Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s energy plan, released on Aug. 23, seeks a dramatic increase in domestic oil, gas and coal production, which he said would create jobs in construction, manufacturing and other sectors.
In his plan, Romney calls for North American energy independence by 2020, with a prime focus on increased exploration for fossil fuels in the U.S. He also pledges to approve the controversial Keystone XL crude oil pipeline project, and expand offshore oil and gas drilling, particularly off the coasts of Florida and Virginia.
In perhaps the most dramatic proposed change, Romney says he would give states more power to control energy development on federal lands within their borders.
Romney also says he would reduce some of the regulatory barriers that he contends have stalled energy development under the Obama administration, such as the moratorium on offshore drilling in parts of the Gulf of Mexico.
Predictably, reaction to Romney’s plan was split along partisan lines. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) called Romney’s strategy a “comprehensive vision for the future of American energy production that stands in stark contrast to the Obama administration’s failed no-new-energy, no-new-jobs strategy. "