On the recordMarch 10, 2014
I will ask one more question and then invite Senator Schatz--who has been the catalytic agent in pulling this all together-- to address this idea of a level playing field and free markets, the subsidy that is given to oil and coal, and the predictable subsidies that have been given to oil and coal which have helped fuel the industry, compared to the unpredictable subsidies that are given to alternative energy sources such as wind, which has led to more disjointed advancements in those areas. Again, I think of arguments about picking winners and losers. I heard a lot about this when I came to Washington. ``Why is Obama picking winners and losers?'' It seems to me this is anti-philosophy of allowing the free market to work, because we seem to be favoring--based, I imagine, on very powerful lobbies--favoring tax loopholes and tax breaks for certain industries and not allowing them for other industries, and the industries of the future that would help us to have a more blended all- of-the-above strategy. I know you have a lot of insight into this, which to me flies in the face of conservative ideology. It flies in the face of progressive ideology. The only ideology that seems to make sense is money interests that want to corrupt a free market, corrupt common sense, and corrupt what we think should be a unifying force toward moving as a nation toward a more sound energy policy.
