By Greg Brower
With gas prices topping $4 per gallon in parts of Nevada and around the country, you’d think everyone in Congress would be working together to help reduce the pain at the pump.
But last week, Democrats blocked a common sense proposal that would have unlocked our own domestic energy resources—thereby increasing supply and decreasing retail fuel prices. This legislation would have:
* Restored American offshore oil production
* Required Washington bureaucrats to expedite the permitting process for further drilling activity
* Decreased our dependence on foreign sources of oil, a serious issue with significant national security implications
It is very disappointing that Democrats wouldn’t allow an up or down vote on this important bill.
As Nevada continues to struggle through the worst recession in our state’s history, high gas prices are causing severe financial hardship for families and businesses in every part of our state.
It’s time for Washington to get serious about energy independence and remove the obstacles that keep America from fully developing its own considerable natural resources. Our economic well-being and national security depend on it.
As your representative in Congress, I will fight for policies that provide greater access to traditional sources of energy, as well as increased development of renewable energy sources, including wind, solar and geothermal.
