In 2014, Congressman Jeff Duncan released the EXPAND Act, an all of the above domestic energy agenda for the 21st century meant to grow jobs and foster American energy independence. As he explained then:
“First and foremost this is a jobs bill,” said Duncan. “Domestic energy production creates jobs, lessens our dependence on Middle Eastern sources of oil, and helps families and industries through lower fuel costs. We’ve been blessed as a country to have an abundance of natural resources and we should put Americans to work utilizing those resources in a safe and responsible way. By moving to a market-based approach for energy, the government stops picking winners and losers in the energy sector, and allows for more innovation and competition. One of the main goals of EXPAND is to eliminate excessive regulations and allow wind, solar, oil, natural gas, nuclear, biofuels, hydro, and other sources of energy to fairly compete and thrive in the open market. For example, we make common sense changes to federal regulations concerning birds that can cause operating things like wind turbines to be cost prohibitive. With oil and natural gas development on federal lands this legislation consolidates permitting authority to a single federal agency to eliminate duplication and unnecessary red tape.”
“The EXPAND Act cuts through petty Washington politics by opening Yucca Mountain for nuclear storage, increasing state authority of energy development on federal lands, and allowing energy production and exploration in ANWR and the Atlantic. The legislation even delves into the tax code by eliminating energy specific tax-breaks and replacing them with immediate expensing and lower overall rates to create a more fair environment for all sources of energy.”
This is the sort of all of the above approach that would provide America with an infrastructure for the next century. As the bill sits in committee, President Obama is meeting with global leaders pitching a regressive agenda, whereby the government heaps massive amounts of taxpayer dollars and intellectual resources on losing alternative energy companies that fail to meet the demands of our modern economy and require continued government subsidies to stay afloat.
If Republicans want to defeat Hillary Clinton, they’ll have to seize on bills like the EXPAND Act, and show that they’re willing to find solutions that help put middle class Americans back to work.
AAN Staff
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