Following recent comments, one of the EPA’s regional administrators has resigned.  Al Armendariz stated that he supports the Roman Empire’s technique of taking over a city.  The soldiers would walk in and crucify the first five men they saw, and this would instill a fear in the city’s citizens, making it easy to rule.  Is this really how the EPA should be run? After the backlash from these comments, the administrator has removed himself from the agency. However, this does not fix the problem of the war the EPA has waged on fossil fuels.

It was found in a recent poll that only 28% of likely voters believe the EPA properly balances the need for economic growth with the need for environmental protection.  The Obama administration has done nothing to address these concerns, and still continues to support the agency’s harsh policies on fossil fuels.  These restrictions are hurting consumers, workers, the economy and our national security.  Fossil fuels like petroleum fuels and petrochemicals are proven, reliable and efficient sources of energy that keep us moving forward and sustain our modern lifestyles.

Investors Business Daily points out “the extraction of oil and natural gas and the manufacture of fuels and petrochemicals support more than 9 million American jobs and generate more than $31 billion a year in federal tax revenues.”  Not only has the Obama administration’s EPA made it more difficult for these manufacturers, but President Obama also blocked the construction of the Keystone Pipeline.  This pipeline would bring 800,000 barrels of oil each day to the Gulf Coast.  Additionally, the President has also decided that over-regulation and raising taxes on the oil and natural gas sector is a great way to drive Americans to alternative energies.  Not only are these alternative energies unpopular with consumers, but they are also extremely expensive, therefore not helping the American people at all.

It is clear that the Obama administration has paired with the EPA to make sure that Americans no longer have the right to choose their energy sources and is trying to force oil and natural gas companies out of the market.  In order to fix several issues with the EPA, President Obama would need to make sure the person who takes Mr. Armendariz’s place is willing to work with oil and natural gas producers in ways that will help the American people, protect the environment, and boost the energy and manufacturing sector.  The war on fossil fuels has obviously been waged by the EPA and the Obama Administration, but it’s time to surrender and give in to the Americans’ demands.