Oberweis' energy solution: Produce more, use less

YORKVILLE -- Considering that the high price of gas affects everyone, it was poor attendance of about 30 residents at a town hall meeting hosted by Republican congressional candidate Jim Oberweis.

In the first of a series of 12 town hall meetings throughout the 14th Congressional District, Oberweis took the platform at the old Kendall County Courthouse Tuesday night and described his ideas for reducing America's dependence on foreign oil and providing relief to families.

He told the small but attentive group that his two-part plan is simple: to provide more energy and use less of it.

Oberweis suggested increasing the production and supply of American-made energy in an environmentally safe way and promoting new, clean and reliable sources of energy like advanced nuclear and next-generation coal, while promoting clean power from renewable energy such as wind and biofuels.

Oberweis also said government should offer more tax incentives to Americans who are willing to make their homes, cars and businesses more energy-efficient.

"We need policies to encourage innovations; we need strong energy polices, and we need to have those policies in place," Oberweis said.

"My thought is that it's critical that we produce as much or more energy in this country than we consume," Oberweis said. "I would love to see the United States become an exporter, a net seller of energy. There is no reason in the world we can't do this."

When one resident asked how refineries could benefit from incentives, Oberweis replied, "The government needs to get out of the way and reduce some of the rhetoric that makes it very difficult for companies to want to build refineries. There has to be an economic incentive for them to want to do so."

"But if we begin to produce more American-made oil, American-produced oil, I think it would be an incentive for companies to refine it right here in this country and to be in a position to expand."

Another resident asked about government regulation, and Oberweis used nuclear plants as an example.

"It's the same thing with nuclear plants. We have driven up the costs of nuclear plants by strict regulation. Perhaps the government could sit down and agree to, perhaps, three different designs, and you pick one of those designs and build it exactly as planned and you're approved and let's go," Oberweis said.

"That would cut down the number of years it would take to do it and the extreme costs of developing dramatically. I think it would make a lot of sense."

The next open town hall meeting to discuss high gas prices will be in Dixon.

"It's for me to learn what people are thinking about and talking about," Oberweis said of the meetings.

"And at the same time it's an opportunity for voters to hear what my position and beliefs on the issues are, and hopefully they will go to my opponent and ask for his opinion, his beliefs on those issues, and then have a chance to compare on what they think and what they agree on."