On May 20, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the Ranking Member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released a list of energy and climate principles that he believes the U.S. should follow. The Republican principles are as follows:
- Lower Gasoline Prices
- Unlocking Domestic Energy Resources Immediately
- The American Economy and American Jobs Come First
- More Clean Energy
- Get Smart about Energy Efficiency
- Share Technology with Developing World
To lower gasoline prices, Barton suggests encouraging domestic oil and gas production. He says that Chinese companies are drilling for oil fifty miles off the Florida coast, so American companies should be allowed to drill off of the U.S. shorelines, as well. Regarding the third principle, Barton says that the Republicans support reducing CO2 emissions through incentives and technology, but will oppose any regulations that hurt working people. On the fourth principle of clean energy, Barton suggests that more nuclear energy and clean coal technologies are needed, and to improve energy efficiency, he offers smart metering, combined with a "distributed generation system." Finally, in order to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, Barton suggests that the U.S. provide new technologies to the developing world.