ROMNEY’S ALL OF THE ABOVE TO OBAMA’S NONE OF THE ABOVE

            This election should be an easy one.  But, if it isn’t, here’s a quick view from the mining industry:  Romney wants to mine coal, frack shale, and bring synthetic fuel from Canada’s oil sands via the Keystone pipeline.  Obama wants outrageously expensive biofuel and solar energy produced by political contributors.
            We can’t afford four more years of this.  A crucial component of Mitt Romney’s Plan for a Stronger Middle Class is to dramatically increase domestic energy production and partner closely with Canada and Mexico to achieve North American energy independence by 2020. While President Obama has described his own energy policy as a “hodgepodge,” sent billions of taxpayer dollars to green energy projects run by political cronies, rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline as not in “the national interest,” and sought repeatedly to stall development of America’s domestic resources, Romney’s program could establish America as an energy superpower in the 21st century.
            Although every president since Nixon has promised this, technology, especially shale fracking, is holding out the promise that this could come true in a few years – and without outrageous government spending.
            Even the Kennedy School at Harvard thinks this is possible.  They said, “The Western Hemisphere could return to a pre-World War II status of theoretical oil self-sufficiency, and the United States could dramatically reduce its oil import needs. … over the next decades, the growing role of unconventional oils will make the Western hemisphere the new center of gravity of oil exploration and production.”
            The advantages are immense.  For our deficit ridden government, the promise of energy on government land promises to actually help alleviate the skyrocketing debt under the Obama Administration.  The Manhattan Institute said, “An affirmative policy to expand extraction and export capabilities for all hydrocarbons over the next two decades could yield as much as $7 trillion of value to the North American economy, with $5 trillion of that accruing to the United States, including generating $1 – $2 trillion in tax receipts to federal and local governments. Such a policy would also create millions of jobs rippling throughout the economy. While it would require substantial capital investment, essentially all of that would come from the private sector”
            This is not a political pipe dream.  This type of technological advancement is being seen already on private and state government lands.  It only needs an administration that gives the okay to America’s energy sector.  Romney’s energy platform notes, “Obama has intentionally sought to shut down oil, gas, and coal production in pursuit of his own alternative energy agenda. Federal land open for exploration has declined nearly 20 percent on his watch, and the rate of permitting is down 37 percent. It now takes a shocking 307 days to receive the permits to drill a new well.  Compare that record to what states have achieved on the land under their supervision.  The state of North Dakota can permit a project in ten days. Colorado does it in twenty-seven. Nor do these processes pose any greater environmental risks. To the contrary, states are far better able to develop, adopt, and enforce regulations based on their unique resources, geology, and local concerns.”
What we can’t get in the US, Romney wants to acquire from our two neighbors, Canada and Mexico.  But Obama has decided that displacing OPEC oil with Canadian and Mexican oil will not serve the national interest.  A State Department recommendation on the Keystone pipeline said, “Today, the Department of State recommended to President Obama that the presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline be denied and, that at this time, the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline be determined not to serve the national interest.”
However, Romney’s view doesn’t end at the energy sector.  He has clearly shown he is a friend of the mining industry.  As far as onerous regulations go, he has said, “Modernizing America’s complex environmental statutes, regulations, and permitting
processes is crucial to ensuring that the nation can develop its resources safely and efficiently.  Laws should promote a rational approach to regulation that takes cost into account. Regulations should be carefully crafted to support rather than impede development.”
            For the mining industry, the choice is clear this November.