’m about to embark on another round – a “Kitchen Table Tour,” where I’ll join Minnesotans in their homes to talk about these issues. Read the rest of this entry »

Twenty-five days ago, an arrogant act by Speaker Pelosi as she exercised her iron-fisted control over the House resulted in the initiation of our ‘Speak-In’. She cut off the microphones, turned off the cameras, and shutdown the House in an attempt to silence the voices of representatives of millions of Americans. Pelosi stopped debate because she knew she would lose if she allowed a vote. Unfortunately, what the Speaker continuously forgets is that her position is entrusted to her by all citizens, not just by extreme-left special interest groups.

Over the last four weeks, we have stuck to our mission of advocating a comprehensive energy policy that includes conservation, new energy technologies, and developing American resources for Americans. We have continued to give voice to the American people to anyone who would listen – relating the harmful effects of incomprehensible inaction and dangerous obstruction by Democrats in Congress.

In this advocacy, several points have been demonstrated: Read the rest of this entry »