Nevada has been too dependent on other states' energy for too long, just as the nation has relied too much on unstable foreign countries for oil.  I have been working to change that and to reduce the risks of global warming by pushing hard toward renewable energy.

We need an energy policy that benefits hard working Nevadans, not big energy companies' profit margins.  Our national security requires us to reduce our overdependence on oil, particularly from foreign sources.   We can do that quickly by switching to biofuels, much more fuel efficient cars and trucks, or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles powered by the sun, the wind or geothermal energy.              

Energy independence would also mean more jobs for Nevadans.  A recent study by the nonpartisan Apollo Alliance showed that a real investment in energy independence would bring more than 3,300 new jobs to Nevada and more than 500,000 jobs nationwide. That alone is worth the effort.

The time has come for Congress and the President to address our energy future. The chairs of the senate committees that deal with energy issues are eager to take Nevada and this country in a new direction, and I hope the President is ready to work with Congress to make America truly energy independent.  Our country will be safer, our energy rates will be lower, clean domestic production will be greater, and the environment will be healthier.