Published Thrusday | July 17, 2008
As Gas Prices Increase, So Do Political Plans
BY Julie Hong - KPTM News
SOURCE: KPTM Fox 42 Online
OMAHA (KPTM) - As drivers continue to be slammed at the pump, both of Nebraska's Second District Congressional candidates say they have the answer.
Jim Esch unveiled his energy plan Thursday while Lee Terry says he's been pushing his plan for months.
A buck nine a gallon! Those days are long gone. Try almost four bucks instead. "It's probably going to be a little painful for a little while," says Esch.
Painful times Nebraska's Congressional candidate Jim Esch says he can fix. "We can do any of these things, it just takes the right leadership."
Esch announced his EASI energy plan. EASI is an acronym for a plan he says will protect the environment, conserve energy, create new and jobs and reduce our reliance on foreign oil.
"We have some of the best wind here and we're not utilizing it. We can create an entire new economy of jobs people that have to fix the wind towers or put the lines in to move the power." Esch admits an energy plan won't be easy to implement but should've been in place years ago.
"We can't keep sending back the same people if we want to see these things change," says Esch.
The Lee Terry camp says it's about time Terry's opponent came up with a plan. "The congressman has a very specific plan that has been talking about it for months," says Terry's campaign manager, Dave Boomer.
Last year, Terry led an effort to increase fuel efficiency. His new plan calls for expanding drilling offshore and in Alaska and working on new technologies for alternative fuels.
"We need to secure our own energy resources right here in America, that's what we need to do right now to bring relief to the American people while we're developing alternative fuel sources," says Terry's new senior economic advisor and Esch's former opponent in the May Primary, Richard Carter.
Both candidates agree an energy plan should promote conservation and independence from foreign oil.
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