FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 15, 2008
CONTACT:
Brian Kennedy (202) 346-8826
Chris Tucker (202) 346-8825
Obama Energy Team Has “No History” of Supporting Responsible Access to Affordable Energy
IER president urges appointments to advance energy agenda “in line with the needs and interests of all Americans”
Washington, DC – Institute for Energy Research (IER) president Thomas J. Pyle issued the following statement today after the president-elect formally announced his plans to nominate Dr. Steven Chu as his energy secretary, Nancy Sutley as chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, and Lisa Jackson as EPA administrator – along with the appointment of Carol Browner as his new “energy czar”:
“As load-bearing pillars of the American economy continue to groan under the combined weight of a historic housing crisis, a volatile financial market, and rising unemployment, the one clear path back to prosperity is an economic plan that leverages America’s abundant supplies of homegrown energy to create millions of new jobs, billions in new revenue, and generations of affordable energy for the American people.
“The men and women the president-elect selected today to head up his energy team will play an important part in determining the speed with which that recovery occurs. The only question is whether these appointments will prove themselves capable of advancing an energy agenda in line with the needs and interests of all Americans, and not just of those who prefer to keep American-owned resources under lock-and-key. Unfortunately, the president-elect today named an energy team with no history of supporting responsible energy production or ensuring access to it remains affordable and reliable. That should concern all Americans who use energy.
“Americans know that any attempts to reduce American energy supplies, or to increase their costs, will disproportionately impact America’s working families and further damage our nation’s struggling economy. If the government deliberately and artificially hikes the price of energy, all Americans will suffer, and our nation will lose its ability to compete. We will be watching closely.”
The Institute for Energy Research (IER) is a not-for-profit organization that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets. IER maintains that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most efficient and effective solutions to today’s global energy and environmental challenges and, as such, are critical to the well-being of individuals and society.
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www.InstituteforEnergyResearch.org
