WASHINGTON – This afternoon, Secretary Salazar is expected to announce plans to push forward renewable energy projects on public lands. This comes on the heels of several previous, similar announcements that illustrate the Administration’s commitment to using massive government subsidies to prop up the wind and solar industries, while making it increasingly more difficult to produce affordable, reliable sources of energy on public lands. In anticipation of the announcement, Institute for Energy Research President Thomas J. Pyle released the following statement.
“The Obama Administration as a whole, and Secretary Salazar in particular, has made it abundantly clear that while they have no interest in helping Americans to create jobs, add to government revenue, and utilize the vast domestic energy supplies that lay dormant in the Western United States, they –even in the face of massive and unprecedented deficits – just can’t resist spending taxpayers’ hard-earned money on unproven, unreliable, unaffordable energy sources.
“According to the Western Energy Alliance, over the last five years, there has been a79 percent decrease in leases issued in Western states. Of course, that plunge in leasing activity has led to massive revenue and royalty drop off, 46 percent and 33 percent, respectively. If this government expects to have any credibility on energy security, job creation, or deficit reduction, they must readjust their priorities and allow access to the domestic energy supplies that will undoubtedly have a strong, positive impact on our economy.”
