Hulshof Believes Missouri Can Help Alleviate Energy Crisis

HITS NIXON ON DRILLING

"He has been opposed to drilling for 20 years. Suddenly, he’s not. Will the real Jay Nixon please stand up?," asks Hulshof spokesperson Scott Baker.

UPDATE . . . NIXON CAMP RESPONDS:

"Times have changed and everyone knows it. Everyone except perhaps Congressman Hulshof, who just announced an ‘energy plan for Missouri’ that completely ignores the need to invest in alternative forms of energy," responds Nixon spokesperson Oren Shur.

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AGREEMENT ON DRILLING IN WESTERN MISSOURI; DISAGREEMENT ON ENERGY EMPHASIS . . . OIL vs. ALTERNATIVES

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A day after Kenny Hulshof's campaign for Governor called for the construction of an oil refinery in Missouri, the Congressman is now raising questions about Jay Nixon's position on drilling in the Arctic.

"Jay Nixon has been a staunch opponent of responsible exploration. Suddenly he is in favor of it," said Hulshof spokesperson Scott Baker in a release Friday.

But the Nixon campaign hit back, taking aim at Hulshof for outlining an energy plan that fails to address the needs for alternative sources. "Times have changed and everyone knows it," said Nixon spokesperson Oren Shur. "Everyone except perhaps Congressman Hulshof, who just announced an ‘energy plan for Missouri’ that completely ignores the need to invest in alternative forms of energy," added Shur.

On Thursday, Hulshof rolled out his energy plan designed to take advantage of resources right her in Missouri to help alleviate the current energy crunch. The plan focuses on exploration of Missouri oil and gas reserves as well as incentives for investment in those resources.

"For years I have been saying that we should look to the Midwest instead of the Middle East when it comes to addressing our nation’s energy needs,” said Hulshof. “That starts with tapping into resources we have available right here in Missouri. While special interests block efforts to take advantage of our nation’s domestic energy supply elsewhere, there are solutions to be found right here in Missouri. We should take every possible step to exploit those solutions," Hulshof added.

Hulshof's plan includes:

• Document Missouri's energy supply, including the estimated 1.4 to 1.9 billion barrels of heavy oil in Western Missouri.
• Fund Exploration Research through Missouri University of Science and Technology to discover cheaper, more reliable methods of extracting energy.
• Constructing an oil refinery and offering tax incentives to make it happen.

Friday, the Hulshof campaign pointed to a statement by spokesman Oren Shur on drilling in the Arctic. "Nixon spokesman Oren Shur said the Democrat agrees with Hulshof about the need for more drilling both offshore and in currently protected areas of Alaska," according to the Associated Press.

But in 1988, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Nixon favored protecting areas in the Arctic wilderness from "dangerous development."

"This is just the latest example of Nixon purposely misleading Missourians about what he truly believes," said Baker. "He has been opposed to drilling for 20 years. Suddenly, he’s not. Will the real Jay Nixon please stand up?," Baker added.

Shur said that Nixon supports a comprehensive approach that includes drilling as well as investments in "solar, wind cellulosic bio-fuels" and other alternatives. "There are two types of people who think we can solve our energy crisis without any type of investment in renewable energy: big oil executives and the Washington politicians who are in their pockets. And even some of the oil executives are coming around. Even T. Boone Pickens has an energy plan that goes beyond oil," said Shur. “We can agree on additional drilling and oil exploration, both in western Missouri and off shore. But where we differ is that Congressman Hulshof keeps giving the oil companies billions at a time when they’re making record profits and Missourians are paying record prices at the pump," he added.