CEA notes much has been achieved but federal leadership is required to avoid forthcoming challenges.
HOUSTON, TX – In response to the President’s State of the Union address, Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) President David Holt issued the following statement:
“It was encouraging to hear the President note that advancing an “all of the above” energy policy is resulting in real improvements to our economy and environment. In the past year alone, oil production has reached a twenty year high, we surpassed Russia as the world’s leading producer of natural gas and greater use of this fuel has enabled the U.S. to lead the developed world in reducing its carbon footprint. Certainly, there is much to celebrate.
“However, while much has been achieved more work remains to be done. Our energy infrastructure is struggling to keep up with supply, new federal proposals hostile to energy development threaten to derail our progress, special interests are working overtime to halt responsible resource development and we are essentially flying blind as a national energy policy continues to remain elusive.”
“For all of these reasons, we must remain vigilant in pursuing a science-based “all of the above” energy strategy that will greatly benefit the U.S. economy and consumer. Immediate next steps that should be taken to advance this goal include: Making immediate improvements to our energy infrastructure including approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline and upgrading our transmission grid; approving a national energy policy; streamlining federal permitting for resource development; expanding access to oil and gas resources while increasing funding for research and development of renewable energy systems and continued advancement of efforts to support U.S. energy efficiency.”
“Given the President’s desire to lead on energy issues, CEA is hopeful that these modest proposals will be advanced in the President’s second term. At this juncture, our nation needs improved and streamlined regulatory oversight and more domestic energy production. Indeed, that increased production is one of the main factors that helped lead the U.S. out of the recession and has the power to transform the U.S. economy – empowering consumers while creating jobs, revenue, and additional economic opportunity – as well as to improve U.S. energy security.”