Jim Costa: “As a Nation, we must work together if we are ever going to get a realistic energy policy that will provide clean…”

“As a Nation, we must work together if we are ever going to get a realistic energy policy that will provide clean, reliable energy for all America, that will reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources and preserve the beauty of our land. We need a comprehensive energy plan for a country that includes not only the conventional resources like oil and gas, but also takes advantage of the new and renewable resources such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal energy. At the end of the day, I don't believe we can simply afford to take any of these energy resources off the table. I, for one, am a firm believer that using all the energy tools in our energy tool box is the way that we must go forward. In the San Joaquin Valley of California that I represent, we have shown that we can take an all-of-the-above approach. We have oil production taking place just down the road from our solar fields and our wind farms; yet, of course, we are all concerned about the rise of gas prices, but as the gentleman from Oregon said, there are multiple factors that are causing those rising gas prices. I represent one of the newest University of California campuses in Merced, and it is blazing a trail for energy efficiency, crafting technology necessary for the next generation of solar energy production.…”