Rep. Latta’s prescription for energy independence

“I think if Congress would come in here and finish the deal on this thing and say we can drill both onshore and offshore, [...] I think you’d see a collapse of oil prices,” said Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) in an exclusive interview with Talk Radio News. Latta discussed issues relating to America’s increased energy prices, and what he feels would be the best course of action.

“It’s not just about oil, we need to have a strategic plan for nuclear, for clean coal technology. It’s not just saying we’re going to drill”, he continued. “We need an across-the-board [...] debate on the total energy policy in this nation”. When asked about the role renewable sources of energy should play in US energy policy, Latta said all of the options need to work together. He goes on to say that each individual option, including renewables, may not produce enough energy to meet the base-load needs of the United States. However, together he feels they can help substantially reduce the amount of oil the US is forced to import from other nations.

Today on the floor of the House of Representatives, Latta stated that he believes it could take years for a solution to have a big impact on our dependence on foreign oil. In light of this comment, when asked what he would say to the families and businesses in America struggling because of energy prices, Latta said he would tell them that they could expect energy commodity prices to drop as soon as comprehensive energy policy is passed. He also believes that as soon as Congress begins to say that it plans to take steps to solve America’s energy dependence, we can expect to see energy prices decline.