Kansas is the 9th largest energy producing state in the country, and it is the life blood of many of our communities and a great source of our current economic growth -- and is an engine for economic growth for years to come.

I believe the while renewable forms of energy must be pursued, we must first and foremost protect our oil and gas producers and ensure that they are not burdened with excessive regulations and new taxes.   Our nation and our world will continue to rely on oil and gas to meet our energy needs for decades and decades to come.

I believe we need to pursue an “all of the above” approach to addressing domestic energy policy, but unfortunately, the Obama Administration and his congressional allies are working to implement a policy that runs counter to fostering robust domestic energy exploration and production. 
 
I find the tax increases on the energy industry contained in President Obama’s 2010 Budget Proposal, and the so-called, "climate change" legislation currently being discussed in Washington just another example of how Washington is simply out of touch with the rest of the country.  Both proposals attempt to punish oil and gas producers by shouldering them with undue economic burdens.

If Obama gets his proposals through we’ll see more jobs lost in manufacturing and in the oil and gas industry, higher utility rates, and higher prices at the pump. 

Proposed tax changes to repeal deductions for percentage depletion, intangible drilling and development cost deductions and the marginal well tax credit, would drive most small independents out of business and further restrict larger producers’ ability to explore and develop energy. 

By some estimates, in Kansas alone, these tax increases would result in a direct loss of oil and gas investments of over $150 million dollars annually.

Also, I support hydraulic fracturing; understanding that it makes the impossible possible by allowing producers to reach oil and natural gas trapped in rock beds that would otherwise be unattainable. It is responsible for 30 percent of domestic recoverable oil and natural gas, and over the years, has aided in the extraction of more than seven billion barrels of oil and 600 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. 

Because fracturing allows energy production to occur at well sites that otherwise would have shut down years ago or which never would have been drilled in the first place, it is critical to maximizing our domestic resources 

Without fracturing, thousands of wells across the country would be forced to close—taking with them the jobs, and economic activity they currently generate.

We all know, what few in Washington seem to understand, that hydraulic fracturing has never been proven a threat to ground water, and as recently as 2004, the EPA released a study concluding that in no way does the technique pose any risk to drinking water.

I look forward to advancing policies that promote more drilling and exploration and will fight against policies that hurt our oil and gas producers.