By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Congressman Mike Rogers (R) from Saks supports developing more of our North American energy resources and he says that President Barack Obama’s policies are getting in the way.
Rep. Rogers said, “As we enter the last stretch of summer, energy prices are on the rise and most folks in East Alabama are feeling the pain. With a sluggish economy and millions of Americans still out of work, there’s a solution to help stabilize our energy costs over the long term and increase our chances for energy independence: tap our own domestic energy sources. However, it seems President Obama’s policy agenda is stand
ing in the way of job creation, economic progress and energy independence.”
Rep. Rogers continued, “The coal industry, for example, provides the largest source of electric power generation in our country and supports thousands of jobs including jobs in Alabama. But the Administration has declared a war on coal. Last month, Daniel P. Schrag, an adviser to the president, was quoted in the New York Times as saying, “a War on Coal is exactly what’s needed.”
Rogers said that the costliest seven EPA regulations proposed by the President thus far in his presidency could cost as much as $16.7 billion annually once fully implemented. Together with mining permitting delays Obama’s policies are severely hurting the coal industry and jobs.
Congressman Rogers wrote a letter to Gina McCarthy, the new Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency imploring her, “To work with Congress to reverse course on the EPA’s recent and damaging record of job-threatening regulations and red tape.”
Rep. Rogers continued, “Building the Keystone XL Pipeline is something we can do now to help stabilize gas prices over the long term. Recently, I joined my colleagues to pass H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act. This bill declared a presidential permit wouldn’t be required for the building of the Keystone Pipeline. This pipeline would create an astounding number of jobs while providing North American energy from one of our closest allies, Canada. But President Obama continues to stand in the way.”
Rep. Rogers concluded, “It’s time the President put the American people first. A war on energy is not what we need. We need reliable and affordable energy, good paying American jobs and we have that right here at home. Let’s stabilize energy prices and make America energy independent, in part by advocating for less onerous government regulations.”
Rep. Rogers and most of the Republicans in the Congress are staunchly opposed to President Obama’s extreme environmental agenda. President Obama tried and failed to ram a massive expansion of EPA authority through the Democratically controlled Congress of his first term. The Republicans then gained control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2010 election killing any prospect of his environmental agenda passing the Congress, so he implemented his plans by executive order and by bureaucratic rule writing.
The Keystone pipeline would bring oil directly from Canada’s new oil sands fields to American refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas; but the pipeline needs presidential approval to cross the border and to this point President Obama has refused to give that permission. Republicans argue that these polices are costing America jobs and economic growth.
Congressman Mike Rogers is serving in his sixth term in the United States Congress. He represents Alabama’s Third Congressional District.
