In a Feb. 27 letter, the West Virginia Coal Association asked Mitt Romney:
What are your plans to develop a comprehensive energy policy for America and what role will coal have in such a policy?
Romney responded:
The goal of my energy policy is straightforward: guarantee America the most affordable and reliable supply in the world. America is an energy-rich nation, and it is time we stopped living like an energy-poor one. As president, I will unleash American innovation and productivity to make full use of our natural resources.
— First, I will pursue dramatic regulatory reform to accelerate the exploration and development of oil and gas, to facilitate construction of vital infrastructure and to preserve and expand crucial electricity capacity.
— Second, I will increase production by permitting access to our resources in the Gulf of Mexico, the Outer Continental Shelf, western lands and the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.
— Third, I will invest in new energy technologies and position America to lead on energy in the future without picking winners or stifling the energy sources of today.This pro-jobs, pro-market, pro-American energy policy will bring energy prices down today, secure an affordable supply of energy for tomorrow, send fewer dollars overseas and create millions of jobs. America can be the world’s next energy superpower, if we give ourselves the chance.
Coal is an important part of America’s energy future. When President Obama talks about an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy he strangely fails to mention coal – indeed, we know that his goal is to ensure that anyone investing in coal power goes bankrupt. In my administration, coal will not be a four-letter word. Instead, we will applaud the industry’s success in consistently expanding electricity output while reducing pollution. Coal-fired power plants are critical to a diverse and affordable electricity supply, and coal-to-liquids technologies hold the potential to add much-needed flexibility and security to our supply of transportation fuels.
if you elect Romney you will witness first hand one of the worst memories and best spite of tongue artists in memory!
This memo mentions all of the above. This is the same type of reply President Obama would make; except he would concentrate exclusively on renewables–solar, wind, biofuels, biomass, and electric cars. All of these sources are uneconomical by a factor of five or more against present conventional resources.
Conventional resources are in a vastly, abundant supply so there is no need to use any renewables in their present form. Will candidate Romney have the sense to get the right people around him as advisors and stop all subsidies for renewables. I have not seen this in any of the information forthcoming from his campaign. My interpretation he is trying to satisfy everybody. In that sense all taxpayers will be losers.
So Romney can’t count?
‘Oil & gas exploration to be ‘dramatically accelerated’ That should be logistically “super-duper” easy while gnashing all the environmental teeth. I’ll bring popcorn.