Salazar Energy Plan Delays Job Creation and Will Raise the Cost of Energy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) President Grover Norquist sharply criticized U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s announcement to delay for at least 6 months the completion of a long term offshore oil and gas exploration plan.

“Democrats who continue to call for increased taxes and penalties on energy exploration and production during times of economic uncertainty are like the child who continues to put the paper-clip in the electrical socket – we are at that point where the learning curve has waived ‘good-bye’ to these people a long time ago and these stupid policies cannot be tolerated,” said Norquist.

As recently as July, 2008, the average price for a gallon of gasoline hit a record high at $4.11 per gallon. Democrats and some Republicans in the 110th Congress supported legislation that would make investing in the energy futures markets illegal, increase the price of energy by taxing its producers, and limit job creation by allowing some states access to energy while others were forbade. As a result, gasoline prices reached an all time high of $4.11 per gallon.

“Obama and Salazar have made a decision to delay 160,000 new American jobs and delay $1.7 trillion in federal revenue that would come from moving forward as planed. However, one thing is for certain, this decision was made in perfect consult with the unions, the trial lawyers, and the environmentalists who want to limit the number of people on earth because it’s ‘too pretty’ to ruin with silly things like human beings and economic growth.”

Americans for Tax Reform is supportive of legislation that allows all forms of energy to compete in an open market. You can find ATR’s Fiscally Responsible Energy Points for the 111th Congress at www.atr.org.

View the PDF version.