Our national leaders have been talking about energy independence for more than forty years, with far too little progress to account for it. We remain almost wholly dependent on fossil fuels and wholly over-dependent on imported oil, continuing to purchase oil from countries that wish to do us harm. America’s long-term prosperity and security – our environment, our economy, our global competitiveness and influence – require that we pursue a comprehensive energy strategy and reduce our dependence on imported energy.

As a Congressman, I will aggressively promote investment in green and renewable energy, including solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear. Domestic energy production must be an important part of our energy independence, but we can never sacrifice our precious environment and our majestic national wildlife in pursuit of finite resources.

We must also push forward with technological innovation in alternative energies in order to make energy independence a reality, not simply a campaign promise. We need to make sure that the United States remains at the cutting edge of developing new energy technologies. We need to create the incentives and the resources to ensure that new technologies are not just invented here but built here, and then exported to the rest of the world. Through education and federal investment we can power the next generation of environmental thinkers and innovators. Our 21^st Century energy solutions will be homegrown, born of American ingenuity.