Energy & Environment
The Issue: Texas families are facing tough times due to skyrocketing energy costs, and our nation is more dependent of foreign oil then ever before. This is bad for America and a lost opportunity for Texas. Our dependence on foreign oil is a drag on our economy that Texas families feel everyday be it at the grocery store or the gas pump. We cannot remain dependent for our energy needs on the most unstable parts of the world and win the global war on terrorism. We need to be able to face the world from a position of economic strength as well as military might and our economic future depends on us answering the critical energy question.
Too often, the problems of rising gasoline prices and shrinking oil supplies receive a politically motivated response in Washington. Too often talk masquerades as leadership. Too often partisanship replaces policy. You're either for clean renewable energy research or for more oil exploration.
The Rick Noriega energy plan rejects this either/or approach and calls for real leadership.
The Solution: To get out of our current mess, we need all options on the table -- we need to both find new sources of oil and invest heavily in new technologies and new energy sources. Our current problems demand practical solutions, long term thinking and a comprehensive plan that attacks the problem from all sides. Texas leads the U.S. in both fossil fuel reserves and in renewable energy potential and deserves an energy policy that takes both factors into account.
The Rick Noriega energy plan is designed with the knowledge that our current energy predicament is both a short-term crisis and a long-term opportunity for Texas. The Noriega plan will focus on three key areas:
1 -- PROVIDE IMMEDIATE RELIEF FOR TEXAS FAMILIES -- Across Texas, families are struggling with energy costs and the strain it places on their pocketbooks. Unfortunately, Texas' energy needs—like those across the country—will continue to grow as its population is expected to expand. The Noriega energy plan is designed with Texas families in mind—not Big Oil and the other special interests and speculators that have dominated energy policymaking for too long. The Noriega energy plan will:
- Protect Consumers from Price Gouging.
- End Market Price Speculation.
- Maximize Output from Current Oil Fields.
- Lift the Ban on Offshore Drilling.
2 -- MAKE TEXAS AND AMERICAN ENERGY SELF-SUFFICIENCY -- Texas has always been a world energy leader. Currently, the state leads the nation in energy production and consumption. While about 90% of the energy Texas presently produces is from non-renewable sources—such as oil, natural gas, and coal—we are blessed with the natural resources to become a leader in the production and use of alternative energy and to improve the percentage of renewable energy that we produce. Additionally, the state's world-class collection of research universities offers the possibility for technological break-through related to hydrogen fuel cells and other potential renewable sources. The Noriega energy plan will:
- End Big Oil's Tax Cuts to Encourage Renewable Innovation.
- Set a National Renewable Portfolio Standard.
- Set a National Renewable Fuels Standard.
- Invest in Increasing the Availability of Alternative Fuels.
- Repair the Nation's Energy Infrastructure to Promote Efficiency.
- Make Texas a World Leader in Safer Nuclear and Clean Coal Technologies.
3 -- DEVELOP A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND ECONOMIC FUTURE -- While engaged in renewable research and development, we also must prioritize altering our existing behavior and consumption habits. At the heart of the Noriega energy plan is the effort to use renewable sources for our electricity needs. The plan also seeks to encourage Texas and the rest of the nation to wean ourselves off fossil fuels for transportation over time. Additionally, the plan seeks to encourage efforts to increase our energy efficiency and conserve existing energy resources -- developments which will result in economic and ecological benefits. The Noriega energy plan will:
- Increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards.
- Require the Federal Government to Be Energy Efficient.
- Provide Incentives for Consumers and Small Businesses to be Energy Efficient
- Implement a Market Based Cap and Trade Program.
- Establish a National Energy Secretary Office in Texas.
Texas has always led the way when it comes to energy production. And we will lead again in the 21st Century; except it will no longer be with “black gold" but with “green gold." The Noriega energy plan is centered on the belief that Texas can become a world leader in renewable energy -- creating jobs, strengthening the state's economy, and providing a more sustainable future for our state's natural resources and our country's national security.
