By Nicholas Salazar
Sen.Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) revealed a three pronged energy plan Monday aimed at boosting domestic oil and natural gas production, increasing the amount of pipelines and transmission lines for energy delivery and conducting research into making wind and solar energy more cost-effective.
“This is essential to who we are as a prosperous nation,” Murkowsi said during a press conference on Capitol Hill.
Murkowski noted that the initiative, entitled “Energy 20/20: A Vision For America’s Energy Future,” is not a form of legislation but is rather an overview of principles.
Referencing the power outage during the Super Bowl Sunday night that lasted for more than an hour, Murkowski said that she thinks the widely discussed event will help “kick-start the debate.”
The notion of increasing oil production, as well as the use of coal, is a controversial one. The Natural Resources Defense Council released a statement shortly after Murkowsi’s remarks saying that her plan “reads more like a cut-and-paste job from the fossil fuel industry’s playbook of the past.”
“[Murkowski] should not be pushing drilling in our most pristine landscapes or approving a pipeline that will result in more, not less, climate change problems,” the statement read.
On the topic of clean energy, Murkowsi explained “we haven’t really defined clean. It’s subject to your own interpretation.”
The topic of climate change was a point of emphasis during President Obama’s second inaugural address last month, wherein the President said that his administration “will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.”
