John Stephen Releases Plan For American Energy Independence

For Immediate Release                                    Greg MooreJuly 29, 2008                                 (603) 206-1223 x1013
John Stephen Releases Plan For American Energy IndependenceCandidate Offers 9-Point Plan To Boost Energy Production, Cut Cost Of Oil And Gas
MANCHESTER, NH and PORTSMOUTH, NH- 1st District Congressional candidate John Stephen today released his "Roadmap to Energy Independence," a comprehensive, 9-point plan to move the United States from a net energy importing country to an exporting country in 10 years.  The plan focuses on Congressional action to lift barriers to energy production, improve conservation, eliminate energy subsidies, increase research and development of new energy sources, streamline and reduce regulations on energy and extending tax credits for renewable energy.
"The lack of a national energy strategy has resulted in dependence on foreign oil, skyrocketing oil and gas prices and an anchor on our economy," said Stephen.  "We need solutions, not the inaction that Congress has become known for over the past few years.  That means a two phase plan to reduce the cost of oil over the short term and to provide long-term energy answers through innovation.  We have the greatest minds in the world who can find the next great energy supply, but we also need to drill now to get down the prices that are crushing working families."
Stephen's plan involves removing federal restrictions on drilling in northern Alaska and offshore, as well as on oil shale, tar sand and coal-to-liquid resources.  It eases regulations on new advanced nuclear plants and refineries and streamlines regulation on gasoline fuel blends.  The strategy also focuses efforts on conservation and extends renewable energy tax credits, set to expire.  At the same time, eliminates energy subsidies and uses a portion of the saving on research and development of new energy solutions.
"This is a plan that will deliver results," added Stephen.  "Congress can continue to wait while Americans suffer, or we can take action and solve a problem that has become a crisis.  We need leaders who know that the people of New Hampshire and across the country need help now and will bring change to a stagnant Washington that is content to drag its feet.  For our economy, our national security and the legacy we leave our children, it's time to get moving."
John Stephen is the former Commissioner of Health and Human Services.  Prior to that position, he served as the Assistant Commissioner of Safety, where he also worked as the state's first Homeland Security Coordinator.  Stephen also served as a prosecutor for 10 years, in Hillsborough County and as an Assistant Attorney General.  He is a Manchester resident.###
Attached: John Stephen's Roadmap to Energy Independence
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JOHN STEPHEN'S ROADMAP FOR LOWERING GAS PRICES, ENERGY INDEPENDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES AND FOR THE UNITED STATES TO BE THE WORLD LEADING ENERGY EXPORTER IN 10 YEARS
Energy costs are at an all-time high.  Americans are dealing with gasoline and heating oil prices that are rising daily.  Many people, especially seniors living on fixed incomes, cannot absorb these enormous charges.  The cost of natural gas and electricity are also going up, putting tremendous pressure on all New Hampshire families and businesses to deal with these increases.
Our citizens and our economy depend on affordable and reliable energy for all aspects of our lives.  We expect that when we turn on the switch, the lights will go on, and when we go to the gas station, there will be fuel for our vehicles.  The oil crisis of 1973 and the rolling blackouts of 2003 in California created enormous disruptions for all who were affected. Similar episodes today would bring our economy to a standstill.
Our energy needs as a nation are growing rapidly.  A high-technology economy needs energy to thrive.  At the same time, the importation of a significant amount of our energy from other countries means that our energy policy is driving our foreign policy.  In order to stay the world's economic leader and strengthen our own sovereignty and national security, America needs an energy strategy that focuses on our future needs as well as energy independence, while at the same time ensuring that we protect clean air and water for future generations.
At its core, an energy strategy for the 21st century must focus on innovation.  The energy solutions for our future generations undoubtedly will be something that has yet to be discovered.  We must have a framework for encouraging new ideas, not a regulatory structure that impedes them.  As a nation we must also work to ensure that our future energy solutions protect the clear air and clean water that we hold dear.  Our nation has always worked to hand our children and grandchildren a better country than we had, and that includes a healthy environment, as well as a growing economy.
While we move towards our long-term energy goals, Americans also need immediate action on our current energy issues.  We must move forward forcefully to lower energy prices today to keep our economy moving robustly, growing good new jobs, and so our families can afford the cost of heating, transportation and electricity.  With our shorter-term energy needs secured, we can then take bolder steps toward an innovative, independent energy future.
One thing we cannot do is simply wait, do nothing and watch our cost rise, our economy be strangled, and our dependence on foreign energy increase.  Inaction is what got us to $4 per gallon gasoline; we need leaders who can deliver results now.
What America needs is energy independence, meaning that we, as a nation, produce as much energy as we use.  Even without new technology, the United States has fossil fuel supplies to be not only energy independent, but an energy exporter for years to come.  There is no single solution to energy independence.  It is a byproduct of many efforts, working together to achieve the goal of eliminating our dependence on foreign oil.  We cannot expect a silver bullet; we must try many different avenues to reach the goal of producing more energy and reducing the demand by using our energy resources more efficiently.
Conservation must play a significant role in reducing demand and cutting prices.  The abundance of inexpensive energy through this nation's history has meant that we have not used our resources as economically as possible.  While high prices will force us to reduce our consumption, we need a committed focus to reduce our consumption at all levels and we need to reinforce that message to individuals, businesses and the government itself.
With the natural resources that exist in abundance across the country and the great minds that have led innovation globally over the past century we can do this, if the federal government is working with our innovators, and not against them.  With the same creativity that invented the Internet, laptop computers and other ideas that have revolutionized our economy and our lives, we can do the same with energy, so that America can be a world leader in exporting energy, including many clean and renewable sources, to transform not just our country, but how the world uses power, while bringing relief to people at the pump and for heating oil.
Just as Ronald Reagan told Gorbachev to "tear down this wall", we need to tear down the barriers we have placed in the way of energy independence.  We need leaders that will create an energy plan today that will make us independent within 10 years.  We need a plan that will immediately decrease the cost of gasoline at the pump by increasing the supply of petroleum based products here in the US, a plan that will promote the development of innovative, new clean and environmentally efficient energy, produce thousands of new, high-paying jobs and, by year 11, have the United States being the leader in exporting energy across the world.  We need a roadmap to lower prices and to reduce dependence on foreign oil.  This roadmap has to deal with both the short-term need of reducing energy costs while also preparing for our future.
Right now, we are dependent on foreign oil.  This threatens our national security as we must put our need for energy in the hands of the Saudis and other OPEC countries.  When the United States allows its foreign policy to be driven by Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, we need change.
Accordingly, the nation should move quickly to put in place a responsible, forward-looking and coherent energy roadmap by taking the following steps:

• Increase Conservation Awareness- Conservation plays a large role in slowing the growth of energy demand.  Many individuals and businesses have moved to find ways to conserve energy and, as a result, have seen significant savings.  The federal government has a role to play in promoting conservation awareness.  First, these efforts must begin with federal facilities, which need to start focusing on taking the same steps that local businesses like Foss Manufacturing and Turbocam have made to reduce their energy consumption.  The federal government must move to set a good example and explain, through a strong marketing effort, the need to improve practices for every business and individual.  A strong focus on marketing to the public the need to conserve energy can be effective, as were anti-smoking and cancer screening campaigns.

• Remove Restrictions on Energy Exploration- Our nation has some of the greatest reserves of oil and natural gas in the world.  A Department of Interior study showed that oil shale reserves in the Rockies were more than three times greater than the oil available in Saudi Arabia, enough to meet the energy needs of our nation for 100 years. 

Alaska is estimated to have at least 10 billion barrels of untapped, extractable oil, while the reserves of oil and gas off our shores in the continental shelf represent an enormous opportunity, in the billions of barrels, to increase our domestic supply.  Right now, Cuba is drilling 60 miles off the coast of Florida, yet we have done nothing to allow American firms to keep up.  We are losing our competitive advantage.
While America has a great capacity to expand our energy supply, Congress has cut off this avenue through numerous restrictions on exploration.  This strangling of American supply has driven us to purchase more foreign oil and gas, compromised our energy independence, changed our foreign policy priorities and driven up the cost of gas and heating oil.  We need to remove these restrictions immediately.
Opening up our supply lines will cut the cost to fill up both our gas and heating oil tanks, while also cutting electricity and natural gas prices.  Our families' ability to make ends meet and our economy's need for affordable and reliable energy would be well served by this. 
As soon as Congress lifts restrictions on domestic supply, two things will happen to reduce prices.  First, futures traders will know that the supply will increase, reducing the long-term value of oil, which will lower costs.  Second, OPEC and other oil exporters will move increase their supply, to make energy exploration here less cost-effective, so they can maintain their market share.
At the same time, we must ensure that this exploration is done in as environmentally-friendly a manner as possible.  New technology has dramatically reduced both the footprint and long-term impact of these extraction methods.

• Cut Regulation to Build More Refineries- The high energy prices today is due not only to the limited domestic supply of petroleum, but also because of our limited capabilities to refine that petroleum into gasoline, heating oil and other products. While the demand for gasoline and oil has increased steadily, the United States has not built an oil refinery in over 30 years.  The onerous regulations placed on the industry makes refinery construction very challenging.  Today, most diesel fuel bought in America is refined overseas due to our lack of refining capacity.  Congress must cut through the red tape and remove the bottleneck to our energy production now.

While we have not built a new refinery, many American refineries have closed.  Today, there are only 143 U.S. oil refineries, and we need to expand that capacity, in addition to the easing the restrictions on refineries for biofuels.

• Reduce the Numerous Fuel Blends Required to Meet Regulatory Standards- Our nation's refinery capacity is also choked by the many boutique fuel blends required to meet the countless differing emissions standards across the county that often change by county and season.  Every time a refinery must stop production and switch to a new blend, it reduces the overall capacity and drives up costs.  Congress must streamline the process to ensure minimal disruption while also maintaining reductions in emissions.

• Remove Barriers to Expand the Use of Nuclear Power- The United States has not opened a new, commercial nuclear power plant in more than 12 years.  While France produces 78% of its electricity from nuclear power, America's use has fallen to 19%.  Without new nuclear plants in the mix, we must rely on higher-emission coal and oil energy plants used for our energy.  With technological advances in safety, efficiency and recycling of radioactive materials, nuclear power is a more attractive option for electricity without polluting our air.  Congress should work immediately to lift the regulatory burden to allow the construction of new advanced nuclear technology plants.

• Cut Regulation on Existing and New Energy Technology- Today, the energy industry is among the most heavily regulated in the country.  There is no question that these regulations raise prices and add tremendous costs to the consumer.  With this in mind, Congress should review each of these mandates and do a full cost/benefit analysis of each of the rules and eliminate those which do not add significant value.

At the same time, high regulation often creates a barrier to entry for new energy technology.  As we search for the next generation of energy production, the federal government must not place impediments in the way of innovation.  This means that we must work with and support individuals and companies working on ways to expand programs like nuclear fusion and hydrogen cell technology and to look to assist groups to develop commercial applications of renewable energy like geothermal, solar, biomass, biofuels and wind.

• Eliminate Energy Subsidies- Congress has worked to pick winners and losers in the energy marketplace for years through energy subsidies.  These are often perks given to special interests that are effective at lobbying.  That's why the coal and oil industries continue to get these perks despite record high prices.  Furthermore, some parts of the country receive subsidized electricity, while others do not, placing the latter at a competitive disadvantage.  As a whole, these subsidies cost the taxpayers billions of dollars, stunt the innovation of next-generation fuel sources, create an uneven playing field and reward those who have the best lobbyists, not the best ideas.  Congress should move quickly to eliminate subsidies for energy.  The free market will determine the winners and losers, and the winners will be the most efficient energy sources.

• Increase Research and Development of New Fuel Technology- A portion from the billions in savings from the eliminated energy subsidies should be used to increase research and development for new energy technology.  Today, there are new ideas emerging daily that could result in the next energy solution for America.  We should foster the development of these ideas through competitive grants that let the best ideas rise to the top.  We need a Manhattan Project or Apollo Program for our future energy needs.  Just as those programs found that the residual benefits far exceeded the costs, a focused effort on energy development would result in huge long-term benefits to the economy.

Right now, there are many ideas that could power our future needs that could take a huge step forward with the right incentives.  Biofuels, made from cellulosic materials, agricultural waste and other products that would not drive up the costs of other products, like corn ethanol has, are a great example of ways that we could reduce our petroleum consumption and bring down the cost of gasoline, without increasing the cost of food.  These would be excellent targets for research and development, as well as biomass and advanced nuclear technology.

• Institute a Rational Program of Renewable Energy Incentives and Extend Renewable Energy Tax Credits.  As we take the steps outlined above to secure our immediate and near-term energy situation, we must also take bold steps to encourage an independent energy future through the development and commercialization of cost-effective renewable energies.  These innovative energy technologies---such as wind, solar, ocean power, biofuels and others---will not thrive, however, unless supported by a fair and market-based system of incentives.  The current tax credits used by Congress to spur renewable energy development, however vary widely depending on the type of renewable energy used.  We should not use the tax code to pick winners and losers. We should instead set the goals, provide fair and equal support, and let the best technologies emerge. 

In addition, we must extend the renewable energy tax credits that are set to expire this year.  Congress has failed to act on these credits and accordingly, is removing the incentive for individuals and businesses to move to wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and biofuels and reduce our need for foreign oil.