Politicians are at odds on role of gas incentives
Warren Tribune Chronicle — House lawmakers from the Mahoning Valley agree the nation needs to become more energy independent, and tapping into the rich, domestic natural gas and oil resource is one way to go.
But where U.S. Reps. Bill Johnson, a Republican, and Democrat Timothy J. Ryan disagree are on tax incentives, like the one President Barack Obama promoted last month in Las Vegas – a plan that would provide incentives to companies that purchase natural gas-powered trucks.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, too, would like to see action to reduce what he calls a ”dangerous and unsustainable dependence on foreign oil.”
He supported the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act in 2010, a bill that would have reduced dependence on foreign oil by investing in vehicles that run on natural gas and electricity.
The proposed Keystone pipeline would carry Canadian oil produced from tar sands to refineries along the Texas Gulf coast.
Brown, Johnson and Ryan agree the potential of natural gas to be a significant economic driver is huge in terms of direct and indirect jobs, but the industry must be developed safely.
