Energy
Despite the recent cold weather and snow storms, summer is quickly approaching which likely means higher energy prices. Nebraskans will not only feel the pain at the gas pump, we could face higher home electric bills, and pay more for just about every product because of higher transportation and production costs.
Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) issued the following statement after passage of H.R. 267, the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act introduced by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). The legislation includes regulatory relief similar to Smith’s Small Scale Hydropower Enhancement Act:
All eyes are now focused on negotiations to resolve the fiscal cliff, which if left unaddressed will result in arbitrary spending cuts and tax rate increases for all earners at the beginning of next year. Arbitrary cuts combined with new increases in tax rates would undermine economic growth and likely send our economy back into recession.
The national economy is bleak. Four years after a deep recession, unemployment remains stubbornly high at 7.8 percent, and economic growth has slowed to 1.3 percent. Families and small businesses are struggling to make ends meet. As wages and benefits have been cut, prices of electricity, gas, food, and health care continue to rise. Clearly, we are not headed in the right direction.
Affordable energy is a necessary ingredient for long-term economic growth. Lower utility rates reduce overhead costs, leaving businesses more money to grow, add more employees, and reduce consumer prices. The less money families spend on their monthly power bill, the more money they have to save or spend as they wish – all of which contributes to economic growth.
Washington, DC – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) released the following statement in support of the U.S. D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR).
As our economy struggles, the lack of bipartisan solutions from Congress only adds to our frustration.