Romney Energy Policy: More Drilling On Federal Land, Offshore Drilling

Mitt Romney’s energy policy would allow states to determine if drilling or mining should occur on federal lands within their borders as part of a larger plan to increase domestic production of oil, coal, and natural gas.

Unveiled Thursday in what the campaign billed as a major speech, the Romney energy policy would aim for energy independence by 2020, Yahoo! News reported.

Right now, the federal government has control over drilling on federal lands, but Romney said the decision should instead be up to state officials.

“This is not some pie-in-the-sky kind of thing,” Romney said in a speech at an oilfield services company in Hobbs, N.M. “This is a real, achievable objective.”

In unveiling the Romney energy policy, the Republican presumptive nominee also struck against President Obama, saying he “has intentionally sought to shut down oil, gas and coal production in pursuit of his own alternative energy agenda.”

By loosening regulations on the energy industry, the Romney energy policy would help taxpayers by lowering the cost of gas and, by extension, the consumer goods that are more expensive because of those high gas prices, the campaign argued. Mitt Romney also argued that his energy policy would create jobs, lower the trade deficit, and increase national security by reducing the dependence on foreign oil.

“Three million jobs come back to this country by taking advantage of something we have right underneath our feet,” Mitt Romney said Thursday. “That’s oil, and gas, and coal. We’re going to make it happen. We’re going to create those jobs.

“Let me tell you what else it does. It adds $500 billion to the size of our economy. That is more good wages. That’s an opportunity for more Americans to have a bright and prosperous future.”

As part of the Romney energy policy’s plan to achieve energy independence, there would also be more offshore drilling off the coasts of Virginia and the Carolinas, Romney said.

Though Republican’s campaign made a big event of the unveiling of the Romney energy policy, Democrats pointed out that it is more or less the same as the “Drill Baby Drill!” push Republicans made in 2008, ABC News noted.

Obama’s campaign has already responded to Romney’s energy policy, noting that it would turn away from renewable energy sources to give more power to oil companies.

Clinton Energy Secretary Federico Pena wrote:

“Only two days after a fundraiser hosted by the CEO of major oil companies, Romney is expected to defend billions in oil subsidies while opposing efforts to use oil more efficiently and develop homegrown alternative energy. We will never reach energy independence by turning our backs on homegrown renewable energy and better auto mileage.”

“President Obama has championed an all-of-the-above approach to energy that responsibly develops America’s great natural resources And under President Obama, we are producing the most natural gas ever, the most oil in 14 years, and are on track to double the amount of electricity we get from renewable sources like wind and solar.”

What do you think of the Romney energy policy?