A crucial component of Mitt Romney’s plan for a stronger middle class is a comprehensive energy strategy to achieve North American energy independence by 2020 and establish America as an energy superpower in the 21st century. The recently nominated Republican presidential candidate has announced his national energy policy plan. Proposing significant regulatory reform and increased domestic energy production, Romney’s plan promises to create 3 million jobs and more than $1 trillion in revenue by ramping up production of domestic energy sources and giving states more control over energy production.
The plan contains significant proposals to promote coal-fired power generation. Rules affecting coal-fired power plants would be streamlined to achieve the necessary environmental protection while avoiding plant closures, ensuring that “the cost of new regulation is considered and reasonable compliance timelines established.”
Romney’s plan also promises to amend the Clean Air Act to eliminate carbon dioxide from its regulatory scope, calling the law “poorly tailored to that purpose.” Romney’s plan also focuses on giving greater permitting responsibility to individual states. Romney also stated the government should not invest in alternative energy “because the government makes a poor venture capitalist.”
Romney said his plans would make the U.S., along with Canada and Mexico, energy independent by 2020. “This is not some pie in the sky kind of thing,” said Romney. “This is a real achievable objective.”
