Weekly Addresses - 3/12/11

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Women's History Month & Fair Pay
The President pays homage to former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, commends the great strides that have been made to create a more equal American society, and reaffirms his resolve to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Delivers Weekly GOP Address On Energy Prices
In the Weekly Republican Address, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Ranking Member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, discusses GOP ideas for lowering energy prices and creating jobs. Sen. Murkowski laments, "The worst part of this emerging crisis is that our own government deserves much of the blame. International events have pushed prices higher, but our own short-sightedness and restrictions have also played a critical role. Some in Washington believe higher oil and gas prices, driven even higher by proposed new taxes, are needed to make Americans behave the way they think they should. Higher energy prices are their explicit goal. They don't realize or don't care about the damage to the economy, the pain to a mom as she fills her minivan, or a farmer as he tries to bring in a harvest." She says, "Republicans know that it's past time to produce more of America's oil. My home state of Alaska alone has estimated resources in excess of 65 years' worth of Persian Gulf imports. Republicans would end the de facto moratorium on new development in the Gulf of Mexico and parts of the Rocky Mountain West. Instead of canceling leases and refusing to issue permits, we need to put people back to work. It's also time to shelve the bad ideas. Democrats have repeatedly sought to increase taxes and fees while slowing the permitting process. That won't solve any problems, but it will mean less production, more imports, and higher prices. To boost production, we need to cut red tape and streamline regulations." Sen. Murkowski also points out, "Both supply and demand affect oil prices, and that's why Republicans support both new production and alternatives to reduce consumption. But we're also thinking about what comes next, and we're committed to making progress on cleaner energy -- that's just not our only goal. We also want energy to be affordable, abundant, diverse, and domestic." She concludes, "For far too long, our nation has lacked a coherent energy policy. For too many decades, opponents have argued against vital long-term policies because they won't produce instant gratification. We've ignored the tremendous benefits of American oil production -- jobs, money, and security -- and now we're facing the consequences."

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