Javier Gonzales
New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Monty Newman is distorting the facts. The president’s energy plan is working. Here’s why.
This is in response to state GOP Chairman Monty Newman’s column, “The truth and consequences of Obama’s energy agenda.”
President Obama’s recent visit to Maljamar, N.M., marked a milestone for our state. Not only did he highlight rural New Mexico by visiting Roswell and Lea County, but he featured our oil and gas industry as part of his “all of the above” energy strategy.
There’s no silver bullet to our energy challenges. That’s why the president is exploring every avenue to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help New Mexico families save at the pump.
Becoming energy independent
President Obama has done more than any president in our lifetime to get us closer to energy independence. His plan involves developing all of America’s natural resources – domestic oil, gas, wind, solar and biofuels – and encouraging fuel efficiency so that we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil over time. In fact, oil and gas development has increased every year of the Obama administration. Domestic oil production is at an eight-year high and our dependence on foreign oil is at a 16-year low. See these charts:
Last year, America’s net oil and petroleum imports fell by more than a million barrels a day. That’s because President Obama expanded domestic oil production by leasing millions of acres of land, while at the same time strengthening safety measures to prevent disastrous spills like the 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico. He’s also proposed opening up more than 75 percent of undiscovered offshore oil and gas resources for development in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Arctic. Under the president’s leadership, the United States regained our position as the world’s leading producer of natural gas.
At the same time, President Obama has helped make record gains in advancing clean energy. Renewable wind, solar and geothermal energy levels have almost doubled since 2008. He also reached a historic agreement with domestic automakers to nearly double fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, which will help families save more than $8,000 over the life of their vehicle.
We all know that rising gas prices are hitting New Mexico families hard. But we also know that as long as America has been dependent on foreign oil, consumers have been vulnerable to unpredictable price swings at the pump. We can’t simply drill our way to lower gas prices, and that’s why President Obama is putting us on a track to secure our own energy future.
The truth about the pipeline
Chairman Newman is also promoting falsehoods about the Keystone pipeline. Let’s set the record straight once and for all.
President Obama is committed to the health and safety of the American people. Congressional Republicans like Congressman Pearce tried to force an arbitrary and irresponsible deadline to push through the Keystone pipeline project before the full route had even been drawn. The president refused to put families and communities at risk by rushing the decision without proper review.
There were many critical factors involved in the president’s decision, including public health, the environment and climate change. Those considerations should and will factor into any future decision on such a project.
An example of a thorough decision-making process was visible in the president’s next stop after leaving New Mexico. In Cushing, Okla., he announced an expedited process for a project that will transport oil to the Gulf via pipeline, a much safer and environmentally responsible than transporting by trucks. This is a sound decision, made after careful and thorough review, based on what’s best for both the economy and the environment.
Mitt Romney: On the wrong side of the middle class on energy
While the president is helping families save money at the pump, Mitt Romney has favored the opposite. As governor, Romney increased a tax on gas by 400 percent and criticized fuel economy standards that are helping hardworking New Mexico families. He also wants taxpayers to continue giving $4 billion a year in subsidies to oil companies already making record profits.
President Obama thinks that money should be invested into the clean-energy projects that will help create the jobs of the future and an economy that’s built to last.
Romney also wants to repeal commonsense Wall Street reforms that will help prevent oil speculators from manipulating the energy market to profit off of high gas prices and American consumers. Instead of spewing falsehoods about President Obama, Chairman Newman should first look at the facts and take a closer look at his own Republican presidential frontrunner’s record.
Bottom line
The president’s “all of the above” energy strategy is right for New Mexico and for our country. Tapping all our energy resources is the only way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and help hardworking New Mexico families save money at the pump.
Gonzales is chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico.