Dolan Pledges to Protect Line 5 & Pursue All of the Above Energy Agenda in U.S. Senate
In case you missed it, U.S. Senate candidate Matt Dolan offered his response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address with an op-ed on American energy security in today’s edition of The Toledo Blade. Dolan takes Biden to task for his failure to recognize the fact that energy security is national security, and pledges to pursue an agenda that will protect Line 5 in Ohio and restore energy independence for America.
Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address was chock full of predictable rhetoric and failed promises. However, one line was particularly jarring for workers and families in Ohio.
While speaking to a nation plagued with high energy prices, the president said, “We are going to need oil for at least another decade!”
This is an absurd notion out of touch with reality, basic market forces and the challenges confronting everyday Americans. Energy security is national security, and demand for oil, natural gas and other fuel sources, is projected by independent analysts to increase for decades into the future.
These facts are lost on Joe Biden and Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, each of whom have been missing in action on protecting Ohio energy jobs.
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The natural gas and crude oil that are transported securely through Line 5 continue to have a direct tie to tens of thousands of Ohio jobs. As a candidate and policymaker, I have met with local workers and residents on several occasions, and I’ve heard them loud and clear. I understand how Line 5 impacts the livelihood of our skilled trades and even public education. The Toledo refinery’s output also helps to provide essential petrochemicals that are used in a range of everyday products purchased by consumers across America.
The future of Line 5 carries national implications as well. Gas prices are fluctuating wildly for American families and businesses today because of the heightened influence of foreign markets. Contrary to arguments by Democrats, restricting the energy supply at home will only increase demand for fuels produced and refined by other nations using methods harmful to our environment.
Significant national security concerns also emanate from being short sighted on domestic energy security. Fuel reserves derived from North America continue to aid in liberating European nations from their dependence on Russia. The energy policy platform embraced by the Democratic Party is preventing America from asserting itself as an energy superpower.
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Only weeks ago, The Toledo Blade editorialized that America needs candidates for federal office who understand that we need a comprehensive approach to expanding energy production. They’re right. Energy independence does not mean exclusive reliance on oil and gas but a true, all of the above energy policy. That is why I intend to introduce a resolution in the Legislature encouraging the Biden administration to recognize Ohio as a hydrogen hub. Through the use of our natural gas and nuclear industries, Ohio is well positioned to become a national leader in the creation of hydrogen energy. I am working with experts at the University of Toledo and local Toledo businesses to make this clean energy of tomorrow a reality today. Through these actions, we can actively incentivize the growth of energy jobs and development across Ohio.
I’m running for the U.S. Senate with a desire to adopt the same constructive approach for America. I will work to protect Line 5, streamline permitting process time for energy projects, and maximize the production of reliable, cleaner, American-made energy to lower gas prices and end our dependence on foreign sources of energy.
Joe Biden needs to understand that it will take more than lip service, platitudes and a blame game to bring down consumer prices and enhance our national security. An all of the above energy agenda will truly make Ohio and the state of our national union strong.
To read the full op-ed from the Toledo Blade, click HERE.