Welcome to morganton.com. Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

Morganton.com - Morganton - The News Herald

HomeNewsEntertainmentSportsLifestylesOpinionCommunityWeather Online Tools Jobs | Real Estate | Shopping | Classified

McHenry votes 'no' on solutions to oil problem

Barbara Aycock

Published: August 25, 2008

Newland, N.C. - Congressman Patrick McHenry is taking advantage of Congress' recess to visit each of the 10 counties in the 10th Congressional District to promote his energy policy that can be summed up in three words: drill, drill, drill.
Yet, in June of this year, he voted "no" to a bipartisan bill (H.R. 6251) that would have required oil companies to drill on the 68 million acres where they already hold leases.
Just last month, with gas prices at $4 per gallon, McHenry not only voted "no" to a bill (H.R. 6604) that would have cracked down on oil speculators who artificially inflate the price of oil, but also voted "no" to a bill (H.R. 6578) that would have released oil from the Strategic Oil Reserves.
Increased drilling will not solve our energy problem, but it will increase the oil industry's already record-setting profits.
Congressman McHenry has received $25,500 in campaign donations from oil and gas companies and last year voted "no" to a bill (H.R. 2776) for tax credits for investment in alternative energy.
As complicated as these issues are, the best solution to our problem is to use less oil. A serious national commitment to renewable energy can put our economy back on the path to prosperity by bringing energy costs under control, creating new jobs, and making us more energy independent.